Students gather to plan peaceful future

While many students left campus last weekend to celebrate Thanksgiving, the University hosted 38 young people determined to help troubled regions of the world and bring about a more peaceful future.

The gathering was the annual Thanksgiving conference of the American delegation of Seeds of Peace, a 14-year-old organization that brings together young adults from conflict-ridden areas of the globe to talk with each other in an effort to move toward a less war-torn world. The initial Seeds of Peace conference involves 450 young adults, who gather annually at a camp in Maine and hail from the Middle East, South Asia, the Balkans, Afghanistan, Cyprus and the United States.

Organized in large part by Zach Ruchman '10, last weekend's gathering reunited American graduates of the camp, who met to catch up, discuss issues and plan the future of the American delegation.

Though many delegations sponsor follow-up programs after the initial conference is over, the American delegation had not always done so, Ruchman said. He added that the idea for the reunion was conceived after he and other "Seeds" alumni saw each other during the 2004 Republican National Convention, to which they were invited, and discovered that communication among the American delegates was not as effective as it could be.

"We decided to reach out to the other American 'seeds' we knew and see if we could organize some post-camp activities for our delegation," he said. "About 40 of us met in New York City for the inaugural conference over Thanksgiving weekend in 2004, and we've been doing it ever since."

The main Seeds of Peace program emphasizes discussion between groups that are currently at odds, such as Arabs and Israelis or Indians and Palestinians.

Harvard sophomore Jay Cohen, who attended the camp in 2003 and 2005 and was present for last weekend's conference at the University, said the purpose of the camp is to "make the other side realize that the enemy has a face."

"It was amazing to see the difference between the so-called enemies coming into camp, and when they're hugging goodbye and crying at the end," he added.

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In addition to viewing several documentary films about civic participation and the Seeds of Peace organization, attendees at last weekend's conference discussed the future of the American delegation, its leadership and programs for the following year. While the conference didn't have a concrete agenda with specific goals, its purpose was to "get things rolling so we can get something tangible done over the course of the year," Cohen said.

Ruchman said the conference covered a wide variety of topics. "Discussions ranged from the issues confronting various regions represented at camp to problems of race and inequality in America," he said.

Wes Morgan '10, a former staff writer for The Daily Princetonian, spoke at the conference about his experiences last summer working as a journalist in Iraq at the invitation of Gen. David Petraeus GS '85. "I was impressed with the depth of their questions," Morgan said of the delegates who listened to his talk. "They were very well-informed."

He added that his time in the Middle East underscored for him the challenges of the current situation in Iraq, and he hopes his knowledge will benefit the would-be world leaders who gathered last weekend. "I think an understanding of the complexity of the situation on the ground is essential for anyone interested in a career in promoting peace in the Middle East," he said.

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The event concluded Saturday evening, with participants reaffirming their commitment to the Seeds of Peace organization.

Brown sophomore Leo Eisenstein said in an email that he was pleased with how this year's gathering panned out. "To this day, what I am most impressed with concerning these now-annual Thanksgiving conferences is our capacity as a sizable group of teenagers to plan, organize and assemble at these events," he said, "and then to sit quietly and attentively for hours on end, as we listen to and engage with our peers."