A Preview of the PeacePlayers Cyprus Summer Basketball Camp

Last year’s camp was a great success.

PeacePlayers Cyprus will host its annual summer camp starting on July 27^th and ending on August 1^st.  The camp will see 64 children of Greek Cypriot, Turkish Cypriot, and other backgrounds between the ages of 12 and 16 work, play, and learn together for five nights in the village of Agros.   Last year PPI-CY successfully ran the camp and the days were indeed packed with fun (the participants had the chance to take part in a treasure hunt), hard work (plenty of basketball drills and games), and a host of PeacePlayers activities (time in the classroom learning about the Arbinger Institute’s The Anatomy of Peace).

This year the camp has a host of activities planned, including a set of “survivor games”, the opportunity for the children to make their own videos, and the viewing of the 2012 London Olympics opening ceremony.  As expected from a PeacePlayers event, the camp will help the children create relationships and forge friendships with each other through learning life skills as well as everyday practice and activity.

An exciting highlight of this year’s camp will be the attendance of two professional basketball stars.  NBA Brooklyn Nets coach and former NBA basketball player Doug Overton and former WNBA player Shaunzinski Gortman will attend the length of the camp as mentors, coaches, and guests.  PPI-CY is very excited to have guests from the US whose expertise in all aspects of the game of basketball, including their abilities to not only play but to teach, is something that PPI CY and all of its participants will greatly benefit from.  Doug will host a coaches seminar on July 28^th for members of the Cypriot basketball community.

PPI CY Managing Director Marina Vasilara said “This is the first year we have managed to get an NBA coach and a WNBA player and for the kids it will be a lifetime experience.  For the coaches it will be an exciting learning process, watching them.  For me, the camp last year set high goals and was very successful and I hope that this year the camp will exceed expectations by even more.”

Please tune in  during the coming weeks to hear how the camp will go.