BATH — As a first-generation American from Los Angeles, Kiara has closely followed recent reports of ICE raids across the United States.

She has watched in horror as masked federal agents roll up in military-style vehicles and pull people from the streets where they live and the businesses where they work.

The 17-year-old black Latina has felt the sting when politicians promoting these sweeps broadly refer to immigrants as rapists and criminals and accuse them of taking jobs away from other Americans. And she worries for friends and loved ones who fear they may be rounded up and taken away while working or shopping or walking in their neighborhoods.

“It’s nothing short of terrorism,” she said. “It’s a human hunt. It’s so deeply upsetting and frustrating to see my community being scapegoated and attacked.”

For three weeks in July, as a second-year participant in Seeds of Peace Camp, Kiara developed a deeper understanding of the anxiety, alienation and anger she shares with teenagers from conflict regions across the globe. The Press Herald is not including the participants’ surnames because of concerns for their safety and ability to travel.

The annual summer program brings together young people from regions in turmoil to help them foster dialogue, leadership skills and reconciliation in a more peaceful setting. The hope is that the experience will empower the teens to promote understanding and coexistence when they return home.

Nearly 90 teens participated in this year’s program that ended Wednesday, including delegations from Israel, Palestine, Egypt, Jordan, India, Pakistan and the United Kingdom. More than 8,500 teens have gone through the program since it was founded in 1993 — all viewed as “seeds,” fortified to forever promote peace in the world.

The camp was held for the second consecutive year on the campus of the Hyde School, a private boarding school that isn’t affiliated with the Seeds organization. Previous camps were held in Otisfield, on the grounds of the former Camp Powhatan, which has been closed for renovations.

DAILY DIALOGUES

With violent conflicts simmering or raging throughout the Middle East, Southeast Asia and elsewhere, the goals of Seeds of Peace seem more relevant and challenging than ever before.

“Now, we’re in the miracle business, because bringing these teens together at this time in humanity is nothing less than a miracle,” said Jonathan Hefetz, 40, a lead Seeds counselor and program coordinator from Israel who attended camps in Maine in 2000 and 2002.

Campers ages 14-17 take part in intensive daily dialogue sessions, leadership- and community-building exercises and recreation including sports, arts and cultural activities. They must speak basic conversational English, although counselors and staff are available to interpret as needed.

“The most fulfilling and satisfying aspect for me is seeing teenagers from war zones just being teenagers,” Hefetz said. “Dancing, singing, playing sports, having crushes. You have a saying, ‘Maine, the way life should be.’ Well, for us, this is how life could be back home.”

The camp strives to help teens realize that the actions and policies of governments often don’t align with the views of everyone they represent. Some participants come to the camp already knowing that, but they are frustrated in trying to figure out what they can do about it.

“They have their own views of what’s happening in their homelands, which is relieving for me because they’re coming here with an open mind and they’re coming here to learn,” said Soliman, 25, a Seeds counselor from New York City who attended camps in 2018 and 2019.

COMPASSION FOR OTHERS

A significant aspect of the Seeds of Peace program is helping teens recognize and have compassion for other people’s pain and challenge ideas that society has dictated to them. Both are necessary to create a foundation for change, Hefetz said.

“Without that recognition of pain, we cannot move forward,” he said.

Yarden, 14, is a camp participant from Israel whose parents were concerned that she would be bullied in the wake of the Oct. 7, 2023, attacks on Israel from Gaza and Israel’s continued response. She said camp organizers assured her parents that she would be safe.

Yarden lives in a small village just 40 minutes from Gaza, and her delegation included Palestinian teens, but the camp provided her first opportunity to get to know her neighbors, she said.

“I grew up in a pretty religious place and I never got to learn about other cultures and other points of view,” Yarden said. “Our discussions during dialogue sessions can get pretty heated, but there’s always a hug afterward.”

Yarden said she came to realize that Israeli soldiers who inspire pride in her community are viewed as dangerous by Palestinians. And sometimes what Israelis view as right might hurt Palestinians, while what Palestinians view as right might hurt Israelis.

“I really hope there is a solution,” Yarden said, “but at this time the problem is really big to bring people together.”

BREAKING DOWN BARRIERS

Ahmed, 15, from Pakistan, came to the camp following the escalation in May of the India-Pakistan conflict over the Kashmir region. Almost immediately he was forced to contend with prejudices against campers from India.

“I wanted to hate them, but why should I hate people I’ve never met in my life?” Ahmed said. “The first few days there was uneasiness — I didn’t want to say the wrong thing. Now, they’re like brothers and sisters to me.”

Ahmed said the camp has broadened his perspective and led the campers from Pakistan and India to come up with a motto: “Politicians divide us, but dialogue unites us.”

“There’s so much more to the world than the box that you live in,” he said. “You have to get out of your box.”

Camp participants included Tristin, 17, from Lewiston, who will be a junior at Lewiston High School in the fall. He said the camp has given him a global perspective he never had.

“Before this I didn’t know anything about the world,” he said. “I didn’t know anything about these conflicts.”

Tristin said he enjoyed meeting the other campers and learning about their lives. The experience has made him more open-minded and understanding of the struggles that other people face in other places.

“It really changed me,” he said. “I think I can help people here understand what’s going on in other parts of the world. I hope we can change the way people think and the way things are.”