After 3 years of taking participants of SCG’s International P.E.A.C.E. programs on 10-12-day encounter trips to Northern Ireland, South Africa and Israel and Palestine, SCG is now making these trips more widely available. Schools, congregations, youth groups and others interested in providing young adults in their communities with SCG’s experiential international peace education can now do so.

The encounter trip experience combines SCG’s best practices in ‘people-to-people’ work with the opportunity to learn firsthand about an area of conflict/post-conflict. Trips include workshops in SCG’s curriculum on themes ranging from ‘identity and perspective’ to ‘communicating through conflict’ and ‘leading for social change,’ with in-country home stays, service projects, and social networking with peers in the region. SCG’s years of experience working internationally gives participants unique access to the host community.

In the words of SCG participants, the chance to travel abroad with SCG is “life-changing” and “completely eye-opening.” 

1. •In the summer of 2009, SCG participants traveled to Israel to learn firsthand about life on the ground and efforts in both the Israeli and Palestinian communities to build peace. Participants spent time in Be’er Sheva, Tel Aviv/Yafo, Nazareth, the Hebron Hills and Jerusalem.  They met with local organizations and activists, volunteered alongside Jewish and Bedouin peers, learned about some of the marginalized communities in Israel, and conducted site visits to more fully understand the region, the conflict’s complexities, and efforts working to build peace.
   

2. •During the spring 2008 trip to South Africa, students traveled to sites in Cape Town and Johannesburg, studying the legacy of Apartheid, exploring health and environmental issues, and collaborating with their South African peers on service projects.
   

3. •In the spring of 2007, the first group of SCG Encounter Trip participants traveled to Northern Ireland where they had the opportunity to explore the complexities of the Northern Ireland conflict focusing on sectarianism, the historic 1998 Multi-party Agreement, transitional justice, and the role of young people in transforming society.

Teen Encounter Trips

Interested in an Encounter Trip for your group?