Hands of Peace Brings Palestinian, Israeli, American Teens Together in Carlsbad

posted on: Jul 21, 2016

By Maggie Avants

Patch.com

CARLSBAD, CA – In the midst of unrelenting conflict in the Middle East that impacts the entire global stage, 42 teens from Israel, the West Bank and San Diego came together to work toward peace and break down the walls of conflict for three weeks in Carlsbad this summer.

Hands of Peace brought together high school students beginning July 13 to build bridges and leadership skills among teens divided by conflict, culture, geography and history. Their activities are taking place through Aug. 1 at various locations throughout San Diego County.

Now in its third year in Carlsbad, the Hands of Peace program empowers young people to find their voice as peace leaders, break down stereotypes and gain the knowledge and critical thinking skills to take steps toward peace in their home communities.

Teen participants underwent an extensive application process to be part of the program, showing a desire to share their perspectives and work toward peace. Many of the Middle East participants have experienced violence and loss as a result of the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict and are meeting the other “side” for the first time.

The central activity of the program is intensive daily dialogue sessions, led by professional facilitators, in which teens share personal stories, listen and share views about paths for peace. They also take part in educational activities including a visit to a church, synagogue, and mosque and a community organizing workshop.

Participants are hosted by local families and stay in their homes. This gives the host families an opportunity to build strong, long-lasting relationships with the teens and see conflict through the eyes of those who have experienced it firsthand.

The Park family had a big, new home and nothing to put in it. Here are the amazing before and after photos. [SPONSORED]
“Young people are the key to change and peace, so the transformations that we see taking place during the summer program give us hope for a better future,” says Gretchen Grad, Hands of Peace president/founder.

Some of their activities while in the San Diego area include:

• An inaugural event was held July 15 to introduce the teens to one another. On a ropes course, they worked together in teambuilding activities.
• On July 19, participants took part in a peace through music workshop in Carlsbad with renowned folk singer, Ami Yares, who sings in Hebrew, Arabic and English.
• On Tuesday, participants will go to the Mexican border, engage with teens from Mexico and learn how borders affect people around the world.
• On Wednesday, participants will come together in downtown San Diego for a drum circle for peace, followed by a music workshop with conscious hip-hop group, the Luminaries.
• On Sunday, July 29 in Oceanside, the teens will paint four murals through the Artmiles project. The murals will be displayed at locations throughout San Diego County for six months and then displayed in Israel for six months.
• Following the summer program, Hands of Peace alumni continue to grow as peace leaders, taking part in seminars, alumni club activities, and a year-long leadership program to implement community projects in their home communities.

Currently, local San Diego teens are working on a program focusing on tolerance. Israeli and Palestinian teens are working on a number of activities including a dialogue project between a Jewish school and nearby school of Palestinian Citizens of Israel, programs for hospitalized children in Haifa, awareness building of differently abled people in the West Bank and more.

Source: patch.com