Teen program plants seeds of peace

What a difference a year makes. Feb. 27, 2004, the Palestinian uprisings were entering their fourth year. Feb. 27, 2005, Yasser Arafat is dead and there is a new leadership working to turn the Mideast conflict into a Mideast peace. While the process is in a new infancy, there is one international organization that has believed in it for more than a decade.

The Arizona Teen Chapter of Seeds of Peace enters its second year with a Feb. 27 event at Ancala Country Club, designed to raise awareness and understanding of the organization, to raise funds to support its short- and long-term needs and to promote an environment of dialogue between Arab/Jewish American and Indian and Pakistani adult and youth communities of Scottsdale/Phoenix and Greater Arizona.

Aaron David Miller, president of Seeds of Peace, comes to the Valley this Sunday to bring the message of hope that has resulted in new generations of Israelis and Palestinians living, working and dialoguing together. Miller served at the Department of State for more than 20 years. He advised six secretaries of state, and helped formulate U.S. policy on the Middle East and the Arab-Israel peace process, most recently as the senior adviser for Arab-Israeli negotiations. He will be joined at the gala by Seeds of Peace graduates Fadi Elsalameen (Palestinian) and Anna Tunkel (Israeli).

Since 1993, Seeds of Peace has graduated more than 2,500 teenagers from four conflict regions from its internationally recognized leadership program. Through its International Camp in Maine and its Center for Coexistence in Jerusalem, in addition to international youth conferences, regional workshops, educational and professional opportunities and adult educator programs, participants develop empathy, respect and confidence as well as leadership, communication and negotiation skills - all critical components that will ensure peaceful coexistence for the next generation.

Susan Assadi, who heads the Arizona chapter of Seeds of Peace, says the idea for the local organization came from her own daughter, Hannah Assadi, and Hannah's then ninth-grade teacher, Susan Mashburn. Hannah was inspired by her own parents: her mother is Jewish, from New York, and her father Sami is a Palestinian Muslim originally from Safad, Israel.

"It's unique for people in Arizona to have exposure from the 'other side,'" Susan Assadi explained. "There is no fighting here, but there is isolation between the two communities, and this program has helped young people understand other backgrounds and help their parents accept new ideas and embrace strangers."

Assadi added: "Teenagers today have very few built in biases. They get it from their parents, grandparents, friends who have not had the opportunity to meet people different from themselves. If you put a 5-year-old Palestinian in a playground with a 5-year-old Israeli, they don't know they are supposed to hate each other. Hate is taught."

According to Assadi, the movers and shakers in the worldwide organization are the young Israelis and Palestinians, "as well as young leaders from South Asia, Cyprus and the Balkans. There is a dialogue underway between teenagers of Bosnian, Indian and Pakistani communities. If I had one wish for this organization, it would be that more communities, including the Native American, Hispanic and African American cultures, join us in this ongoing dialogue. After all, the new leaders of our world will be this new generation, which rejects bias and hate and embraces our many differences and finds common ground with our similarities."

This year's event was moved to a bigger venue due to the success of the first event and has been preceded by local programs and readings at Barnes & Noble bookstores around the Valley.

At a time when everyone looks at his neighbor with suspicion or ignorance, there's one group working hard to eliminate the barriers and make Arizona a little bit smaller by coming together with a simple message: Give peace a chance.

The Arizona Teen chapter of Seeds of Peace second annual gala event will be held 6 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 27, at Ancala Country Club, 11700 Via Linda, Scottsdale. The event is chaired by Scottsdale Mayor Mary Manross. Tickets are $125 each.

E-mail Arizona@seedsofpeace.org or visit www.seedsofpeace.org.

Barry Kluger is managing partner of Kluger Media Group and a local columnist. He is a former board member of Seeds of Peace.

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