Teenagers from conflict-torn countries build bridges at Devon summer camp

A three-week summer camp at a boarding school in Tavistock, Devon, has just come to an end, run by Seeds of Peace, an organisation founded in 1993 by American journalist John Wallach. From the outside it resembles an ordinary summer school, with volleyball and arts and crafts, but each day the teenagers spend two hours in structured dialogue sessions, sharing personal experiences and pain rather than debating historical facts.

The participants, known as "seeds", come from eight countries including Israel, Palestine, India, Pakistan and the UK. Executive director Eva Armour said the sessions work because participants describe lived experience, which cannot be debated the way historical accounts can.

First time in Britain

The camp usually takes place in the United States, but organisers chose the UK this year because of political uncertainty elsewhere. Global youth programme lead Qasim Aslam said choosing a host country is difficult, since few nations are acceptable to parents from all eight countries and able to grant visas to every participant.

Several teenagers described the experience as difficult but transformative. Mika, 17, from Israel, said meeting someone considered an enemy was hard, but she preferred understanding the pain on all sides rather than remaining ignorant. Hala, 16, a Palestinian from Jerusalem, said it was her first time meeting Israelis outside of checkpoints and military raids, and she found unexpected common ground. Esther, from Belfast, and Joud, from Jordan, said the camp changed how they judge others and taught them to listen rather than just respond.

Attendance costs around $9,000, though most participants receive scholarships covering most of the fee. The organisation also runs programmes in other conflict-affected regions such as the Balkans, Cyprus and Afghanistan, and said it received many requests from schools for guidance on difficult conversations following the 7 October 2023 attacks in Israel.