2025 End of Year Letter: Can Diplomacy Work?

Dear Friends,

Since its founding as the Esalen Institute Soviet American Exchange Program in 1980, Track Two: An Institute for Citizen Diplomacy has championed the importance of people-to-people diplomacy. We have undertaken five-decades of international collaboration and we are grateful for your support over all these years - the impact is felt daily.

We ask for your support now so that we can continue this work and launch the next generations of citizen diplomats.

In the coming months Track Two will engage in finely tuned non-state diplomacy with Russians, Ukrainians, Palestinians, Israelis, Chinese, and those from these regions living in the diaspora. Your support for this work is essential!

Tensions run high, alongside passions. We see the most courageous acts during this strained time as those who believe in freedom, of speech, artistic expression, thought, and religion, speak out as they encourage others and call for peace.

From our gatherings new collaborations form. Technologists are devising new tools for migrants. Artists are creating productions that deepen understanding. Educators are opening doors and shining new light on age-old concerns.

Track Two has long been a catalyst. Our conferences have become a model for others working in conflict zones and across challenging borders. From these conferences, new projects and new organizations have been seeded and grown.

In light of the threadbare state of government diplomacy, this people-to-people work is urgent and vital. We must learn what the “other side” is thinking, seeing, doing. We must share the conviction for a just peace broadly.

Join us in building a more peaceful future as we grow our network, deepen our resolve and meet with the influential experts who will create this future.

With gratitude and best wishes,

The Track Two Team