WHO WE ARE “Nurturing the Seeds of Peace” is a women’s peace initiative organized by a group of Quaker (Religious Society of Friends), Muslim and Jewish women in the Washington, DC Metro area along with Waupaca People for Peace in Wisconsin and an ad hoc group of women in Colorado. Several of the organizers have participated in past delegations sponsored by “Women to Women for Peace” in one role or another - as a participant, host or organizer.

HISTORY (or rather, herstory) “Women to Women for Peace” is a sister organization (all volunteer) that began in the United Kingdom in 1981 as “Mothers for Peace”. Their original mission was to bring Soviet and British women together during the cold war era in order to build bridges and create friendships across cultural divides.

The *principles to which both the U.K. and the U.S. groups subscribe are: 1.) We question war as a means of resolving conflict and we support peacemakers. 2.) We foster personal contacts among women in order to promote intercultural understanding and to question stereotypes and prejudices. 3.) We promote education for and about women’s roles in peacemaking.

*taken from the current brochure of Women to Women for Peace/U.K.

Organizers of Women’s Peace Exchange 2007 participated in a 2005 delegation sponsored by Women to Women for Peace in the U.K. Bette Hoover, Bronna Zlochiver (both from Maryland), Marci Reynolds (Wisconsin) and Mag Seaman (Colorado) were U.S. representatives on a peace team that included Japanese women and commemorated 60 years since Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Due to the increased and continued turmoil in Israel and Palestine and several strong Quaker connections in the region, the group decided to focus on that part of the world. With the help of a long time AFSC (American Friends Service Committee) staffer in Ramallah, Palestine, contacts were made and the way paved for a delegation of women from Israel/Palestine to join women from the United Kingdom and the United States for two weeks of peace-building. In Maryland the organizing committee was soon joined by women from the local Muslim Community Center and several Jewish women. The project has been aptly named, “Nurturing the Seeds of Peace”.

THE PROJECT Nurturing the Seeds of Peace is planned for October 15 – 29, 2007. Two women from Palestine, two Jewish women from Israel, and four women from the U.K. have been invited to join friends in the U.S. The two weeks will include intense workshops led by Just Peace Circles using the principles of restorative dialogue and the values of nonviolent organizing. The women will build community and solidarity among themselves as they speak their truth to each other and all with whom they meet. An action plan that is both visionary and realistic will be created as the group plans for follow-up connections and communications.

Goals for the two week delegation include: Ø Nurturing women new to leadership roles, giving them opportunities to find and strengthen their voices.Ø Promoting healing by creating a safe space for listening to each other’s stories and experiences.Ø Supporting the principles of nonviolence, peace-building and restorative dialogue.Ø Building trust and solidarity that bridge differences among participants and others working for peace.Ø Providing music and art to promote understanding and appreciation of our different cultures.Ø Reflecting on and developing an action plan that can be carried forward by participants and other concerned friends to nurture the seeds of peace.Ø Heightening our awareness of the urgency of the effects of war on women, the environment and natural resources.

OTHER VISITS The peace delegation will find many platforms to share their message of peace and build solidarity with others as they visit local community centers, schools and the U.S. Congress. Hospitality will be provided in homes in the area and transportation will be provided by minivan. Evening events will include sharing music, culture and friendship. Several organized events at the Muslim Community Center near Ashton, MD, as well as at the Quaker Meeting in Sandy Spring, MD, will introduce the group to yet other supportive communities. The group will visit Wisconsin and Colorado for a few days, as well.