TESTIMONIALS from COW [Changing Our World] & PCI [Peace Child Israel] students about Jan. 2006 PCI TOUR

FEB. 2, 2006

(Deb Chamberlin is the co-founder of "COW" and was the American coordinator of the PCI USA TOUR 2006)

hey Deb!

I'm writing this now instead of doing my homework and studying to my test that I have tomorrow..lol..but never mind...I'll do anything to help all that project - it became one of the most important things in my life right now..(all the rest can wait)

SO- why the PCI tour was so important?

already through e-mail I've found so many new friends from the COW project, and I wanted to meet them so much! I love meeting new people all over the world and it was a great opportunity for me to get to know so many amazing kids.

I think the most important thing about the tour is that, I hope, we passed along our message of how Arabs and Jews can live together. Maybe we changed people's opinion about Arabs and Jews and all the things that happen in Israel now days.

I think it's important that as many people as possible will know about the PCI project because I think the things this project does are so important.

in the tour, I've made really strong friendships, and I really hope to meet all those people again... think we can do so many things together to make the world a better place, even a little bit better. maybe the things we do, like performing with our play are not so big, but I think they make a difference!

the project is for two years to each group. but after this trip all the kids talked and we decided that we want to continue it. through the tour we understood better the importance of the things we do. one of the things I think is important for us to do is performing with our play in Israel in many places and maybe even out of the country again! maybe we can do a new play with the COW kids and the North stars together and preformed in different places in the world. I think this is the best way to show the everyone can live together in peace. If the kids can - so why not the adults too?!

I hope I helped...and that it will make a difference. You really never disappointed us!!

I love you!

Elinor, Peace Child Israel, Tel Aviv

hey deb

PCI was so important to me because of what it shows. What it is, is it shows that if you really think you can, no matter how much people put you down and try to rip you apart because of age or race, you can make a difference.

I made so many new friends and learned so much about the world from these kids!

Erin, the COW Project

The PCI tour changed my life, by opening my eyes and my heart. I’ve always been strong on believing peace should be achieved but this program, showed me that, action is the only thing that will achieve it. The tour was so important because it made it so apparent that this is a worldwide struggle. It doesn’t matter that we live in America and the PCI kids live in Israel the problem still stands the same that we need peace. This program made me realize that Shalom, Peace, is not only a word, it’s a feeling, an action and a passion. I feel the tour was very successful for PCI their point was received by hundreds and those people spread their learning’s to others, which creates the wonderful web of knowledge. The tour helped the future of America, Israel and the world see that teens care and our generation isn’t going to sit back and allow this hatred to continue. I see so many things possible for the next step in our program, I see us touring together all over and spreading the knowledge and love that we hold. I see PCI and COW becoming a more worldwide known organization .

Laura Marder, the COW Project

The PCI tour was important to me personally because I got to meet wonderful new people from a different culture. I realized that we aren't really that different... we have similar interests, hobbies, and we all love to have fun. I think that the Arab and Jewish teens realized that about themselves too. It might be possible that they will remember this and that they won't go and try to kill each other when they grow older. It's a great thing that Americans got to expand their horizons as we can be pretty closed-minded at times. All in all I am delighted to call them my friends...

Cait, the COW Project

Having the PCI teens here was on of the best and one of the most important experiences of my life so far. How many chances when you are 17, do you get to meet other teens except they are from Israel and the middle east? I think having them here was very important because I feel that having C.O.W/P.C.I together we can make a difference by showing Israel, The U.S.A , and the whole world on how important and how easy peace can be and how similar we all are. I think this tour started a friendship between teens of the two nations. I personally think that since P.C.I came here, went in our school and got a taste of American society and also put on shows. From that I think that C.O.W should have a close relationship with P.C.I by doing the same thing except this time we take the effort and time to do this in their home town and get a bigger taste of their culture. I think this would be very effective and worth it in all.

(MY reply to the request you had in you recent e-mail)

Kory , the COW Project

This opportunity has meant the world to me. I have never felt more happy or complete. I truly feel like I am making a difference in the world. I really loved making so many friends and working for the common goal of peace! I feel that through this program, us kids in America have learned how kids in Israel are just like us. It has promoted an idea of unity among all of us. Instead of being two separate groups of kids from two nations, we are one group of friends. Now I see so many more doors open for all of us. We all now have this urge to share our knowledge and to engage in more programs promoting peace. I see all of us, the PCI kids and the COW kids putting on a program together and sharing our happiness with the rest of the world!

With love and dedication to changing the world,

Lauren Finneran, The COW Project

The PCI tour meant so much to me. It was probably one of the most mind-altering experiences of my life. I made life long friends who I'd do anything for. I learned so much. They taught me to speak some Hebrew. And most importantly they showed me that we are exactly the same. We are both people who can love, learn, and live. I miss all of them like crazy. I didn't spend much time with them, but the time we did share I will never forget. I feel as though I've known them forever. They are amazing people, and now more then ever I want to spread peace.

Shae, the COW Project

PCI was important to me because it really opened my eyes to a lot of things. it made me realize that the world is so much bigger than the life I lead every day. It helped to make me more aware of things outside of New Jersey, outside of America, across oceans and countries that I may or may not ever get to see. meeting these kids from Israel was a once in a life time experience for a sheltered American kid like me. I really couldn't have asked for anything more because I came out of that week having learned so much more from them that I could ever learn in school, and I gained a good number of friendships with truly incredible people that I never would have met otherwise. as for why this was important for the PCI organization, I'd say overall it allowed for the trip to be completely successful. if the main point of PCI is to help raise awareness of differences between cultures and bring down the walls that separate the Israeli Jews and the Israeli Arabs as well as the walls that separate them from the rest of the world, then I wouldn't doubt that that's exactly what this project did. we broke through any walls and obstacles that could have stood in our way and developed friendships that can trump intolerance and indifference. the Jewish & Arab kids broke down their own walls and grew to be like family to one another during their trip. everyone came out of it having been touched or effected in some way. everyone experienced something great that they'll never forget. If this program doesn't shed new rays of hope on the future of Israel, America, and even the world, then I don't believe that anything can. the current generation of teenagers is always being criticized for being lazy, disinterested, ignorant, and unaware, but that's a blanket statement and stereotype that's really not fair to say. members of COW and members of PCI are proof that a lot of kids do still care and are still extremely interested and would do so much more if they were offered the opportunity. we truly are the future of the world and starting the process of creating and promoting peace can never start too soon. in that sense PCI is a huge step in the right direction. if kids from halfway across the world can get along so well and form such tight bonds and lasting friendships then it really gives the world a glimmer of hope that other generations, both before and after us, can do the same. one of the best parts about this whole project is that now that we've done something and seen how great it can be, the possibilities for us in the future are endless. we can accomplish things that kids in the past would never even have thought possible. we have so much ahead of us and all we have to do is care about it enough to take action, and we do so we will. it's all just a matter of what comes next.

Jackie V., the COW Project

Mrs. Chamberlin

Why I thought the PCI tour was important was to understand what they are going through in there countries to show people. What happens in their country. What terrible stuff has happened and I am very happy that they had done that play because when I was talking to a lot of my friends they all said, " I could not understand what they were talking about but I could understand what they were trying to prove to all of us students." . I would just really like to say thank you to the Kids for all the work they done in the play. This tour had been amazing. I had made new friends and just to see them interacting with us to share what is going on in there country is amazing to me. This tour and many others is going to change the world.

Romel , The COW Project