Volume CXXXII, Number 5 October 18, 2002 f

Smith sows seeds
MEREDITH HOAR
STAFF WRITER

Does mixing Israelis and Arabs, Pakistanis and Indians, Greek Cypriots and Turks sound like a recipe for disaster? Wil Smith answered this along with many other questions at last week's Quinby discussion series. He works as a counselor at Seeds of Peace, a camp that hopes to make these combinations less volatile. Located in Otisfield, Maine, Seeds of Peace brings together teenagers from war-torn regions all over the world, with the mission of breaking the cycle of violence and hatred in these areas.

Wil Smith, Director of Multicultural Student Programs at Bowdoin as well as a counselor at Seeds of Peace, spoke about the camp at the most recent installment of the Quinby House Discussion Series, on October 9. Emily Duffus '03, also a counselor at the camp, was on hand to offer her perspective on Seeds of Peace.

It is challenging to bring together people who have grown up hearing nothing but negative things about each other. "There is a lot of mistrust and tense moments at the beginning," said Smith. While Seeds of Peace is no panacea for centuries-old conflicts, Smith said that the seemingly small gains could make a big difference. The goal of a camper may be " to make one friend" during camp.

Altering the world with these small steps is the long-range goal of the camp. John Wallach, the founder of the camp, was an Israeli whose parents were forced to escape Germany during the Holocaust. After the 1993 bombing of the World Trade Center, Wallach decided to do something to fight the prejudices behind such atrocities.

The first sessions of the camp focused on improving relations between Israeli and Arab teenagers. Later, the camp grew to include teenagers representing many parts of the world, including the United States.

In most respects, the activities at Seeds of Peace are like those of any other summer camp. Campers swim, compete in various contests, and learn to love baseball. Though baseball is new to most campers-they have "run the wrong way around the bases" says Duffus-the camp encourages them in the sport. Campers travel to Portland to see the minor league Sea Dogs compete as well.

Outings like this provide an example for ways that Seeds of Peace campers are different than typical campers, however. Every time they leave campgrounds, they have a police escort. The safety of the campers is "the main concern of their parents and their governments," said Smith.

However, campers are safe at Seeds of Peace-which can make sending them home at the end of their sessions that much more difficult. Smith and others hope that many of the campers will end up as community leaders. Smith said, "if it seems idealistic, that's because it is."