ANNUALREPORT2014
EMBODYACULTUREOFPEACE. EMPOWERAMOVEMENTFORCHANGE.
THEPOWEROFHOPE Together, we are walking a new path ? where religions cooperate for the common good, where children grow up with trust and respect for those who are different, where nonviolence is the way to justice.
This was a painful year, as violence, hatr ed, vengeance and fear tor e our communities apar t. And in the m idst of it all, Kids4Peace r em ained a faithful beacon of a new r eality, a sign of hope for a better futur e. I r em em ber the day in July, as fighting in Gaza intensified and r ockets fell in Jer usalem . Kids4Peace Jer usalem w as scheduled to have our annual Ram adan Iftar m eal that night, to br eak the fast together as an inter faith com m unity. Could w e do it this year ? Was it too danger ous? Should w e cancel? Would anyone com e? That night, m or e than sixty-five par ents, youth and staff cam e together ? to eat, to pr ay, to speak , to listen, to str uggle, to cr y, to lean on one another for suppor t. I n the toughest moment, in the deepest pain, we wer e ther e for each other. We wer e a community. We had found our par tner for peace. And fr om that moment, Kids4Peace continued into our str ongest year ever. 100% of youth attended cam p, even as violence continued. 100% of fam ilies continued into the second year of KidsPeace, taking the next steps on the path of peace. We ar e people of faith, and we will not lose hope. And together, our movement is gr owing. This year, w e w elcom ed new dir ector s in the United States, to lead our local chapter s in r esponding to the social tensions and injustices her e at hom e. We w ant Kids4Peace to be the flagship inter faith m ovem ent for youth. The good new s of Kids4Peace is hitting the pr ess ? w ith stor ies in the Boston Globe, Seattle Tim es, NPR and Huffington Post. New pr ogr ammatic initiatives for par ents, young adults and educator s will str engthen our holistic appr oach to empower ing youth in all dimensions of their lives, and will help them take the next step fr om dialogue to action. W ith the leader ship of a skilled Boar d of Dir ector s, Kids4Peace Inter national is building the or ganizational infr astr uctur e that w ill sustain our m ovem ent for the long-haul. It is a deep pr ivilege to shar e this annual r epor t w ith you ? our par tner s, fr iends and suppor ter s ar ound the w or ld. These achievem ents ar e your s. Thank you for your cour age, com m itm ent and faith. Standing together, w e ar e healing this w or ld and cr eating a better r eality ? not just in the futur e, but today. Together, we ar e walking a new path ? wher e r eligions cooper ate for the common good, wher e childr en gr ow up with tr ust and r espect for those who ar e differ ent, wher e nonviolence is the path to justice. This is our wor k , our hope, our life. Together. Thank you,
Fr. Josh Thom as, Executive Dir ector of Kids4Peace Inter national josh@k4p.or g
Thank you for your courage, commitment and faith. Standing together, we are healing this world and creating a better reality - not just in the future, but today.
WESTOODTOGETHER Kids4Peace is no str anger to violence. This past year, youth in Jer usalem exper ienced an unpr ecedented level of hatr ed, fear, m istr ust, and r acism . Am idst all of the pain and despair, w e in Kids4Peace felt at a cr ossr oads. After thir teen year s of inter faith lear ning, dialogue, and com m unity building? w e felt w e m ust br ing our w or k to the next level. We knew w e w er e uniquely positioned to take a stance as a cr oss-bor der com m unity and pr ove our selves as leader s in a nonviolence m ovem ent for change.
Al l of our camps cont inued This Summer despit e t hev iol ence- wit h ov er 250 isr ael i, pal est inian, and Amer ican peacemaker s t aking par t in our pr ogr ams amidst a t er r if y ing war . Dur ing the War in Gaza w hen it w as physically im possible for Isr aelis and Palestinians to m eet in Jer usalem ? w e cr eated an online social m edia cam paign, #ViolenceStopsW ithM e, w hich w ent vir al, r eaching tens of thousands of youth just in the fir st day. Once access r esum ed, Kids4Peace Jer usalem hosted a Ram adan Iftar, added facilitated dialogue sessions for youth, staff and par ents. These conver sations allow ed the com m unity to vent, cr y, discuss, and pr ay together. The com m unity hosted peaceful dem onstr ations against violence thr oughout autum n and w er e able to r each hundr eds of people dir ectly, and thousands m or e via national, inter national and social m edia.
# Viol encest opswit hme Kids4Peace launched an online cam paign: #violencestopsw ithm e dur ing the w ar this past sum m er
Publ ic Demonst r at ion Kids4Peace com m unity m em ber s cam e together at r allies, inter faith iftar s, and non violent pr otests w or ldw ide.
Mar ch in Sol idar it y Kids4Peace joined w ith Hand in Hand School in a solidar ity m ar ch for peace after they w er e attacked.
Light in t he Dar kness Kids4Peace w as invited to light candles and spr ead m essages of hope for peace at an inter faith candle-lighting for Hannukah.
it 's gr eat t hat we ar e t al king and shar ing t oget her , but we al so need t o get t he peopl e in char ge t o hear us. We hav e t o get t hem t o car e about what we ar e doing and know t hat t her e is anot her way. I mean l ook at us, we ar e doing it ." - Dav id, age14
chapt er s Seat t l e cel ebr at es f ir st y ear 2014 m ar ked the fir st full year of Kids4Peace Seattle, w ith the highlight in August, w hen w e hosted our fir st Nor thw est cam p at the Tr eacy Levine Center in M t. Ver non, WA We br ought together 26 youth fr om Jer usalem and 18 fr om Nor th Am er ica, including tw o counselor s w ho gr ew up in Gaza-- the fir st tim e w e have had Gazans par ticipate in a K4P pr ogr am . We r ecr uited our fir st local cohor t and ar e pr oud of our 100% r etention r ate in the year -r ound pr ogr am after cam p. Our gr oup is m eeting on a m onthly basis, continuing to lear n about Islam , Judaism , and Chr istianity; conflict r esolution and leader ship. We ar e also exam ining local issues of conflict and division in Seattle, w ith par ticular em phasis this year on food justice and hunger issues. Our youth ar e lear ning
USA CHAPTER HIGHLIGHTS 2014
about differ ent levels of access to high quality, affor dable food, and par ticipating in a num ber of local ser vice pr ojects to deepen their under standing. We ar e launching a satellite chapter in Bellingham , WA and ar e alr eady r eceiving applications fr om youth ther e w ho w ant to join us at cam p this sum m er. K4P Seattle has r eceived phenom enal pr ess cover age, including tw o ar ticles in the Seattle Tim es, an ar ticle in the Huffington Post, an ar ticle in the JT New s (Seattle Jew ish com m unity paper ), and a podcast on KUOW (NPR affiliate). This year our com m unity includes a 12-m em ber Pr ogr am Team , seven-m em ber Chapter Boar d, and countless other volunteer s har d at w or k building a foundation that w ill allow us to expand our local cohor t to 18 youth per year.
Bost on
New Hampshir e/ Ver mont
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- Successful tr ial of new m odel of r egional sum m er cam p - Local continuation pr ogr am s - Gala Fundr aiser - Inter faith Retr eat
4th Sum m er Cam p- Huge Success Hir ed Full-Tim e Dir ector Launched high school pr ogr am s New Par tner ship w ith Har var d Divinity
Nor t h Car ol ina & At l ant a
Houst on
- 2014 w as a sabbatical year for pr ogr am s, focused on r enew al - Hir ed new cam p dir ector - Relaunched local chapter events and pr ogr am s, r eady for cam p 2015
- Second year of LEAP Sum m er Cam p for 7th gr ader s fr om USA & Jer usalem - Huge Success - Hir ed new cam p dir ector - Local continuation pr ogr am began
on t hemap
"I'm her e because I'm t ir ed. I'm t ir ed of t he noise, t he r ocket s, t he kil l ings. Af t er I come home I'l l t el l ev er yone about t his, and it wil l changeev er yone.?- Omar , 12, Jer usal em
2014 YEAR INNUMBERS 1200 Alumni over 13 years 500 Families worldwide 300 Youth Meetings per year 100% Retention Rate 40 Schools in Jerusalem 10 Chapters Worldwide 1 Message: Inspire hope that: TOGETHER PEACE IS POSSIBLE
I j oined Kids4Peace because... Geor ge: I knew t hey wer e my enemy I had hear d a lot of hor r ible ster eotypes about Jews fr om kids in my community. I didn?t hate them, but I knew they wer e my enemy. I cam e to Kids4Peace to pr ove to myself that all of the ter r ible things I hear d about Jew s w er e tr ue. I thought then I w ould hate them too. In the fir st year w hen w e tr aveled to cam p, I developed a r eally close bond w ith a Jew ish boy in my gr oup nam ed Em anuel. He taught m e to r ead Hebr ew and even to speak a little. I w anted to stay in Kids4Peace so w e could stay fr iends. I f we met on the str eet instead of Kids4Peace, maybe we would have gotten into fights. This past sum m er w as r eally har d for ever yone and especially for us in Kids4Peace. In my neighbor hood, nobody w ould r un for shelter w hen they hear d a sir en. They w ould r un to the r oof, w ait to hear a ?boom ? and then clap and cheer. I didn?t under stand how anyone could be happy to be in a w ar, especially w ith w hat w as happening in Gaza. Because now I have close Jewish fr iends and I knew that Hamas was aiming at them, ever y time I hear d a sir en, I called to make sur e the r ocket didn?t fall near them. W hen w e w ent to cam p dur ing the w ar, ever yone w as r eally sad. Even though the conver sations w er e r eally difficult, som ehow our fr iendships stayed str ong. I cannot hate som eone for having differ ent opinions than m e, especially if its because of w ho they ar e. This is w hat I tr y to tell my fr iends w hen they star t fights w ith Jew ish kids fr om near by. That is also w hy I am becom ing a counselor. I want to help other kids gr owing up dealing with the same challenges as I have.
NOA: i had nev er met an ar ab bef or e M y cousin said it would be gr eat oppor tunity to meet people that I never had met befor e? Ar abs. At the time I didn?t r eally under stand what that meant, but I joined anyway. Since I star ted, I have m et am azing people. Fr om the m om ent that I lear ned that w e can stay in Kids4Peace long ter m , it w asn?t even a question for m e, of cour se I w as going to stay. It is still the only w ay I can spend tim e w ith my close fr iends w ho ar e Ar ab. In my school, a lot of people ar e r eally r acist against Ar abs. They say things that ar e r eally har d for m e to hear. The ?popular ? kids in my class talk about how Ar abs ar e all ter r or ists and w e can?t tr ust them . I know that if I hadn?t been in Kids4Peace, their r acism would easily influence me. I would pr obably believe the ster eotypes that I hear about Ar abs because I would have no way to know any differ ent. Som e of my best fr iends ar e fr om Kids4Peace, but that doesn?t m ean it is alw ays easy. A lot of the conver sations w e have ar e r eally difficult. Because in Kids4Peace we ar e I sr aelis and Palestinians I don?t just think about what I ?m saying, but also how I should say it so my fr iends under stand me without being hur t. Talking and listening to each other in this w ay is som ething w e lear ned, and w e pr actice the best w e can. I w ant to use w hat I have lear ned to have an influence on other people w ho haven?t have the chance to m eet Ar abs like I have.
JOINKIDS4PEACE: k4p.or g/ Apply Open t o 12 year - ol d gir l s and boys in Nor t h Amer ica f r om Jewish, Chr ist ian & Musl im backgr ounds. Apply t o t he camp near est you or email inf o@k4p.or g f or detail s. APPLICATIONS WILL BEACCEPTED ONA ROLLINGBASIS.
2014: A YEAROF UNPRECEDENTEDGROWTH I nvestment by generous donors allowed Kids4Peace I nternational to open new camps, add staff leadership in the USA and Jerusalem, and strengthen training and organizational infrastructure.
Tot al Income 2014
Tot al Ex penses 2014 K4PUSA $129,947
Foundat ions $242,638 Pr ogr am Fees
Indiv idual Donat ions
Pr ogr ams: 87% Administ r at ion: 12%
K4POf f ice
Summer Camps
$448,741
Ex pendit ur es
$129,935
$451,044
Fundr aising: 2%
K4PJer usal em
$211,655
$197,818 $903,304 Unaudited. Includes partners & affiliates
"I aman indicat or of success because..." "I under stand that som eone w ith a differ ent opinion then m e can be r ight w ithout m aking m e w r ong." -Elianna, age 13 ?These people all have som ething I don't, so I w ill lear n fr om them and take it w ith m e, so that I can becom e a better per son." -Buyya, age 12 "I com e to ever y m eeting no m atter w hat and I alw ays shar e my thoughts w ith the other." -Yasser, age 14 "We give our kids the oppor tunity to develop skills & lead changes in our com plicated sur r oundings." -Alona, K4P Par ent
Counsel or s
Leader ship
Root s (8t h)
Leap (7t h)
6t h gr adE
A GROWING COMMUNITY
I GIVEBECAUSE... Kids4Peace gives the opportunity to stand up and say ?I want a different future: I want a future where we can live together.? by Elizabeth Mulcahy Board of Directors K4P pr ogr am s allow for individuals to com m it them selves to r espectful, non-violent inter action even w hen the issues becom e intense and those w ho have com e befor e us have chosen to pick up w eapons instead. This pr ogr am is unique because of the long ter m com m itm ent m ade to the youth and their fam ilies, and the com m itm ent they m ake to K4P. This com m itm ent gives m e gr eat hope. K4P w or ks acr oss r eligions and continents. The w or k being done by our par ticipants and their fam ilies gives m e hope that her e in St. Louis, w her e tensions ar e r unning ver y high as w ell, that ther e w ill be people w ith the str ength of their convictions to find another w ay to r esolve the conflict and not tur n to violence.
?This program is unique because of the long term commitment made to the youth and their families, and the commitment they make to K4P. The commitment gives me great hope.?
Though ther e is not a chapter her e, I am able to r efer to the ver y br ave actions of K4P par ticipants, fam ilies and staff w ho ar e standing up and saying out loud, "We w ant a differ ent w ay of w or king together."
Mission To build interfaith communities that embody a culture of peace and empower a movement for change. Vision We are a grassroots interfaith youth movement dedicated to ending conflict and inspiring hope in Jerusalem and other divided societies around the world.
At the Am er ican Youth Foundation w e have a quote w e r efer to a lot fr om one of the founder s of the or ganization and I think of this ever y tim e I see an update on Facebook or hear fr om Josh w hat is happening w ithin the life of K4P. The quote is ?One enkindled spir it can set hundr eds on fir e.?- W illiam H. Danfor th. It is my belief that the childr en ar e the enkindled spir its and they ar e inspir ing, exciting and helping other s to see a w hat they see and thr ough them , thr ough their touch, our w or ld w ill be a better place, a place w her e w e can live together under standing and r especting our differ ences, hear ing the hur ts of the past and acknow ledging them , and tr ying to w or k together to find a w ay cr eate a futur e that w or ks for all. Finally, and I think m ost im por tantly, K4P is not happy just involving those w ho alr eady believe in and w ant non-violent r espectful inter action but r ather inviting in and looking for those people w ho m ay not believe it is ever possible. It is my belief that to change the w or ld, w e can?t just ?pr each to the choir ? or those w ho believe as I do. To change the w or ld w e need to r each out acr oss the divides as K4P is doing and has been doing for so m any year s now.
K4P.ORG facebook.com/kids4peace k4pblog.org vimeo.com/kids4peace
Global Headquarters 110 Maryland Ave NE, Ste 205 Washington, DC 20002 Middle East Office 5 Clermont Ganeau Jerusalem
info@k4p.org Kids4Peace I nternational, Inc. is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. EIN 20-5419759