Seeds of Peace

Student fosters peace between cultures during stint as camp counselor

Junior Adam McNeil was surrounded by Palestinians and Israelis on a warm summer day in Maine. These stereotypically Middle East enemies were not dodging bullets or yelling obscenities at one another, but instead sharing a laugh as they jumped into a nearby lake.

McNeil was involved in a program known as Seeds of Peace. This program brings teenage leaders together to learn how to coexist and resolve cultural conflict. Seeds of Peace has participants from eight Middle East delegations as well as young leaders from South Asia, Cyprus, the Balkans and the United States.

Over 300 campers are selected from more than 2,000 applicants to participate in the program. Their respective governments choose these future leaders based solely on academic performance and leadership ability.

"I feel the nonviolent approach of Seeds of Peace is a very effective way to deal with conflict," said McNeil. "It’s a great way to create discourse between the sides and everyone involved takes something back and reaches out to someone."

McNeil has been a counselor for this international program for the past two summers. As a counselor, he is responsible for a "bunk" of 10 kids per session. He creates a neutral, safe and fun environment for the kids and helps create dialogue between the members of the bunk.

"Adam is open with each camper and is willing to do whatever he can to make them feel comfortable in their new surroundings," said fellow counselor Calvin Young.

Every counselor uses their expertise in various activities to teach the campers and make them step outside their comfort zone. McNeil is a lifeguard on the waterfront staff where he teaches the youngsters different water activities. This seems like an easy task but "many of the kids are inexperienced swimmers even though they live so close to the Mediterranean Sea," said McNeil.

Through activities like water polo the kids learn to work with one another. "Watching the kids work together, despite everything they have gone through, makes me realize that it’s possible for them to come together to achieve a common goal like peace."

McNeil has his mom to thank for his involvement in Seeds of Peace. She spotted an article in the New York Times about the program and instantly thought it would be a great opportunity for her son.

"I felt compelled to join Seeds of Peace because I thought the program was very intriguing and I knew it was something I wanted to be a part of," McNeil said.

When he was accepted into the program McNeil didn’t know much about the conflicts he was going to be dealing with in the upcoming summer.

"All of my friends asked me if I was going to read up on the conflicts before I went to camp," McNeil said. "I told them that I wanted to have this experience without the biased opinion of the media. I feel that the best way to learn about something is from someone who has experienced it."

Adam learned a great deal from the kids in the program. Seeing the kids and hearing some of the stories were a real eye-opener for him.

A camper from Afghanistan, named Waheed, talked to McNeil about his family. The Taliban imprisoned Waheed’s father until the family could raise enough money to get him out. The eight children began selling their belongings and working to raise the money for their father. After six months of financial struggles the Taliban released Waheed’s father.

One girl who McNeil described as quiet and sweet, named Haneen, from the West Bank of Palestine, always put smiles on the faces of the campers, McNeil said. She pulled McNeil aside one day because she was frustrated that the kids would not listen to one another. She told him about her family back home. In the past two years her whole village was bulldozed, she lost her house, and her family members were imprisoned.

McNeil expressed the need for Haneen to share her struggles with the rest of the group. As she began to tell of her hardships, she captured the attention of the whole group and they became willing to listen and learn from one another.

"Seeds of Peace has helped me realize that anything is possible, especially peace," McNeil said. "These kids amaze you with their ability to hear each other out in hopes to come up with some sort of peaceful resolution. The program hopes that these seeds will grow to be leaders in their country and pass on what they found and learned at Seeds of Peace."

McNeil plans to continue his involvement with Seeds of Peace and is currently pursuing a career in conflict mediation. He is an interdisciplinary social science major with a concentration on the Middle East.

If you are interested in learning more about Seeds of Peace or getting involved, visit their Web site at www.seedsofpeace.org.

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