In June, JPB completed construction of a new staff building at Acer Farm. It is built of timber from both Acer Farm and from Trinity Parish in Southport, Conn. Designed to appear as a maple sugar shack, this newest addition to the facility will provide much needed space for JPB staff and overflow housing. A generous bequest from the estate of Joan E. Neiley made this beautiful building possible. Joan's faith, memory and commitment to peace is honored by this structure.
During May, eight graduates of St. John's School in Houston, Texas joined JPB Co-Founder, Stuart Kensinger and his wife, Angie, for JPB's first American youth trip to the Holy Land. Building on JPB's decades of experience with adult pilgrimages, the trip was designed to be an introductory interfaith encounter with the people, places, and issues in Israel and the West Bank that constitute one of the most pressing global conflict of their generation. The young people visited important holy sites such as the Western Wall, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, and the Dome of the Rock along with places like Jaffa, Acre, Neve Tzedek, and the Dheishe refugee camp. They also met with the principal and
JPB gathered 25 Israeli, Palestinian and American peacebuilders and civil society professionals in July for an intensive, two-week professional training program at Acer Farm in Brattleboro, Vermont. EXCEL (Exploring Conflict, Education and Leadership) offered participants the opportunity to learn new skills in peace-building and conflict transformation, as well as form strong professional peer-to-peer networks and partnerships. Dr. Paula Green, renowned educator and peace builder joined the JPB team, co-designing and co-leading the program. Dr. Green brought a wealth of experience from her work founding the internationally famous Conflict Transformation Across Cultures program (CONTACT) and
This summer, JPB welcomed back five alums to serve as junior counselors in our peacebuilding and leadership programs for youth and adults. Consisting of Jewish, Christian and Muslim triads and led by Program Assistant Alexia Koch, the two junior counselor teams modeled interfaith cooperation and professionalism during each program. The balance of religious and cultural diversity made for an effective learning environment of mutual support and personal development for these junior counselors. From leading participants in group activities to providing crucial program support for JPB staff, these teens found themselves empowered by the opportunity to hone their leadership skills and commitment
Twenty-three American, Armenian, Israeli and Palestinian teens unified for ten days in the heat of a New Haven August. Representing different faith traditions often at odds with one another, they joined hands in service. Jews, Christians and Muslims, they broke bread together and the barriers that divided them. Early in the week, participants met with Chris George, Executive Director of Integrated Refugee and Immigration Services (IRIS), a refugee resettlement agency in New Haven. There they served the refugee population with their minds and their muscles. The teens helped move freshly arrived refugees into apartments, finally beginning the new lives for which they prayed. Additionally, part
