Journey: World Nobel Summit 2012

I am Sonam Chawla form Pakistan. I have been placed in Dexter Michigan with AFS. I did a Peace Jam project with other YES students from 6 different countries around the world. Peace Jam was an amazing opportunity only for YES, FLEX and CB students.
We decided to feed the homeless people for our service project. We raised funds for their meal by selling note cards. We interacted with them and asked about their lives and how did they end up being homeless. We cooked the meal together and took it to them. We were interviewed and our article was published in the local newspaper.
http://heritage.com/articles/2012/03/10/dexter_leader/news/doc4f5a13a8a8891940285620.txt

After the success of our project, we went to the Peace Jam conference in Kalamazoo at the Western Michigan University on April 21- 22. We met Rigoberta Minchu Tum; The Nobel Peace Laureate form Guatemala there. I was asked by her to join her for lunch on April 21, 2012. During lunch I asked her questions about the barriers she faced in her country and how she dealt with them. I had the most prestigious lunch of my life on that day.

On April 22, we presented our service project to her. But before that, they asked if any teenagers wanted to share their own stories of who and how inspired them. I was the first one to go On stage and speak in the Microphone. I shared the story of my life with them.I talked about how my family faced problems in my education and how my mother was the only one to support my education. I spoke for more than 20 minutes on stage. After I finished, everybody in the hall applauded for me. The Founder of Peace Jam hugged me and then Rigoberta Minchu Tum shook hands with me and I lit a candle- as a candle of hope and inspiration.
Rigoberta met me in person and said that she listened to my story and I am a strong girl. She said she believes in me and I can change the World. I was so honored to hear such words from A Nobel Peace Laureate!
I was encouraged and appreciated by several people out there. I was interviewed and asked about my life and my future plans.

World Nobel Summit 2012:

After the Peace Jam conference in Kalamazoo, we got a chance to attend the World Nobel Summit 2012 in Chicago. 21 Nobel Laureates from all around the world came and talked about inducing peace in the World and discussed what the Youth can do for that.

President Obama's video message for us.
There were rumors of him coming but he didn't come. He sent us a video message in which he apologized for not coming and encouraged the youth to believe in change.

I met 21 Nobel Peace Laureates from all around the world in the Summit. Three of them I met in person, including Jody Williams (Nobel laureate from USA), Shirin Abadi (Laureate from Iran) and Rigoberta (Guatemala). I was the only YES student to meet Shirin Abadi.
On the second day of the Summit, we had a Peace Jam meeting with Jody Williams. I asked her a question in the meeting. I asked her about my country Pakistan, the relationship between Pakistan and US Government, her personal view about Pakistan and how to solve the conflicts. She came down from her seat and sat on stage and offered me to sit besides her. I sat with her and she answered that She believes in Peace and she thinks there should be no war anywhere. We had a big, interesting discussion because of the question about conditions in Pakistan. Now I am even Facebook-friends with her.
The same day after the end of the conference I talked met Shirin Abadi backstage. I talked to her about the education problems small town girls face in my country and how to make it better. She suggested me to use my computer to spread the awareness, gather people who believe in the same cause and then get started!
All of the Nobel Peace Laureates were insisting on how Youth can make a difference! They all inspired me. I now believe in change!

I am a Proud Peace Jammer! I am glad that I came to America and I thank YES program and the State Department for that. I thanks IEARN Pakistan for organizing YES program in Pakistan.