Features

Teens—give peace a chance

BY ASHISH SEGHAL

Is Peace obsolete? In our daily lives, many of us-young and old alike-experience frustration over the lack of mindfulness in our modern, fast-paced, hectic world. We long for comfort, relaxation, and emotional stability. Instead, there is talk of war, and we are fearing the worst.

But when I talked with Tami Shira Jeral about the Teens for Peace Performing Arts Company that she's starting up in February, things didn't look quite so bad. My questions and Tami's answers follow:

What is the Takoma Park Teens for Peace Performing Arts Company?

The Takoma Park Teens for Peace Performing Arts Company is a group starting in Takoma Park to bring peace education together with the arts, primarily the performing and visual arts. Recently, I realized the need for a forum for young people to explore the notion of peace, given the fact that war is all around us, and our country is talking war all the time, and we have a very abstract notion of peace. We hear the word ÔPeace,' and somehow it's a clich?; people say it all the time. But do we really know what peace is?

The purpose of this group is for young people to explore their visions of peace and of how to help create peace in our community and in the world. I have done few teen theatre programs in Takoma Park previously but felt that, at this time in history, it's very important to have a theme-Peace-because of the current state of affairs.

Tell us something about your background.

I grew up in Brooklyn, New York, where I started getting involved in theatre in high school. In college, I majored in English and went on to become an English teacher, but I always loved theatre.

When I was 25, I decided to take a trip to the Middle East. I lived in Jerusalem for almost seven years, where I taught English to Arabs, Israelis, Ethiopians, Russians and immigrants from many different countries. While in Jerusalem, I started my first theatre group for teenagers: The Jerusalem Young People's Theatre Workshop. The joy I got from collaborating with my students was enormous, and I could see how wonderful it was for them to perform. It gave them a lot of confidence and really empowered them. It also made me realize the power of theatre to create community.

In 1996, I moved back to the States and lived in New York for four years, where I taught ESOL, studied theatre, and conducted theatre workshops for teens and adults. Then I moved to Takoma Park.

Marisa Schwaler-Koren and Michelle Rollinson, rehearsing for the Takoma Teen Theatre Company's first performance at Sangha in 2001.

What compelled you to start a program based on the theme of Peace?

I recently started co-facilitating a peer-meditation group at Rockville High School, where I teach English. The focus of the group is conflict resolution in action.

It seems so ironic and sad that all around us, there is talk of war. How can we send a message to teenagers that it's important to respect each other and to live together harmoniously and peacefully, when we are seriously considering war?

As a teacher I feel it's my duty not only to teach my subject matter, but also to impart good values. The value of peace is something our schools are starting to embrace. But without an arena for exploration, like a peace studies course, it's hard [for students] to convert theory into a vision-a manifestation-of real peace.

What is your definition of peace?

I could give you a very hasty answer to this question, but the point of Teens for Peace is not to provide an immediate answer-"peace is X"-but to engage everyone's exploration of what they feel about peace and what they imagine it would mean for the world to be peaceful. What's important is to start out with that question.

Who else is going to be incorporated in this program?

I plan to invite various guest artists and guest speakers. Teens for Peace will be a multi-media workshop for researching the universal subject of peace through discussions, theatre games, improvisational exercises, visual arts, puppetry, and other art forms.

What made you bring this idea to Takoma Park?

Takoma Park has an amazingly diverse artistic community that is generally open to ideas like this. Sangha [where Teens for Peace will perform] is a wonderful haven for this kind of work, as is the Liz Lerman Dance Exchange [where the workshops and rehearsals will be held]. But I hope that Teens for Peace will encourage dialogue about global visions among teens in communities beyond Takoma Park, as well as between generations.

Who can participate and how can they join?

All young people between the ages of 14 and 20(+) are invited to join. There are no special requirements besides an openness and a willingness to participate and engage in the exploratory process.

How do you think this program can change teenagers and bring a change to the society?

I believe that we are not just teaching the content of peace, but that the actual process of collaborating is a process of creating a peaceful microcosm.

We all have the power to impact others. If we start as a small group with a living vision of what we imagine peace to be, and our performances reach others, then there is no telling what changes are possible.