Tag Archives: America House Life Skills Event Series

by peaceplayersintl | October 3, 2011 · 1:00 pm

Changing Lives One Dribble at a Time

This week’s blog post was written by Edniesha Curry, an American coach who visited PPI – ME this past week as a part of the “America House Life Skills Event Series” funded by the US Consulate in Jerusalem. Edniesha has extensive background as a coach and as a player. From 2002 – 2010, she played for the WNBA and FIBA, which included three seasons in Israel. She has extensive coaching experience with children of all ages, and the opportunity to show us her stuff this week:

Dear World,

I arrived in Israel on September 23, 2011 to work with PeacePlayers International –Middle East’s basketball and leadership programs. What I found when I arrived were some very wonderful people using the game of basketball to change the lives of children of both Arab and Jewish backgrounds. It has opened my eyes to how powerful a sport truly can be; it was more then winning games, or even winning individual awards. It was basketball in its purest form – outdoor training session, indoor training session – it didn’t matter, it was just about bringing people together for an important cause. This cause was to help the children of both Jewish and Arab backgrounds become united and to see one another for who they are, not for what they are.

The feeling I received from the staff, the boys, girls, young men and women was one that was better than any championship I have won or even my first run out of the tunnel for my WNBA game. The game meant more here, it was so pure, it was fun again, it gave me memories of when I was kid and use to giggle during practice and just laugh with my teammates.

Peace Players is doing something truly special here in Israel and everyone should do whatever they can to support this organization’s efforts to continue to grow and unite both Arab and Jewish children. PeacePlayers is doing what everyone in the world should be doing, changing the lives of our children for the better through positive life skills training and building positive relationships in the communities.

I want to thank the LDP Boys, Jeruselum All Stars, Beit Shemesh, Hand in Hand School, Keshet, Beit Safafa teams, all the coaches and staff at PeacePlayers for such a wonderful experience teaching the game of basketball. I will conclude by saying that we all come from different communities, religions, cultural backgrounds and different languages; but when the whistle blows and the balls begin to bounce, we are all one family, we are all PeacePlayers.

Thank You,

Edniesha Curry

Coach Robert “Bo Bo” Jurkovic Visits PPI – Middle East

Coach Robert "Bo Bo" Jurkovic led practices with some of our younger participants during his time with PPI-ME.

Some of the strong selling points for playing with PeacePlayers International is that a PeacePlayer learns to think outside the box, meet and befriend players from different and traditionally averse communities, and develop greater social skills and awareness. But on top of all these important experiences, PPI is a good place to learn the game of basketball and meet top-notch basketball figures from abroad. Thanks to the America House Life Skills Event Series, generously supported by the United States Consulate in Jerusalem, our young PeacePlayers have the opportunity to do just that.

Bo Bo leading practice in Keshet school.

For example, last week PPI – ME hosted coach Robert Jurkovic – a renowned junior basketball coach from Croatia – for a weeklong series of basketball clinics and conflict resolution workshops. His visit was part of a cultural exchange between regions that have experienced conflict and the role basketball can take in improving the lives and life-skills of youth in these regions. Robert (aka Bo Bo) is no stranger to working in foreign, and even conflict-ridden environments. He has worked in places like Israel and Italy, before returning to his home country of Croatia. Until a couple of years ago he coached the Croatian boys cadets national team, and today he runs the boys and men section of the Rijeka basketball club in Croatia. He helped cultivate many basketball players who went on to illustrious athletic careers.

Click the photo above to see a video of Bo Bo in action!

Robert, who is a long-time professional colleague of PPI – ME Director of Basketball Operations Vito Gilic, came to Israel to lead a series of PPI – ME activities and to meet the girls and boys who play and learn with PPI – ME. Robert led practices for teams of all ages. He came to Keshet School in West Jerusalem and ran two practices with Jewish boys and girls from grades 1 – 4. A day later, he visited Ein Raffa – an Arab community near Jerusalem – where he led practice for our grade 1- 2 teams. He said it was a refreshing experience, as he hadn’t worked with young children for such a long time. Robert also got a chance to work with PPI – ME’s older players. He led our weekly LDP practice, challenging the players with drills that develop physical skills and quick thinking.

He also led a workshop with a group of female PeacePlayers at the America House facility. He spoke to them about basketball, life in a conflict zone (for them the Middle East and for him the wars in the Balkans). Then, he showed them the movie “Once Brothers” about the falling out between former best friends and basketball players Drazen Petrovic and Vlade Divac. Robert noted that this story, as well as basketball in general, can contribute to understanding the “other” and ourselves, beyond political masks or stereotypes.

It was a busy week for Coach Robert; but it was no doubt just as satisfying. The lessons he taught the children and youth of PPI – ME – both on and off the court – will not be soon forgotten, and they are bound to help the young PeacePlayers learn not only the importance of practicing their dribble and lay up, but also how peace and understanding can find room in their lives through basketball.

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Filed under Global, The Middle East

Tagged as America House Life Skills Event Series, Bo Bo, Drazen Petrovic, Keshet School, Once Brothers, Robert Jurkovic, The Keshet School, US Consulate, US Consulate in Jerusalem, Vito Gilic, Vlade Divac

by peaceplayersintl | March 24, 2011 · 1:29 pm

Guests of Honor Cheer on the Jerusalem All Stars

Frank (right) and Dwaine (left) of the U.S. Consulate in Jerusalem with the All Stars girls after their victory versus Gedera.

On March 10^th the Jerusalem All Stars, the only integrated Arab-Jewish girls teams competing in the Israeli Basketball Association’s elite youth league, received a special visit from a couple of our friends and supporters at the U.S. Consulate in Jerusalem. Frank Finver, Public Affairs Officer for the U.S. Consulate General in Jerusalem, and Dwaine Jefferson, U.S. Consulate Information Management Officer, came to cheer on our younger All Stars Team, which comprises girls from East and West Jerusalem between the ages of 11 and 14, as they took on and defeated a team from the Israeli town of Gedera. The U.S. Consulate has shown ongoing support for PeacePlayers International’s work in the Middle East and is currently funding one of our projects. But Frank and Dwaine are more than just supporters; they’re also basketball fans who often join our coaches in regular pickup games.

A Gedera player on the free-throw line.

The U.S. Consulate has helped fund our basketball and leadership activities for Palestinian youth in past years and is currently funding the America House Life Skills Event Series. The series engages Jerusalem youth in a set of enrichment programs designed and led by Palestinian and Israeli facilitators, which have been designed to teach skills such as critical thinking and conflict transformation, in addition to hands-on basketball and leadership training. We thank them for their ongoing commitment to working with us to help make Jerusalem a little more peaceful.

The home-team supporters' section.

Frank and Dwaine were joined by dozens of All Stars fans, many of whom were the friends, parents and siblings of our players. There were so many All Stars fans that we spilled over into the away team stands! Little brothers and sisters of the players, the next generation of PeacePlayers, brought along pompoms and showed off their cheerleading skills. Thanks in part to all of the support we received from fans, large and small, the All Stars emerged victorious with a final score of 49-32.