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Building Bridges for Peace is the flagship program for Seeking Common Ground. BBFP brings together young women and men (16 -19) from Israel, Palestine and the United States to participate in an intensive summer program. During their time together participants learn new communication techniques, develop leadership skills and engage in activities that promote peace and the status and empowerment of women.
After the summer program participants return to their respective communities to continue in a year long follow-up program. Our inaugural program took place during the summer of 1994.
These young women and men are able to meet and learn from participants from diverse ethnic, racial, and religious communities. |
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Read More about our Building Bridges for Peace program.
Participants Speak about our Building Bridges for Peace program.
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Building Bridges in Israel
March 1, 2007
Politics and Religion in Israel and Palestine
The second weekend retreat took place in the beautiful, old city of Jerusalem. Twenty-one Palestinian, Palestinian-Israeli and Israeli girls attended the retreat.
On the first night, the young women shared their excitement about meeting each other again in the opening circle. Participants were invited to speak about their individual projects. They were asked to share what they were doing, how it had been for them to do their project, what they had gained from it so far, and how they would continue doing their work. The participants were also asked to think about their personal goals for the retreat; these goals were then written on butcher paper, so that the participants could read them throughout the retreat.
On the second day, the group visited the Holocaust History Museum at Yad Veshem in Jerusalem. A tour guide explained the exhibits and answered the girls’ questions in the museum. After returning from the museum, the group had a short workshop in which participants were asked to write letters to a holocaust survivor.
In the afternoon, the participants attended a Shabbat prayer in a reform synagogue in Jerusalem. They also met with a member of the community and were able to ask questions and listen to a presentation about the synagogue and its reform community. After a festive dinner at the YMCA in Jerusalem, the group continued to an art therapy workshop that reflected on the intensive day and the feelings that came up for the participants during the day.
On the last day of the retreat, the group went on a political tour of Jerusalem, presented from the Palestinian side, during which the guide explained all the issues that Jerusalemites face in East Jerusalem, the effects of the wall, and how Jerusalem is divided. The group then had a “wall workshop” in which pro and con statements about the wall from different sources were posted for participants to read. Two girls were asked to explain the quotes they agreed with the most and then had to reverse roles and explain their partner’s chosen quote and perspective. The workshop continued with the girls using the communication skills they learned in the summer intensive program to have a group discussion about all the burning subjects they had: the separation wall, check points in the Palestinian occupied territories, different aspects of the Israeli army service, and more. The participants are now working hard on their individual projects, and look forward to meeting again at the last retreat in the spring.
"I thought that I reached a point where I cant stretch anymore, what we made during this retreat showed me that I didn’t even started." - Middle East retreat particpant.
Read More about Building Bridges in Israel.
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Building Bridges in the U.S.
November 16, 2007
The BBfP 2007-2008 U.S. Follow-Up Program Kicks off in the Badlands, South Dakota
The U.S. Home Group started their BBfP 2007-2008 Follow-up Program with a trip to the Pine Ridge Reservation and the Badlands National Park in South Dakota. The weekend retreat focused on the idea of community and the much-anticipated individual service-learning projects that are part of the follow-up program curriculum for participants.
The retreat began with a drive from Denver to South Dakota. In Nebraska, the group made a stop at an artistic landmark known as Car Henge (think Stone-Henge but with cars). There, the participants ate lunch and explored the unique surroundings – a rolling field with car sculptures scattered into the distance.
After a much-anticipated reunion with the South Dakota participants, the retreat began with a discussion about the meaning of a ‘just community’. Participants shared many diverse ideas about what a ‘just community’ means to them, spanning from equality in rights and resources to universal tolerance and acceptance of all religions. The participants also discussed what it was like for them to return to their own communities after the summer intensive program in Colorado.
The next day, the group went on a tour of the Badlands National Park and the Pine Ridge Reservation. The participants were able to see the unique beauty of the Badlands, learn about the rich history of the land, and see the growth of the Lakota Sioux culture. The BBfP caravan also made a stop at the famous Wall Drugstore in Wall, South Dakota, where participants learned about a different perspective of the history of South Dakota.
That evening, the participants discussed what they had seen and learned. They reflected on the fact that every community is unique. They were then faced with evaluating the incidences of justice and injustice that exist within their own communities; a daunting, yet necessary task.
Staying true to the BBfP mission, the participants began formulating plans for positive influence and change in their own communities. Their proposed individual service-learning projects are diverse and reflect the unique and diverse individuals in the U.S. home group. They all focus, however, on bringing something new to every community that BBfP works in. All the participants’ projects show promise and the dedication of the participants to the idea of building more just, equitable, and peaceful communities.
The next follow-up program retreat will be held in February in Denver.
Read More about Building Bridges in the U.S..
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