Tag Archives: conflict transformation

by | May 2, 2013 · 3:41 pm

At The Feet Of Heroes – Brigham Young Students Visit The Middle East

The girls and Chad celebrating with a PPI ME team

ESPN Senior Writer and BYUH Professor, Chad Ford, and his students, Caitlyn, Tenealle and Taylor, celebrating with a PPI – ME team

PPI – Middle East had the great pleasure of hosting Global Board Member and friend, Chad Ford, and three of his students this past week. Chad is a Professor at Brigham Young University – Hawaii (BYUH) and Director of the University’s McKay Center. He is known for his study of conflict resolution with an emphasis on large group ethnic and religious conflict, as well as for his sports journalism with ESPN. This week’s blog features highlights from an interview with his three students, Caitlyn Nalder, Tenealle Tenwolde and Taylor Rippy, who were given the opportunity to visit the Middle East for the very first time.

Why did you apply to come on this trip with Chad to the Middle East?

Tenealle: I decided to apply for this trip because of the amazing stories Chad has told us about PeacePlayers and my personal interest in conflict resolution. The opportunity to put all my peace building studies to work and really see a different culture. I had to apply!

What did you want to get out of this experience?

Caitlyn: The thing I wanted most out of this trip was being able to spend time with the people, particularly the girls. I wanted to learn from them and in exchange maybe they could learn a thing or two, something small from me.

Caitlyn, Taylor and Tenealle getting some culture while visiting holy sites

Caitlyn, Taylor and Tenealle getting some culture while visiting holy sites

Can you tell of something that surprised you or what you walked away with after this experience?

Taylor: I reflect back on everything and I can’t believe I was there and experienced what I did. I was so overwhelmed with love for the people I met, specifically the PPI players. I wasn’t even anticipating it, but the first day I walked into the gym where the girls were warming up, I almost exploded into tears. It was the greatest warmth and love that just rushed over me. I truly immediately loved each one of them. And now I’m crying as I write this. The region itself is beautiful and the cultures, the people, the land. I close my eyes and it all comes back. I never want to lose that.

Were there any moments that really touched you in your time here?

The girls, Chad and some PPI participants learning from each other!

The girls, Chad and PPI participants learning from each other at a PeacePlayers activity

Caitlyn: I was deeply touched when walking into the gym with the girls warming up for a game. Music was bumpin’, and the energy was alive. There was a special spirit there. Tears fell down my cheeks and the thought clearly and distinctly entered my mind, “You’re at the feet of heroes here. These girls are going to change the world. Powerful leaders and influences for good are in front of you, stay connected with them. They have a lot to teach you.” From that point on things changed. I couldn’t help but want to get to know them, no matter the language and cultural barriers. At the heart of it all, we are alive, breathing, and people. And above all, we have the capacity to love.

Tenealle: Seeing the biblical sights, the amazing architecture and the religious perspective was amazing and influential. But the moments that really touched me was how we all interacted around the table. The culture of food is so inviting, not only because absolutely everything I ate was delicious but also because it wasn’t just a time to eat together it was a time to share our thoughts and share the joy. We would always share our dishes and exchange our thoughts openly and freely. It was an invigorating feeling and strengthened our relationships and showed how commonalities in cultures can bring us together.

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by | January 18, 2013 · 5:19 pm

PeacePlayers Gets Animated!

A glimpse into the upcoming animated PeacePlayers video

A glimpse into the upcoming animated PeacePlayers video

PeacePlayers – Cyprus is excited to announce they are currently working in collaboration with the Cyprus Community Media Centre (CCMC) in creating an innovative animated video that will promote the capacity of sports as a practical and proven vehicle to create social change. The finished product will become a tool used across our PPI sites as well as by our Technical Assistance team consulting on projects and with organizations worldwide.  With the video we seek to empower organizations, expand the field of current practitioners, create a meaningful and powerful tool that coaches and teachers can use while working with youth.

Three months ago The Peace It Together Network, funded through UNDP-ACT and USAID, called for proposals in the launch of The Knowledge and Innovation Fund grants. According to the Peace It Together: “The Knowledge and Innovation fund was developed to offer new perspectives and approaches to peace building.  Challenging those seeking to submit proposals to develop innovative ideas towards the promotion of peace and reconciliation and enhance dialogue.”

Drawing upon PeacePlayers International’s global experiences in using sport to bridge divides, PeacePlayers – Cyprus applied for and received full funding for an animated video project. The project will be composed of 5 short chapters that will follow one young girl, growing up within a community afflicted by conflict, and how the power sport helps her overcome it.

Though, we at PPI do not have a lot of experience with animation, we do posses a tremendous amount of institutional knowledge on the power of sport in conflict transformation.  We are harnessing this knowledge to collaborate with our creative associates at the CCMC and Ze’deM Media to write scripts, create storyboards, and bring it all to life with animation. The final project should be completed in only 2 months!

For progress updates on PeacePlayers upcoming animation, continue to follow our blog as well as our PeacePlayers – Cyprus Facebook page.

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by | January 4, 2013 · 3:44 pm

Cyprus, in times of austerity – still… hope comes one child at a time!

Two Children Participating in a Basketball Drill During a PPI Twinning in the UN Buffer Zone

Two children participating in a basketball drill during a PPI Twinning in the UN Buffer Zone

This week’s Cyprus blog comes from PPI – CY Managing Director, Marina Vasilara. Prior to joining PPI 2009, Marina spent six years working as the Civil Society portofolio manager in human development and peace building programs for UNDP-ACT. Marina attended the Graduate School of Foreign Service of Georgetown University, where she graduated with a Masters of Arts in German and European Studies.

Angry demonstrators protest as lawmakers discuss new austerity laws in Cyprus' parliament, December 12, 2012 (Reuters / Andreas Manolis)

Angry demonstrators protest as lawmakers discuss new austerity laws in Cyprus’ parliament, December 12, 2012 (Reuters / Andreas Manolis)

As Cyprus enters a new age of austerity measures following the ECB, IMF, EU Memorandum to control public debt and spending and restore the capital adequacy of most local banks – spending is at an all-time low.  Small and medium enterprises are going quickly out of business, with shops closing one after the other and unemployment figures, especially amongst the young, running at all time highs.  However, in times like these, the need for youth programs and targeted youth development that are offered at no cost are ever more needed.  As the separation line, or Buffer Zone, continues to divide our lives and our communities, the need to keep working on finding creative ways to bring our youth together to form meaningful relationships and learn about each other, outside the formal school system and always with the help and support of the parents and our coaches, is imminent.

The realization that working together we can achieve so much more and help youth come out of the vicious cycles of blame game we have been brought up in, only comes from frequent and meaningful encounters.  At PPI-CY, we find out more about ourselves and build hope one step at a time, one child at a time, every time we bring two or more teams together, every time we come together ourselves. This is what we have learned and this is what we are working towards – to enable our kids, our coaches and our parents to have the chance to meet each other at both sides of the Buffer zone on a regular basis.

PPI-CY Managing Director, Marina Vasilara, Speaking to a Group of Children During a Twinning in the Buffer Zone

PPI-CY Managing Director, Marina Vasilara, speaking to a group of children during a Twinning in the Buffer Zone

In early 2013, we will be finalizing our curriculum which we shall be sharing with educational experts for their review as well as our parents whom we want to involve even more in the running of our programs.  We are working hard on spreading the messages of the Anatomy of Peace to educators and teachers in partnership with the authorities through the delivery of seminars. As we have been overwhelmed this year by the number of children who wanted to join our teams and the parents who wanted to become involved, we are working on finding innovative ways to make that happen.  With the leadership of our Board, we are starting a new partnership with the parents and aspire that this will be the start of a great one.  We are also building on our team of 20 LDP youth – giving them the means to be innovators and leaders in their own lives, helping them see out of the box as they make decisions that affect the rest of their lives.  And finally we are working on developing a program for our alumni, who have expressed their interest in continuing their involvement in the program, enabling us also to keep abreast of their development.

At this point, I would like to thank all those behind the Bicommunal Support Program at the US Embassy in Nicosia, AMIDEAST, the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation and PeacePlayers International who believe in the program and continue to support it in every way possible.  Without their support we would not have the means to operate.

We start the New Year full of new energy and hopes for 2013 and PPI-CY.  Our team – Thanasi, Stephanie, Ashley, Orhun and Didem are working around the clock to make this program a sustainable operation across time that brings joy and hope to all the children of Cyprus. I want to thank them dearly for this. I also want to acknowledge all our Board members – Akis, Tarik, Orhun, Ercan, Antonis, Nadia, Takis and Idil – who believe in this mission and make it happen.  I would also like to thank…again, and again…. former International Fellows Adam and Gunnar who have spent 2+ creative years with us and will always be in our hearts.

Two PeacePlayers Teams, one Turkish-Cypriot and one Greek-Cypriot, pose together during a recent Twinning

Two PeacePlayers teams, one Turkish-Cypriot and one Greek-Cypriot, pose together during a recent Twinning in the UN Buffer Zone

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by | October 18, 2012 · 3:44 pm

Practicing Basketball, Practicing Freedom, Practicing Peace

Renana gives the second graders of Keshet school their first taste of the Anatomy of Peace

This week’s post was written by Renana, one of PPI – ME’s new curriculum facilitators.

In his book Pedagogy of the Oppressed, the great educator and philosopher Paulo Freire states that “education either functions as an instrument [which integrates] the younger generation into the logic of the present system OR it becomes the practice of freedom.”

Living in the harsh reality of the Middle East, one of PPI-ME’s educational challenges is to bring our children and youth to believe that such “practice of freedom” is possible. The existing prejudices and racism in our country can easily prevent children from the belief that the freedom to meet “the other” can take place in our torn society.

The kids had a lot to share about the way they think a good team should function

Luckily for PPI, we tackle this challenge through the best form of practice – yeah, we practice freedom through basketball. And this year we’re taking it one step further. Two years after rolling out the Anatomy of Peace Curriculum, developed in cooperation with the Arbinger Institute to integrate their Anatomy of Peace (AoP) model with basketball, PPI – ME is deepening the impact of the curriculum by having me and my friend and colleague Nissreen meet with teams and help coaches deliver the material.

All of our facilitations are designed together with the teams’ coaches, as we try to improve not only the kids’ social skills, but also their strength as athletes. The youth of the Leadership Development Program (LDP) have become especially familiar with the AoP philosophy over the past number of years, and our monthly sessions with them will focus on helping them to teach these principles to other players, friends and family.

Our younger teams, which we like to call “the Minis,” require a different strategy both from the coaches, and from us, the facilitators. Knowing that most of the kids have just started dribbling, our responsibility as facilitators is to gradually trickle in the AoP curriculum while allowing them to tackle learning the basic skills of the game.

“Only a group that makes decisions together, works together”

With these concerns in mind, I headed to my first Arbinger meeting with the 2nd graders of Keshet school in Jerusalem. I’d been told by my colleagues that our teams at Keshet were very smart and special – but meeting them made me realize that the word “special” doesn’t begin to describe how incredible they are! The session went really well. From the very beginning of the introduction, the kids had a lot to share about the way they think a good team should function. One of them told us that “only a group that makes decisions together, works together.” I then linked her words to the importance of listening to one another, and how important it is to look for ways to help each other play better. In response, one of them had an idea that every kid on the team should think of what his/her best basketball skill is, and teach it to the others. Despite their young age, these children managed to focus their attention on the subject, and even to implement it on the court. I have a good feeling about this process, and we will build it slowly but surely. Baby steps, or in our case – “Mini” steps :)

I’m amazed by the way the children grasped social philosophies with such an open heart and mind. In future sessions, I’ll try to broaden the importance of good communication inside the group. Until then, I’ll keep on having my first meetings with the other groups –  hoping to inspire them to question the “present system” of conflict, through the practice of sport, peace and freedom.

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by | September 19, 2012 · 3:56 pm

Together, Stronger

Rioting at the Carlisle Circus the night before PPI-NI programming.

Over the past two weeks PeacePlayers International – Northern Ireland (PPI – NI) has been working in partnership with the 174 Trust, on the Together Stronger Programme. The project is focusing on the Carlisle Circus area of North Belfast, working with young people aged 13 – 17 for a six week accredited community-relations-through-sport programme. Following the recent interface violence at Carlisle Circus, the importance of this work is vital.

The group is made up of young people from the Shankill, New Lodge, and Oldpark areas of North Belfast. During the programme, the participants will look at issues of diversity through a sporting lens. The three days of rioting put North Belfast back into the headlines for all the wrong reasons, with society pointing the finger at young people. What people seem to overlook is the commitment that our young people have to creating a peaceful society in Northern Ireland, and that pointing the finger is not the right way to promote positive change. As one of our new International Fellows said, “The Rioting in North Belfast has shown me the importance of what we do.”

After a successful beginning, we at PPI – NI are looking forward to continuing this good work with The 174 Trust and the young people from the Carlisle Circus area.

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by | September 14, 2012 · 1:57 pm

PPI – CY’s Athanasios Souflias attends The Anatomy of Peace Facilitator Training

Aloha from Hawaii

This past month, PeacePlayers Cyprus’ basketball coordinator Athanasios Souflias had the opportunity to travel to Hawaii for a two week long Anatomy of Peace Facilitator Training.  The Anatomy of Peace is a model for conflict resolution developed by the Arbinger Institue that PPI has adopted to use in all its programs, supported by the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation. This week we sat down with Athanasios to hear about his experiences.

Thanasis with 2 PPI – Middle East family members

Can you tell us about the seminar?

The training session was hosted at BYU-Hawaii’s McKay Center for Intercultural Understanding and led by PPI board of directors’ member Chad Ford.  Myself and 2 members of the PPI Middle East family attended the training that lasted 9 days, spending over 5 hours a day in the classroom learning the principles and methods introduced in the Anatomy of Peace’s conflict transformation curriculum.  We were also introduced to the art of sharing such principles as a trainer in the Anatomy of Peace seminars.

What sort of preparations did you have to make before taking part in the trainers seminar?

I read the book The Anatomy of Peace and had to reflect on and write several personal stories on how such situations have been present in my own life.  For example, the essays were written on instances in which I may have been in conflict with an individual and how we moved out of the conflict.  I also wrote a paper analyzing the techniques implemented by the facilitators in the book.

What did you personally gain from reading the book and attending the training seminar?

The experience was a life-changing event; it changed the way that I conceptualize individuals.  It gave me a better insight into understanding others and seeking to understand what others may carry with them in their minds and in their hearts.

What do you hope to bring back from your experiences to share with the PPI program in Cyprus? 

I would like to facilitate these seminars with Cypriot youth and encourage the kids to take such principles, including examining how they see “others” and apply them within their own lives.

What was the best moment of the experience for you? 

There were two moments that really stood out over the 2 weeks for me.  One being the excursion that other participants in the training and I took to visit waterfalls in the nearby mountains.  The other being the opportunity to facilitate an Anatomy of Peace training session for the first time.

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by | September 13, 2012 · 4:19 pm

Holon and Fureidis Work It Out While Working Out

The girls counted out loud through exercise sets in Hebrew, Arabic in English

While most teams in the Twinned Basketball Clubs (TBC) program won’t start Twinning (AKA joint activities) until later in the fall, two teams have already started getting into the swing of things with joint fitness trainings on the beach in Herzliya. The two teams, which include teenage girls from the Jewish town of Holon and the Arab town of Fureidis, are new to PPI and consequently new to each other. Last week’s twinning was the first of what will be weekly fitness trainings throughout the month of September. Starting in October, activities will revert to the standard TBC format, whereby the two teams will practice twice a week in their own communities and come together for Twinnings twice each month. Fitness trainings are led by trainer Alon Levy, who last year led joint fitness trainings for the Jerusalem All-Stars and Elitzur Holon, so he knows all about working things out by working out.

Last week’s joint training was the first time that most girls had met “the other side”

The first training session was held in a friendly casual manner, letting the girls settle into the idea of working out with girls from the other side of the Arab-Jewish divide, which isn’t exactly a usual occurrence in Israel. Out loud, the girls counted their ways through exercise sets in unison, alternating between Hebrew, Arabic and English.

The next training session will take more of a direct Twinning approach, with more of a focus on working together, playing beach volleyball on mixed teams and other muscle- and team-building games. While the two teams are new to PPI – ME, these two communities have already been involved in the TBC in some capacity. Holon has been cooperating with PPI – ME for the past two years, and since last year has had an official team in the TBC. This year, Holon is sending another two teams to the TBC, including the girls in this post. Fureidis has been a guest of honor at many of our special events, including tournaments, but only this year became a full-fledged TBC member, with two new teams also participating.

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by | August 24, 2012 · 4:27 pm

From the Archive: PPI-Cyprus Proposes a Basketball Court in the Buffer Zone

Today’s From the Field blog will take a look at a post from PPI-CY’s past, from October 15, 2010. 

The Nicosia Buffer Zone, the proposed location of the PeacePlayers Buffer Zone Basketball Court

Just a 5 minute walk from PeacePlayers – Cyprus’ office in downtown Nicosia lies a 10 foot brick wall covered in barbed wire that cuts through the center of the city. This wall guards the edge of the “green line” or “buffer zone,” a militarized area controlled by the United Nations that runs 110 miles over the full length of the Cyprus. This barren land is a constant reminder of the tragic events that occurred over 35 years ago, which left a country divided into two parts.

But what if this area can be turned from a symbol of conflict, to a symbol of peace?

The blue band across the center of the island is the buffer zone. Click to see the map in more detail.

Cyprus has been a divided island since 1974, after a Greek military coup followed by an invasion by the Turkish Army left the island’s Greek-Cypriot and Turkish-Cypriot residents separated by the buffer zone. Today, Cyprus remains partitioned by the UN-patrolled buffer zone, with Greek-Cypriots concentrated in the southern part of the island and Turkish-Cypriots in the north. Only in 2003 were even limited crossings allowed between the two communities, and children from both ethnic groups are still subjected to negative propaganda about the other side from their parents, schools and media.

A girls team of Greek- and Turkish-Cypriots at this years PeacePlayers Peace Day Basketball Tournament

We at PeacePlayers – Cyprus use the game of basketball to facilitate positive dialogue and interaction between Turkish-Cypriot and Greek-Cypriot youth, with the ultimate goal being improved relations between the two communities in Cyprus. There is currently no basketball court located in the buffer zone, which means all basketball games must be located on either side of the green line. This creates a major problem because many kids and parents from both communities cannot or will not cross to the other side.

Building a court in the buffer zone would be a symbol for peace; a safe place where children from two divided communities can come together on neutral ground to play, learn and grow for generations.

We are currently working with many partners to try to make this dream a reality. Nothing like this has been done before in Cyprus, and there are some obstacles in our way. But the impact a Buffer Zone court would be immeasurable. The buffer zone is one of the only areas on the island where Greek and Turkish-Cypriots can meet on equal terms. It is more than “convenient,” it is essential to the impact we ultimately hope to make.

The PeacePlayers Buffer Zone Basketball Court would not only be practical for many kids to use, but a picturesque symbol for hope in the center of conflict, in the divided capital of Cyprus.

P.S. PPI – Cyprus has entered this project into an innovative design competition sponsored by Architecture for Humanity and Game Changers’ “Sports Micro Venture Fund.” Check it out here.

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by | March 11, 2011 · 3:57 pm

PPI – Cyprus Attends “Anatomy of Peace” Training in Hawaii

This past week PPI traveled to Hawaii to attend an international training on the “Anatomy of Peace.” The Anatomy of Peace is a model for conflict resolution developed by the Arbinger Institue that PPI has adopted to use in all its programs, supported by the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation. Below Gunnar Hagstrom, a PeacePlayers International Fellow based in Cyprus, gives his thoughts on this most recent training.

Tarik, a PPI - CY Board Member, receives a lei at the Polynesian Cultural Center. Marina, PPI - CY's Managing Director is behind him to the left, behind Sbo, the Managing Director of PPI - South Africa.

Last week, myself and four other members of PPI – CY flew to Hawaii to join other PeacePlayers members from South Africa, Northern Ireland and Washington D.C. to take part in a training on the Anatomy of Peace. The week-long training was run by Professor Chad Ford (best known for his work as an ESPN.com “Insider“) and was funded primarily by Brigham Young University-Hawaii, with additional support for PPI’s Cypriot participants from AMIDEAST. The purpose of the training was to have local members of each PPI site became certified facilitators in the Anatomy of Peace, so that they will have the tools to teach PPI’s curriculum in their respective countries.

The Anatomy of Peace teaches that there is something deeper than behavior, which it calls "Way of Being."

The main focus of the Anatomy of Peace is to help people look within themselves for solutions to conflict, rather than towards others. The materials introduce people to the idea of self-deception: both not knowing – and resisting the possibility – that one has a problem. The Anatomy of Peace model suggests that most conflicts are perpetuated by self-deception, which in turn lead to failures in communication and most breakdowns in trust and accountability.

Once the PPI – CY staff is comfortable teaching the Anatomy of Peace model, we will help our young participants see the conflicts in their lives with a new perspective and hopefully begin to bridge the divides that separate them from their peers.

Orhun and Tarik worked together to translate the Anatomy of Peace's key contacts into their native Turkish.

The training was educational and very intensive, but we still had a chance to get out of the classroom and experience parts of Hawaii. We went swimming in the giant waves of Waimea Beach, walked around Honolulu, snorkled in a nature preservation site and spent an afternoon at the Polynesian Cultural Center.

The highlight of the week for me was spending time with PPI – CY Board Members Akis and Tarik at Waimea Beach. With waves of gigantic proportions crashing down, Akis would go for a ride on a boogie board borrowed from Professor Ford, while Tarik would sprint head first into them. Another favorite memory would have to be watching PPI – CY Program Coordinator Orhun attempt to make fire using the traditional Samoan technique, rubbing two sticks together. While he was unsuccessful, others (including Akis) were able to make fire, claiming that the trick was not speed, but pressure.

Orhun and Akis: Bi-Communal Samoan Fire-Building?

PPI – CY is very grateful for getting the chance to spend the week learning the curriculum, seeing Oahu, eating local Polynesian cuisine and reuniting again with the other members of PPI. It truly was an incredible experience and one that we will never forget!

We want to thank both AMIDEAST and BYU-Hawaii for helping make this training possible, and also a special thanks to Chad Ford for hosting and teaching the group during the training.

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by | March 10, 2011 · 2:39 pm

The Jerusalem All Stars Spotlight: Meet Juman, Malak and Gal

This week’s post comes from Rifka Miyara, PPI – ME’s Development Associate. She spotlights three players on PPI – ME’s Jerusalem All Stars teams, which we’ve been following here throughout the year.

Juman (12) and Malak (11) are sisters from Palestinian East Jerusalem who have been a part of PeacePlayers for the past three years. The girls hail from Shuafat, a neighborhood bordering on the Shuafat refugee camp, which suffers from a lack of municipal planning, overcrowding, and pot-holed roads. Headlines from the past year shed light on the tension that plagues the neighborhood:

May 12, 2010 (Ynet News): “A group of 60 Jews marching in Jerusalem on Wednesday afternoon were pelted with stones after taking a wrong turn and entering the Arab neighborhood of Shuafat…The neighborhood’s residents began hurling stones at the unwelcome visitors. One of the Jews, in his 20s, pulled out a gun and fired in the air. Police forces dispatched to the area removed the group to the French Hill area.”

Despite the dismal reality of daily life, Juman and Malak keep a sunny disposition and find refuge in sports, in spite of the fact that it is a pursuit not “traditionally” acceptable for young women in their community. They are petite, agile girls with more of a passion for basketball than politics. Both sisters, who are outstanding athletes, play on the same team, which, according to Juman is “sometimes ok.” Although she is tiny, Juman is fast; the coach has even asked her to play on the older Jerusalem All-Stars team, which is made up of 13 – 15 year-olds, because she’s just that good.

Malak working on her dribble with Limor Mizrahi.

Juman and Malak have also brought their family into the fold, and their father is in the stands at almost every game, cheering them on to victory. Juman believes that being part of PeacePlayers is important: “It’s good for the future because it shows another side of other religions. And it’s basketball!”

Gal (16) comes from an Orthodox Jewish family in the Jerusalem suburb of Beit Shemesh, a town with staggering population growth and one of the highest immigrant populations in Israel, including immigrants from the Former Soviet Union and Ethiopia in addition to ultra-Orthodox immigrants from the United States. The city’s popularly elected local leadership belongs to a side of the political spectrum known to be less than sympathetic to Israel’s Arab population.

Gal’s family shows a side of Israeli society that often escapes the headlines, struggling under the weight of the country’s fiercely competitive brand of capitalism. They have also been less than pleased by her participation in the integrated league, and her father, a stern ultra-Orthodox man with a long black beard, forbid Gal from playing basketball with Arabs. Gal decided, however, that the opportunity presented by the Jerusalem All-Stars was worth defying her parents’ wishes.

Gal getting ready for practice.

Although she is now a proud PeacePlayer, it wasn’t always that way. When Gal first joined PeacePlayers, it was because the program offered basketball activities that her parents could afford, not because she was particularly interested in meeting Arab kids. In fact, she was terrified to be in close physical contact with Arab girls at her first integrated PeacePlayers event in 2006. Now, Gal is a proud member of the Jerusalem All-Stars, high-fiving her fellow players after every basket, regardless of their national or religious affiliations. She even takes a 40-minute train ride by herself 3 to 4 times a week to practice and play with her Arab teammates.

Part Two: Efrat and Seewie

This project is partially made possible by the generous support of the American people through USAID.

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