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changemakers through fellowships and convenings, offering workshops and trainings for young leaders and rising professionals to come together across sectors and lines of conflict, sparking the connections and ideas to create social, political, and economic change. Seeds of Peace began 25 years ago, when founder John Wallach, an award- winning author and journalist, dreamed of providing an opportunity for the children of war to plant the seeds for a more secure future. Since that time, world leaders fromPresident Bill Clinton to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and King Hussein of Jordan have recognized the work of Seeds of Peace. Today, Seeds of Peace has nearly 6,700 alumni throughout 27 countries. In a recent alumni survey, 76% of respondents report contributing to conflict transformation either professionally or through personal endeavors. For those respondents who contribute through their work, they impact an average of 1,893 individuals each, while those who volunteer their time spend, collectively, over 1,000 hours each week on peacebuilding activities. To be a Seed is to be part of a globally-recognized cohort of leaders and visionaries working at the intersection of conflict resolution and social innovation. The organization is always finding newways to expand its impact, and now offers capacity-building programs to train educators and community leaders with the skills, resources, and support necessary to promote critical thinking, cross-cultural understanding, and the peaceful transformation of conflict. (See sidebar) For those who become involved with Seeds of Peace – whether as a camper, a counselor, a Fellow, or an educator – the experience is life- changing. For Will Steinberg, this was certainly true, as those who spoke at his funeral could attest. Elliott and Jonah, friends of Will’s since

CAMP The camper selection process is a competitive one. Eligible candidates are current 9th or 10th graders who demonstrate passion for their communities, curiosity, critical thinking, leadership potential, and an open mind. Campers can either attend a session in Maine alongside peers from the Middle East and South Asia and share their voice on critical international issues, or attend a session alongside peers from across the United States and explore concepts of identity, community, power, and privilege. While both sessions for this year have already filled, Seeds of Peace has left two spots open in the second session for readers of this magazine. For information, contact Reggie Miller at rmiller@seedsofpeace.org LOCAL CAPACITY BUILDING You can bring the magic of Camp and innovative dialogue intoyourschool,houseofworship,business,orcommunity center. Seeds of Peace offers a variety of workshops and trainings, ranging from half-day to two-or-three days. These programs can be designed to fit your community’s needs and can focus on empowering educators and students to create peaceful learning environments, giving communities tools to engage in conflict in healthier and more productive ways, or training community members to facilitate their own dialogues. For more information, contact Greg Barker at gbarker@seedsofpeace.org 25th ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION Join hundreds of industry leaders, changemakers, luminaries…and Joe Biden!…as Seeds of Peace celebrates its 25 th anniversary. There are several ways to celebrate: • Tuesday, May 8 th , 8 a.m. | Symposium at Facebook Headquarters in NYC on “Innovating for Social Change in Conflict Areas.” • Wednesday, May 9 th , 6 p.m. | Spring Benefit at Chelsea Piers honoring Seeds of Peace alumni and the Tanner Family, with keynote speaker Vice President Joe Biden. • Wednesday, May 9 th , 9:30 p.m. | After Party at Chelsea Piers with free drinks and close friends, all going to support the Seeds of Peace mission and 25 th anniversary milestone. For more details about tickets or sponsorship opportunities, contact Lori Holcomb-Holland at springbenefit@seedsofpeace.org HOW TO GET INVOLVED WITH SEEDS OF PEACE

preschool, commented on the fact that Will’s relationships with his fellow Seeds, people he had only known for a few years, ran just as deep as the friendships he had from his early childhood. Nawal, a Seed from Pakistan who was in Will’s dialogue group at Camp in 2015, thanked him for “being the warmth of a lighthouse, glowing steadily and gently and reminding me that even if I capsize, people like you will always drag me, drowning and sputtering, to safety. I hope we will be powerful enough to give birth to, and raise, a million more William Steinbergs, who dwell on empathy and selflessness.” Seeds of Peace, year after year, works to do just that. For more information about Seeds of Peace, visit seedsofpeace.org *

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