Regardless of the language of their submission, for those teens from each society who were looking to refine their narrative skills, master the art of advocacy presentations, and increase their written and verbal proficiency in English, Heart of a Nation provided online workshops with a variety of communication experts free of charge.

A group of 12 teen judges – evenly divided between the three societies -- selected the best three submissions from each society for publication. Criteria for selection of winning submissions included passion, eloquence, pathos, idealism, practicality, and optimism.

Commitments were secured from The Jerusalem Post (Israel’s oldest English-language daily newspaper) and Al-Quds (the Palestinian territories’ largest-circulation Arabic language daily newspaper) and The Christian Science Monitor (which has been publishing continuously since 1908 and has won seven Pulitzer Prizes)  to promote this competition and publish the winning essays.

We believe that America, Israel, and Palestine are works in progress and have common aspirations and challenges; that with the right combination of good will, resources, and effort, each of these societies can progress toward greater justice, equality, and compassion; that channeling dissatisfaction with the status quo can make these nations better, stronger, and more compassionate; that individuals who are committed to these objectives can learn from, and will accomplish more by, working together; and that greater progress is achieved by bettering, not battering, nations we love.