ANNUAL REPORT 2014

EMBODY A CULTURE OF PEACE. EMPOWER A MOVEMENT FOR CHANGE.

This was a painful year, as violence, hatred, vengeance and fear tore our communities apar t. And in the midst of i t al l , Kids4Peace remained a fai thful beacon of a new reali ty, a sign of hope for a better future. I r emember the day in July, as f ighting in Gaza intensi f ied and rockets fel l in Jerusalem. Kids4Peace Jerusalem was scheduled to have our annual Ramadan If tar meal that night, to break the fast together as an inter fai th community. Could we do i t this year? Was i t too dangerous? Should we cancel? Would anyone come?

That night, more than sixty-f ive parents, youth and staff came together ? to eat, to pray, to speak, to l isten, to str uggle, to cr y, to lean on one another for suppor t. In the toughest moment, in the deepest pain, we were there for each other. We were a community. We had found our par tner for peace. And from that moment, Kids4Peace continued into our strongest year ever. 100% of youth attended camp, even as violence continued. 100% of fami l ies continued into the second year of KidsPeace, taking the next steps on the path of peace.

We are people of faith, and we will not lose hope. And together, our movement is growing.

This year, we welcomed new dir ector s in the United States, to lead our local chapter s in r esponding to the social tensions and injustices here at home. We want Kids4Peace to be the f lagship inter fai th movement for youth. The good news of Kids4Peace is hi tting the press ? w ith stor ies in the Boston Globe, Seattle Times, NPR and Huff ington Post. New programmatic initiatives for parents, young adults and educators will strengthen our holistic approach to empower ing youth in all dimensions of their lives, and will help them take the next step from dialogue to action. With the leadership of a ski l led Board of Dir ector s, Kids4Peace International is bui lding the organizational infr astr ucture that w i l l sustain our movement for the long-haul.

I t is a deep pr ivi lege to share this annual r epor t w i th you ? our par tner s, fr iends and suppor ter s around the wor ld. These achievements are yours. Thank you for your courage, commitment and fai th. Standing together, we are healing this wor ld and creating a better r eal i ty ? not just in the future, but today. 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 path to justice. This is our work, our hope, our life. Together.

Thank you,

THE POWER OF HOPE

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.

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.

Fr. Josh Thomas, Executive Dir ector of Kids4Peace International

josh@k4p.org

Kids4Peace is no str anger to violence. This past year, youth in Jerusalem exper ienced an unprecedented level of hatr ed, fear, mistr ust, and racism. Amidst al l of the pain and despair, we in Kids4Peace felt at a crossroads.

After thir teen years of inter fai th learning, dialogue, and community bui lding? we felt we must br ing our work to the next level. We knew we were uniquely posi tioned to take a stance as a cross-border community and prove ourselves as leaders in a nonviolence movement for change.

Dur ing the War in Gaza when i t was physical ly impossible for Israelis and Palestinians to meet in Jerusalem? we created an online social media campaign, #ViolenceStopsWithMe, which went vir al, r eaching tens of thousands of youth just in the f i r st day. Once access r esumed, Kids4Peace Jerusalem hosted a Ramadan If tar, added faci l i tated dialogue sessions for youth, staff and parents. These conversations al lowed the community to vent, cr y, discuss, and pray together. The community hosted peaceful demonstrations against violence throughout autumn and were able to r each hundreds of people dir ectly, and thousands more via national, international and social media.

# Viol encest opswit hme

Publ ic Demonst r at ion

Mar ch in Sol idar it y

Light in t he Dar knessKids4Peace was invi ted to l ight candles and spread messages of hope for peace at an inter fai th candle-l ighting for Hannukah.

Kids4Peace joined w ith Hand in Hand School in a sol idar i ty march for peace after they were attacked.

Kids4Peace community members came together at r al l ies, inter fai th i f tar s, and non violent protests wor ldw ide.

Kids4Peace launched an online campaign: #violencestopsw ithme dur ing the war this past summer

WE STOOD TOGETHER

it 's gr eat t hat we ar e tal 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 have 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, age 14

Al l of our camps cont inued This Summer despit e t he v iol ence - wit h over 250 isr ael i, pal est inian, and Amer ican peacemaker s taking par t in our pr ogr ams amidst a t er r if y ing war .

2014 marked the f i r st ful l year of Kids4Peace Seattle, w i th the highl ight in August, when we hosted our f i r st Nor thwest camp at the Treacy Levine Center in Mt. Vernon, WA We brought together 26 youth from Jerusalem and 18 from Nor th Amer ica, including two counselor s who grew up in Gaza-- the f i r st time we have had Gazans par ticipate in a K4P program.

We recrui ted our f i r st local cohor t and are proud of our 100% retention r ate in the year -round program after camp. Our group is meeting on a monthly basis, continuing to learn about Islam, Judaism, and Chr istiani ty; confl ict r esolution and leadership.

We are also examining local issues of confl ict and division in Seattle, w i th par ticular emphasis this year on food justice and hunger issues. Our youth are learning

about di f ferent levels of access to high quali ty, affordable food, and par ticipating in a number of local ser vice projects to deepen their understanding. We are launching a satel l i te chapter in Bell ingham, WA and are alr eady r eceiving applications from youth there who want to join us at camp this summer.K4P Seattle has r eceived phenomenal press coverage, including two ar ticles in the Seattle Times, an ar ticle in the Huff ington Post, an ar ticle in the JT News (Seattle Jew ish community paper ), and a podcast on KUOW (NPR aff i l iate).This year our community includes a 12-member Program Team, seven-member Chapter Board, and countless other volunteers hard at work bui lding a foundation that w i l l al low us to expand our local cohor t to 18 youth per year.

USA CHAPTERHIGHLIGHTS2014

chapt er sSeat t l e cel ebr at es f ir st year

Bost on - 4th Summer Camp- Huge Success - Hir ed Full-Time Director- Launched high school programs- New Par tner ship w ith Har vard Divini ty

Nor t h Car ol ina & At l anta- 2014 was a sabbatical year for

programs, focused on renewal- Hir ed new camp dir ector- Relaunched local chapter events

and programs, r eady for camp 2015

New Hampshir e/ Ver mont- Successful tr ial of new model of

r egional summer camp - Local continuation programs- Gala Fundraiser - Inter fai th Retreat

Houst on- Second year of LEAP Summer Camp

for 7th graders from USA & Jerusalem - Huge Success

- Hir ed new camp dir ector- Local continuation program began

on t he map

2014 YEAR IN NUMBERS1200 Alumni over 13 years 500 Families worldwide 300 Youth Meetings per year100% Retention Rate40 Schools in Jerusalem 10 Chapters Worldwide1 Message: Inspire hope that:TOGETHER PEACE IS POSSIBLE

"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 ever yone about t his, and it wil l change ever yone.? - Omar , 12, Jer usal em

I had heard a lot of hor r ible stereotypes about Jews from kids in my community. I didn?t hate them, but I knew they were my enemy. I came to Kids4Peace to prove to myself that al l of the ter r ible things I heard about Jews were tr ue. I thought then I would hate them too.

In the f i r st year when we tr aveled to camp, I developed a r eal ly close bond w ith a Jew ish boy in my group named Emanuel. He taught me to r ead Hebrew and even to speak a l i ttle. I wanted to stay in Kids4Peace so we could stay fr iends. I f we met on the street instead of Kids4Peace, maybe we would have gotten into fights.

This past summer was really hard for ever yone and especial ly for us in Kids4Peace. In my neighborhood, nobody would r un for shelter when they heard a sir en. They would r un to the roof, wait to hear a ?boom? and then clap and cheer. I didn?t understand how anyone could be happy to be in a war, especial ly w ith what was happening in Gaza. Because now I have close Jewish fr iends and I knew that Hamas was aiming at them, ever y time I heard a siren, I called to make sure the rocket didn?t fall near them.

When we went to camp dur ing the war, ever yone was really sad. Even though the conversations were r eal ly di f f icult, somehow our fr iendships stayed strong. I cannot hate someone for having di f ferent opinions than me, especial ly i f i ts because of who they are. This is what I tr y to tel l my fr iends when they star t f ights w ith Jew ish kids from nearby. That is also why I am becoming a counselor. I want to help other kids growing up dealing with the same challenges as I have.

Geor ge: I knew t hey wer e my enemy

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 BE ACCEPTED ON A ROLLING BASIS.

JOIN KIDS4PEACE: k4p.or g/ Apply

NOA: i had never met an ar ab bef or eMy cousin said it would be great oppor tunity to meet people that I never had met before? Arabs. At the time I didn?t really understand what that meant, but I joined anyway. Since I star ted, I have met amazing people. From the moment that I learned that we can stay in Kids4Peace long term, i t wasn?t even a question for me, of course I was going to stay. I t is sti l l the only way I can spend time w ith my close fr iends who are Arab.

In my school, a lot of people are r eal ly r acist against Arabs. They say things that are r eal ly hard for me to hear. The ?popular? kids in my class talk about how Arabs are al l ter ror ists and we can?t tr ust them. I know that if I hadn?t been in Kids4Peace, their racism would easily influence me. I would probably believe the stereotypes that I hear about Arabs because I would have no way to know any different.

Some of my best fr iends are from Kids4Peace, but that doesn?t mean i t is always easy. A lot of the conversations we have are r eal ly di f f icult. Because in Kids4Peace we are Israelis and Palestinians I don?t just think about what I?m saying, but also how I should say it so my fr iends understand me without being hur t. Talking and l istening to each other in this way is something we learned, and we practice the best we can. I want to use what I have learned to have an inf luence on other people who haven?t have the chance to meet Arabs l ike I have.

I j oined Kids4Peace because...

2014: A YEAR OF UNPRECEDENTED GROWTH

A GROWING COMMUNITY

Total Income 2014

"I understand that someone w ith a di f ferent opinion then me can be r ight w ithout making me w rong."

-El ianna, age 13

"We give our kids the oppor tuni ty to develop ski l ls & lead changes in our complicated sur roundings."

-Alona, K4P Parent

"I am an indicat or of success because..."

Expendit ur esTotal Expenses 2014

K4P Jer usal em$197,818

Summer Camps$451,044

K4P Of f ice$129,935

K4P USA$129,947

Pr ogr ams: 87%

Administ r at ion: 12%

?These people al l have something I don't, so I w i l l learn from them and take i t w i th me, so that I can become a better per son."

-Buyya, age 12

Investment by generous donors allowed Kids4Peace International to open new camps, add staff leadership in the USA and Jerusalem, and strengthen training and organizational infrastructure.

"I come to ever y meeting no matter what and I always share my thoughts w ith the other."

-Yasser, age 14

Pr ogr am Fees$211,655

Indiv idualDonat ions$448,741

Foundat ions$242,638

Fundr aising: 2%

6t h gr adE

Leap (7t h)

Root s (8t h)

Leader ship

Counsel or s

Unaudited. Includes partners & affiliates$903,304

K4P programs al low for individuals to commit themselves to r espectful, non-violent interaction even when the issues become intense and those who have come before us have chosen to pick up weapons instead.

This program is unique because of the long term commitment made to the youth and their fami l ies, and the commitment they make to K4P. This commitment gives me great hope.

K4P works across r el igions and continents. The work being done by our par ticipants and their fami l ies gives me hope that here in St. Louis, where tensions are r unning ver y high as well , that there w i l l be people w ith the str ength of their convictions to f ind another way to r esolve the confl ict and not turn to violence.

Though there is not a chapter here, I am able to r efer to the ver y brave actions of K4P par ticipants, fami l ies and staff who are standing up and saying out loud, "We want a di f ferent way of working together."

At the Amer ican Youth Foundation we have a quote we refer to a lot from one of the founders of the organization and I think of this ever y time I see an update on Facebook or hear from Josh what is happening w ithin the l i fe of K4P.

The quote is ?One enkindled spir i t can set hundreds on f i r e.?- Wil l iam H. Danfor th. I t is my belief that the chi ldren are the enkindled spir i ts and they are inspir ing, exci ting and helping others to see a what they see and through them, through their touch, our wor ld w i l l be a better place, a place where we can l ive together understanding and respecting our di f ferences, hear ing the hur ts of the past and acknow ledging them, and tr ying to work together to f ind a way create a future that works for al l .

Final ly, and I think most impor tantly, K4P is not happy just involving those who alr eady believe in and want non-violent r espectful interaction but r ather invi ting in and looking for those people who may not bel ieve i t is ever possible.

I t is my belief that to change the wor ld, we can?t just ?preach to the choir ? or those who believe as I do. To change the wor ld we need to r each out across the divides as K4P is doing and has been doing for so many years now.

?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.?

I GIVE BECAUSE...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 MulcahyBoard of Directors

Middle East Office5 Clermont GaneauJerusalem

MissionTo build interfaith communities that embody a culture of peace and empower a movement for change.

VisionWe are a grassroots interfaith youth movement dedicated to ending conflict and inspiring hope in Jerusalem and other divided societies around the world.

Global Headquarters110 Maryland Ave NE, Ste 205 Washington, DC 20002

Kids4Peace International, Inc. is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization. EIN 20-5419759

K4P.ORG

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info@k4p.org