Hey, everyone! It’s me, Dina!

Well, it’s been quite a while since you’ve heard from Gunnar and the ASM4P team. Sorry about that! The end of A Soldier’s March for Peace has turned out to be a busy time for me as I get the new War Kids Relief programs off the ground while Gunnar takes some well-deserved time to decompress, adjust back to normal life, and do some serious thinking and planning about what the future holds for him.

While he does that, I can’t wait to tell you about the new programs that are getting underway thanks to Gunnar’s 1,000-mile walk! The pilot phase of a new US/Afghan Junior Investor Program is getting more exciting by the minute. Kids in American middle and high schools are already developing fund-raising activities so each class that’s involved can invest $100 in the vocational training of youth in Afghanistan — and in the process they’ll learn a lot about the lives of their Afghan peers, and vice versa.

New steps are also being taken in the US/Iraq Young Ambassador Program. 75 American and 75 Iraqi high school students will be paired for letter-writing, videoconferencing, and a lot more over the course of six months. We’ll build a curriculum as we go, and we hope that within a year or two the Young Ambassador Program will be taking place in schools all over America.

We received a grant to fund the first ten youth camps for military kids so they can learn more about the lives of children in Iraq and Afghanistan, and a group of Carleton College students have produced a book called Dear Friend: letters of peace and friendship, featuring letters written by the Cannon Falls students on the last day of ASM4P when we made our final presentation at Cannon Falls High School.

There are so many exciting things going on, and you can learn much more — and I hope you will! — at warkidsrelief.org.

So, the walking portion of A Soldier’s March For Peace may be over, but the “march” lives on as we continue to make a difference in the lives of kids. Your support and enthusiasm have meant so much. Please continue to follow and support War Kids Relief. Thanks to all of you…and thank you, Gunnar!!!

Sincerely,

Dina
Children’s Culture Connection; Executive Director