New Story Leadership Inc. (NSL) is an American based 501(c)3 charity registered in the State of Maryland (EIN # 27-1076407). Founded in 2009, NSL selects young emerging Israeli and Palestinian leaders and trains them into a team ready to help build a better future for their two communities. Ten students, five from Israel and five from Palestine, come to Washington DC every summer for an intensive program of workshops, conferences, seminars, professional work exposure, cultural immersion and team training. Their learning is focused on acquiring a 21st century skill-set: to discover the power of stories, to find their voice, to become agents of change and social entrepreneurs. In the course of the program, each student has a chance to tell his or her story before important Washington audiences and to build a more educated awareness of the core issues among American decision makers. They also develop specific  Projects for Change that they implement before and after they return home. In this way, NSL gives students a chance to apply what they learn and builds the momentum for change on the ground.

Daily headlines about Israel and Palestine tell of conflict, controversy and stalled peace initiatives. There is a feeling of exhaustion and a growing sense of futility. Peace seems all but impossible. Yet the search for an answer can and must continue. As former U.S. Special Envoy George Mitchell said, “If humans have caused the conflict, then humans can surely solve it. But after so many years of effort by so many people in the Middle East, is there really anything new that can be said or done?” NSL claims that there is. Our answer is contained in our name, new leaders inspired by a new story. New Story Leadership introduces a radically different approach to peace-building, one that does not pretend to solve the historical controversies or mediate between antagonists. What has to change first is the story that no change is possible. The best way to do that is to take one summer and have young people prove it by living it.