Tag Archives: Ashley Johnson

by | January 1, 2013 · 10:01 pm

PPI-CY Fellow, Ashley, reflects on her time in Cyprus so far

Three of the young girls I coach from Kyrenia while at a twinning, these are the moments I miss while I am back home.

Three of the young girls I coach from Kyrenia while at a twinning, these are the moments I miss while I am back home.

Today’s blog is written by PPI-CY International Fellow, Ashley Johnson. Ashley began working for PeacePlayers – Cyprus in June of 2012. Prior to that, Ashley was a 4 year member of the Colorado College Women’s Basketball Team and a Small Enterprise Development Volunteer with the US Peace Corps in Cameroon.

Home in the mountains for the Holidays

Home in the mountains for the Holidays

Happy Holidays from the PeacePlayers – Cyprus family!  I am writing this post as I sit by a warm fire after a long day of skiing and snowshoeing.  Skiing, and snowshoeing, in Cyprus you may ask?  Well, actually I am currently home in the Rocky Mountains visiting family over the holiday break.  I find myself constantly telling stories of my PeacePlayers family to my friends and family here in the US.  After having spent the last 7 months working as the fellow in the beautiful Eastern Mediterranean country of Cyprus it is a bit of a shock to the system to return to the cold wintery climate half way across the world.

Being home offers the perfect opportunity for me to share my life and the stories of the work of PeacePlayers.  I fill people in on the history of Cyprus and the fact that the UN has its 3rd longest running peacekeeping mission based on the island.  That the island is essentially divided into two, where Greek-Cypriots live in the southern side and Turkish-Cypriots live in the north with little to no interaction between the two communities.  My family asks me what our mission is in Cyprus and I share with them opportunity that we provide youth from the two communities to interact with one another by playing the game of basketball together.  Many ask about the youth we work with and if I see PeacePlayers having an impact in their lives.  It gives me pride to be able to answer yes.

Ashley with PeacePlayers children at the 2012 Summer Camp

Ashley with PeacePlayers children at the 2012 Summer Camp

One of the things that I enjoy the most about our work is that we can see the benefits of all the efforts the coaches and staff put in.  We see the young people developing as basketball players and as individuals over the years. We also see them creating friendships with their teammates and with the young people from the other communities through our camps and twinnings.

Explaining all of my experiences with PeacePlayers throughout my time in the states has made me even more appreciative of the opportunity to be a part of such an innovative and unique organization.   I look forward to returning and continuing to develop the Cyprus program to its fullest potential.

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by | August 10, 2012 · 5:07 pm

PPI-CY’s Annual Summer Camp: Development On and Off the Court

Today’s blog post was written by Ashley Johnson, PPI-Cyprus‘s newest fellow.

Camp, the best week of the year! That’s how I remember my experience as a kid growing up attending basketball camps.  I made new friends and played a game that I loved.  I left camp feeling inspired every year. This was our hope for the 32 Greek-Cypriot and 32 Turkish-Cypriot youth attending our annual summer camp.  We set out to inspire the youth as basketball players, while also inspiring them as individuals, to become proactive leaders in their own lives and within their respective communities.  While the youth worked hard throughout the week on the basketball court, they were also challenged in the classroom.

PPI-CY campers talk about personal leadership with Akis.

Our Peace and Leadership Curriculum, developed in partnership with the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation and the Arbinger Institute, is central to our goals of uniting, educating, and inspiring the youth in our program.  Sessions on the court and in the classroom allow us to create a holistic approach to youth development, encouraging our kids to reach their full potential as basketball players and as individuals.  Fellow Ashley Johnson and Board member Akis Christofides began the classroom sessions for the week with two leadership sessions.  Ashley’s sessions began with the kids looking internally, talking about what leadership means, and determining how to cultivate the qualities of a positive leader within themselves.  Akis’s session built off of their understanding of role models and leadership, and stressed the importance of seeking to create a life full of passion and purpose. He inspired the kids with video clips of superstars like Michael Jordan and Lance Armstrong.

Ashley uses her experience as a volunteer in the Peace Corps to start a discussion about the importance of serving others.

We then transitioned to another classroom session on service and volunteering.  The participants saw photos and listened to stories about Ashley Johnson’s experiences as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Cameroon. learning that serving others, whether across the world or in one’s own community, not only positively impacts those whom you serve, but also greatly develops one’s own character.

With the kids beginning to think about and see themselves as integral members of a greater community, PPI-CY Managing Director, Marina Vasilera and Board member Tarik Tekman took the lead in the next two sessions.  The focus was on PPI’s signature peace-building curriculum, “The Anatomy of Peace.”  Through the Anatomy of Peace sessions, the kids began to examine the way they view others, evaluate whether they see others as individuals or as objects, and realize the importance of seeing the humanity within all individuals.

Campers share their work in a classroom session.

With such rich experiences throughout the week on and off the court, there is no doubt the campers returned to their homes inspired and empowered.  With their continued growth and development as PeacePlayers participants and leaders, it is our hope that youth will be able to positively shape the future of the island of Cyprus.

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by | June 15, 2012 · 2:21 pm

New Fellow Ashley Johnson Arrives in Cyprus

Ashley hard at work in the PeacePlayers Cyprus office.

New fellow Ashley Johnson arrived this past Friday at the Larnaca Airport in the early hours of the morning just before the Cypriot sun decided to rise over the mountains and pave the way for a new fellow to start work.  Tired from a long journey all the way from Colorado, Ashley brings with her a large amount of professional level experience, including a two year position in the Peace Corps in the West African country of Cameroon, where she worked as a Small Enterprise Development Volunteer. Ashley graduated from Colorado College with a degree in Economics and Business, where she also the captain of the varsity basketball team.  Members of the PPI office are excited to have someone who not only is an expert in basketball but also in the field of international development.

Ashley’s days as a member of the Peace Corps in Cameroon.

The breadth of members of the global business of humanitarian aid and international development vary in skill set and identity.  Many members are doctors, engineers, or development specialists. While skills and identities tend to be vast in variety in aid and development, it is apparent that someone with such experience as Ashley and her impressive work in the field is extremely valuable to any organization.  The skills learned in her past experience will undoubtedly go a long way for PeacePlayers Cyprus.

Ashley’s first practice was in Lapta, one of the furthest sites from our office.  After a lengthy drive on a road squeezed between what looked like an endless stretch of cool blue Mediterranean water and a line of sloping green and grey mountains, Ashley arrived at her first mission “in the field.”  She made her way into the small gym and took a brief tour of the surrounding camp grounds: where the water was, where the baskets were, and what the characteristics of the tight indoor court entailed. Soon after, the Lapta children began to pour in from the path leading back to the highway. A full practice heralded a big group of girls led by our coach in Lapta, Zalihe.  After smiles and introductions Ashley was tasked with a dribbling station.  She handled it with expertise and ease even despite the burdensome jetlag and language barriers.  At one point, during a technical shooting drill that commanded everyone’s attention, the PPI staff forgot that Ashley had just arrived and that the possibility that she would need help communicating or simply staying awake loomed heavy on the other side of the dark wood parquet floor.  But the possibility proved absent; Ashley was commanding the attention of the girls, doling out orders, running a relay race that had everyone dribbling and giggling all by herself, only hours after having first set foot on the island.

PeacePlayers Cyprus is excited to have Ashley as a fellow for the next two years and looks forward to her contributions.

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by | April 23, 2012 · 4:34 pm

PeacePlayers International Holds Fellows Orientation in Washington, DC

Henry Louis (Cyprus), Kyler McClary (South Africa), Hannah Sloss (DC staff), Ashley Johnson (Cyprus) and Megan Lynch (Northern Ireland) embody the peacebuilding spirit of MLK in Washington, DC.

Since 2001, PeacePlayers International (PPI) has recruited more than 75 outstanding post-collegiate scholar athletes to serve two year terms with its programs. PPI Fellows provide basketball expertise, serve as mentors and role models, and act as neutral facilitators for PPI coaches and participants.

Last week, PPI reached an organizational first: we hosted all five newly-hired PPI Fellows for a three-day orientation in our Washington, DC office. In the past, Fellows went through the hiring process and boarded a flight directly to one of our program sites without the chance to interact with our DC staff and one another. As you might imagine, we were extra-excited to finally have the opportunity to host all the Fellows in one place before their departure to the field. This year, Henry Louis and Ashley Johnson will head to Cyprus, Kyler McClarly to South Africa, and Megan Lynch and Chris Schumerth to Northern Ireland.

Brian Cognato (standing) leads at session on characteristics of conflict while former Fellow Ellen Cosgrove (far left) and new Fellow Megan Lynch look on.

Day-One orientation activities included seminars led by PPI Technical Assistance Program Director Brian Cognato in “Understanding Peace & Conflict,” “Sport & Peace” and an introduction in PeacePlayers International’s methodologies and program sites. One of the more memorable activities was when the five Fellows, DC staff and visitors (which included Georgetown students studying peace education and former PPI Fellow Ellen Cosgrove) went through the Red Card/Blue Card model, which PPI was first introduced to by Mark Young at the Rational Games and Jacovos Christofides of the Cypriot Civil Society Strengthening Program. Both teams could have achieved the game’s objective of finishing with positive points; however, by adding a $55 incentive for the winning team, both teams chose mutually-assured destruction over cooperation. The activity certainly provided an interesting perspective on how conflict can develop.

PPI friend Jeremy Edwards of Sports Challenge also facilitated a workshop focused on self-awareness, empathy and personal leadership styles, providing the Fellows with some tools to effectively lead their kids, other staff and programs while abroad. The remainder of the orientation included an get-together with former Fellows at a Washington Nationals game, an Anatomy of Peace seminar and a DC sightseeing outing.

We wish Henry, Ashley, Kyler, Megan and Chris a safe journey to their respective sites this spring and summer. This is only the first of many stories you will hear from our new Fellows!

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