OTISFIELD – Campers at the Seeds of Peace International Camp were urged Thursday to make the most of their stay.

“Trust me, three weeks here goes by very, very fast,” said camp director Leslie Lewin. “Don’t waste a moment.”

Kanzi Khafagy of Egypt said that when she first went to the camp, nervousness at the beginning of the three-week session was replaced by sadness at having to depart at the end of it.

“I do not exaggerate when I say the camp became my home and the Seeds became my family,” Khafagy said.

The camp, which brings together young people from around the world to address conflict in their respective countries, opened its 16th season Tuesday on Pleasant Lake off Powhattan Road. The traditional flag-raising ceremony on Thursday featured speakers from India, Pakistan, Israel, Palestine, Egypt, Jordan, and the United States.

Afterward, their nation’s flag was raised on a row of flagpoles at the camp’s gates. Following the ceremonies, the 168 campers participating in this session were led back onto the grounds, where the Seeds of Peace flag is the only one that flies.

Director emeritus Tim Wilson said the campers needed to put aside any differences and respectfully listen to each other.

“The risk you take now to learn about each other will pay you off immensely when you’re older,” Wilson said.

Jason Dias of Pakistan said the first step toward conflict resolution was personal change.

“The whole camp is changing with you,” he said. “This is a collective change we are all going through, and that helps us change the world.”

Luma Al Masarweh of Jordan also told campers that the camp offered a unique experience and asked them to take advantage of it.

“It is a place where you are surrounded and embraced by love and peacefulness,” Al Masarweh said.

Akruti Agarwal of India said the campers would make strong relationships, and he praised the camp for its mission.

“It’s a blessing in this conflict-driven world,” he said.

The camp is part of Seeds of Peace, which was founded in 1993 by journalist Alan Wallach as a means of educating future leaders in conflict resolution and reconciliation. The camp uses athletic activities in a residential setting to facilitate this, but campers also tackle issues head-on in 90-minute dialogue sessions that discuss the issues of conflict in their countries.

The speakers from the delegations, who were all attending the camp for the second time as peer support leaders, said the experience leads to the development of strong bonds.

“You will sit beside the people who are supposed to be the enemy, and it will be impossible to be anything but friends,” said Sarah Erwin, one of 26 campers in the U.S. delegation.

Laith Alghoul of Palestine said the relocation to rural Maine removes conflicting governments from the equation and demonstrates that peace is possible.

“When you get them out, we see that we can actually live together,” Alghoul said.

“We will need to work very hard and continue this work in our homeland,” said Lilach Merhav of Israel.