Teens gather to learn about building peace
By NADIA MARIA SMITH
CS&T Staff Writer
MALVERN — Whether it’s Darfur, Georgia, Iraq or the Middle East, the need for peace is a top priority for Catholic Relief Services, the official overseas relief and development agency of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
That is why CRS in the United States started a “Global Peace Builders” retreat three years ago in Chicago, Ill., to teach peace-building skills to youths. To that end, a number of high school teens came together to learn how to become ambassadors of peace in their own communities through the retreat, which was held in the Archdiocese of Philadelphia this summer.
At Malvern Retreat House, students from Father Judge High School, St. Hubert Catholic High School for Girls and Nazareth Academy High School in Philadelphia, plus Bishop Shanahan High School in Downingtown and students from the dioceses of Camden and Paterson, N.J. spent four days listening to presentations, discussing the issues, acquiring skills and sharing in fellowship.
The retreat focused on peace-building skills within the context of the theme, “Peace in the Holy Land,” said Dennis Fisher, the education program officer in the northeast regional office of CRS in Radnor, and the coordinator of the retreat.
Two CRS representatives from the Holy Land, Burcu Munyas and Ghaida Rahil, were invited to lead the retreat and share their firsthand experience of the conflict.
It proved to be an empowering experience according to Julie Quinn, who will be a senior at St. Hubert.
“Listening to Ghaida and Burcu’s stories has really changed my perception of the world,” she said. “It has been an amazing experience.”
Burcu Munyas, a Turkish national, is the CRS program officer for the Palestinian territories in the Holy Land with special attention to Gaza. She is based in Jerusalem and manages overseas programs with a focus on youth and education, as well as initiatives aimed at fostering solidarity between people in the U.S. and the Holy Land.
Ghaida Rahil, a Palestinian national, works as a program officer for CRS in Bethlehem. She oversees CRS’ youth and peace building programming in the West Bank, plus the solidarity initiatives.
The women shared stories, images and a recent documentary CRS made of young people in the Gaza territory in an effort to “paint a picture” of the experience of teens like those attending the retreat.
“The film tries to give a more human picture of Gaza, a picture we are not accustomed to seeing here in the media,” Munyas said. “The students were taught about the principles of global solidarity and empathy with people in dire conditions all around the world.”
What struck the students most was learning about how Gaza is completely closed off within Israel and how the Palestinians in the West Bank, who used to work or attend school in Jerusalem, are no longer able to do either because of the difficulty securing permits, the border wall and numerous security check points that limit their movement.
“I could not invite Ghaida over to dinner. I live in Jerusalem and she lives in Bethlehem. She would have to get a permit to come into Jerusalem, and that permit only allows her to stay in Jerusalem until 7 p.m. Then she has to go back to Bethlehem through the checkpoints,” Munyas said. “It is realities like this that are mind blowing to the young people here.”
Students also had the opportunity to hear from grieving parents on both sides of the conflict in the film.
“They heard from Israeli parents who had lost a child in a suicide bombing and from a Palestinian father who had lost a child in an Israeli military attack. The students tried to empathize with their pain,” Munyas continued.
They discussed the various complexities of the conflict, but also learned that people on both sides want peace and don’t want their tragedy to be used as fuel to continue the conflict, Munyas said.
The students also heard from Tony Medwid, the director of Community Life for the Bethesda Project, which is a nonprofit organization assisting the homeless population in Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley.
Medwid was invited to give a local angle for conflict resolution among the homeless in Philadelphia, Fisher said.
At the end of the retreat, students were asked to take what they learned and put it into action in their schools, youth groups and parish communities. They agreed on projects and ways CRS will assist them, and in six months the students will meet again to do a follow up on their progress, he added.
“We can make a change. It might take a lot and it may take a while, but we can make a difference even if it is small,” said Nicole Schilk, who will be a senior at Nazareth Academy in the fall.
“I recommend this retreat because it really helps you break down the barriers and the stereotypes,” she said. “I knew there was a conflict in the Holy Land but I didn’t know what it was. After this retreat I have more empathy with the people there and realize they have stories, too, and we need to connect with them.”
CS&T staff writer Nadia Maria Smith may be reached at npozo@adphila.org or (215) 965-4614.