Dispatch from Seeds of Peace

Hello!

I am so excited to be finally writing a post on this famous blog and have been meaning to all summer but for those of us who have attended or worked at a summer camp, you know that personal time is extremely limited. This is the first time I have ever posted anything on a blog and am currently waiting apprehensively for some photos to upload so please excuse my novice displays of bloggermanship.

I left Seeds of Peace about a week ago. My day job at Seeds of Group Challenge Facilitator. I worked with a co-facilitator to design and implement empowerment and coexistence programs. At Seeds the kids have two and a half hours of dialogue every day in which they are put through the emotional ringer, asked to question every notion they have ever had about their personal and national identity, and face people from "the other side" that they have most likely been taught to dehumanize their entire lives. Group Challenge is the partner program to this dialogue, the physical manifestation of these difficult conversations. We put the kids through

This is a picture of my second session bunk. There is a small program within Seeds called the Maine Seeds program. They bring kids from all different backgrounds from all over Maine and engage them in conversations about race, class and issues facing Maine.


Outward Bound style team building and leadership initiatives, culminating in the high ropes course. We worked closely with the dialogue facilitators, communicating constantly about group and one on one dynamics of the group, as much of dialogue plays itself out on the Group Challenge course.
Ultimately we put pairs of kids together on the high ropes course, usually kids from different countries or regions who just could not get along or struggled all camp with their relationship. All of a sudden you are balancing on a wire with someone you never thought you could rely on and the only way you can complete the task is to work together. I'm still floored by the courage, passion, focus and intention these kids brought to camp. It is emphasized from the beginning that they are here to do hard, hard work.

It is an emotional pressure cooker of a place, and most of these kids are coming from places where violence, discrimination and nationalism shape their daily lives. It was an amazing opportunity to get to know some of the world's most deadly and protracted conflicts through the stories of adolescents who live it everyday.

I know that there have been some subtle shifts in the deep structure of my consciousness because of the relationships and perspectives that developed this summer. I am energized and deeply grateful for the experience.

I've decided to take this momentum and jump into the graduate program at Columbia that I have been holding at arms' length until now. I want to do a dual degree in Public Policy and Social Work, focusing on conflict resolution and human rights.
More to follow!

I have to go move to New York City now.

Love love love to everyone, Carrie


Mahad and Catherine, just off the high ropes.
















Two campers on one of the high elements at the top of telephone poles.