What is the mission of Creativity for Peace?

Our mission is to nurture understanding and leadership in Palestinian and Israeli adolescent girls and women so that they take on significant roles in their families, communities, and countries that advance peaceful coexistence.

How do you achieve that mission?

Teenage girls begin by attending a three-week summer camp outside Santa Fe, New Mexico. At camp they learn to speak authentically and listen compassionately, share their personal stories — often of the violent deaths of loved ones — and become friends. After camp the program continues, year-round, in Israel and Palestine. Girls who wish to deepen their communication and leadership skills become young leaders. We also offer academic scholarships to participants who have financial need and demonstrate leadership.

How old are the girls in your program?

Campers range between 15 and 17 years old and young leaders are 17 to 25 years old.

What are the backgrounds of the girls?

Girls are Muslim, Christian, Jewish, Druze, and other religions and include Palestinians from the West Bank, Gaza, and Israel as well as Jewish Israelis.

How many girls have been through your program?

We have held 13 summer camps since 2003 and 178 girls have participated. Each camp consists of 14-20 girls. Half the girls are Jewish and half are Arabic from Israel, the West Bank and Gaza. Thirty-five girls have made a greater commitment to peace work through our young leader program.

What are the origins of the organization?

Creativity for Peace was founded in 2003 by psychotherapist and peace activist Rachel Kaufman and artist Debra Sugerman. These women believed that the centuries of violence and struggle in the Middle East would never end if left to adults and governments. They felt that young women had the greatest chance of making peace in their countries, based on the African proverb, "If you educate a man, you educate a person, but if you educate a woman you build a good nation."

What happens at the summer camp?

Each morning girls participate in a three-hour dialogue session, led by trained facilitators from the Middle East, in which they learn to speak authentically and listen compassionately. Healing takes place as they share their personal stories with the "enemy." The afternoon art program is led by professional art therapists and includes projects in all visual art disciplines that promote self-expression, release of pain, and collaboration. In addition, girls take field trips and spend many hours of social time together. They live in one house, where they are assigned bedrooms with a girl from the other side. The camp experience shatters the stereotypes they have been taught and transforms hatred and distrust into compassion and love.

What happens in the Middle East?

Several times a year Creativity for Peace's Middle East staff organizes gathering for former campers. Meetings, which are held in various locations, include dialogue, artmaking, outdoor adventure, and social time. Two meetings are held only for girls who attend camp that year. "Home groups," organized by geographical location, allow girls to speak their own language and support each other in the struggles particular to their group. In addition, several in-depth training workshops are offered to young leaders.

What is the young leader program?

Any girl who has attended camp may apply to be a young leader. This program, which includes 35 young women, provides in-depth training in areas such as self-empowerment and self-expression. The purpose of the program is to promote each girl's full potential as a leader. Young leaders serve as spokeswomen for Creativity for Peace and attend camp as junior counselors.

How are the campers selected?

Girls must complete a written application, provide references, and be personally interviewed by our staff in the Middle East. English-language proficiency is required. We accept young women from diverse religious, educational, and socioeconomic backgrounds with a wide variety of personalities and issues.

Have you considered including boys?

There are similar reconciliation programs for boys in the U.S., Canada, Europe, and the Middle East. We have made a decision to focus on girls, who we believe have the greatest capacity to achieve peace. A single-gender camp also avoids many religious and logistical complications.

Where does your funding come from?

Our organization is entirely funded by private foundations and individuals. Our 2011 budget is approximately $550,000. All contributions are tax-deductible.

What are the girls' families required to pay?

The cost of bringing each girl to camp is approximately $5,500. Families are asked to pay $600. Several full scholarships are awarded. In the Middle East, each girl pays a token amount to attend camper gatherings and young leader trainings.