Tag Archives: Hand in Hand School

by | April 19, 2013 · 12:23 am

PeacePlayers Welcomes Special Guests From Adidas

All participants at the conclusion of a spectacular event

PPI’s young leaders pose with the adidas guests at the conclusion of a spectacular event

Adidas is a key partner of PeacePlayers International, helping to serve tens of thousands of children through a variety of projects around the world. This past month, 3 members of adidas, PPI Board Member and Vice President of Global Basketball, Lawrence Norman, Global Director of Basketball, Greg Marron, and Global Category Manager, Jack Gray, visited PPI’s Middle East program to see first-hand how we use basketball with a unique Peace Education Curriculum to bridge divides between Israel’s Jewish and Arab youth. In Israel, where most Arab and Jewish youth lack any opportunities for positive interaction, PPI gives over 500 children annually the unique opportunity to play sport together in a fun and inclusive environment.

ADIDAS guests getting involved and playing with the kids

adidas guests getting involved and playing with the kids

The visitors spent their morning with PPI coaches and staff touring the Old City, learning about the ancient and complex history of the region. After a special tour of the Western Wall Tunnels, everyone headed to the Hand in Hand School to participate in a PeacePlayers Leadership Development Program (LDP) practice. Each year 24 specially selected LDP participants engage in a variety of athletic, community service and professional development activities so that they may become leaders for social change and the next generation of PPI coaches.

After introductions were made, coach Vito Gilic and curriculum facilitator Nissreen Najjar led the kids and the adidas representatives through a series of different basketball drills that demonstrated PPI’s peace education principles. For Lawrence, who also serves on PPI’s Board of Directors, this was not his first time seeing PPI’s programming in action. “I have now attended four events in the Middle East over the past five years, and watching the kids grow up in the program to become future leaders reminds me how lucky I am to be part of PPI.”

Once this activity was finished, the kids were split into three teams and each adidas guest had a chance to coach them in some competitive games. Things got intense as all the games were very close. There were even a few buzzer beaters! LDP participant, Hadas Prawer, said after the practice, “I had such a great time meeting the adidas guys. They were very nice and it was so much fun to play with them during the practice and also have them as our coaches at the end of the day. Overall it was a great day and I am so happy that they came to meet us.”

Lawrence Norman coaching his PPI team

Guest coach Lawrence Norman motivating his PeacePlayers team

Before the guests departed they stuck around for pictures and even stayed to play a few games of one-on-one with the kids. The event was not only memorable for the kids, it made a huge impact on the guests as well. After returning home and hearing the shocking news out of Boston, Lawrence wrote to the PPI staff: “Seeing what happened in Boston (my hometown) this week is yet another reminder of the hatred that exists in all corners of the globe. And the horrific event at the Marathon brought flashbacks to the three years I lived in Tel Aviv—a time when the sound of detonating bombs was part of the routine. However, what PeacePlayers is doing in the Middle East paints such a different picture…one of teamwork, warmth and optimism. There is plenty of good out there, and seeing the kids’ smiling faces this week reminded me of this again.”

PPI is grateful for adidas’ generosity and commitment to supporting our peacebuilding efforts, and looking forward to continuing our partnership. Upcoming events include a session with adidas staff at the US headquarters in Portland and then this summer in DC, when some of the same youth from the LDP practice in Jerusalem will be traveling to US for two weeks of leadership training and cultural exchange supported by the US Department of State Sport United Program.

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by | March 8, 2012 · 4:46 pm

Balling Hard: Sample Training Program from PPI-ME Basketball Trainer Edniesha Curry

Do you think this photo was taken before or after all the tough drills Coach Eddy put these PeacePlayers through?

PPI – Middle East Basketball Trainer Edniesha Curry highlights the hard work required to excel in basketball in the drills described below.

This week, I shared a sample basketball skill development session to PPI-ME athletes in Zichron Ya’akov and in Jerusalem at the Hand in Hand School. All the athletes had a tough week on the court, but worked very hard at learning the new drills and all left the gym smiling and happy about the workout. I look forward to creating more programs like this for the PPI-ME athletes and coaches at all training levels.

1. Dynamic Warm-Up

It is very important to use skill specific routines in your warm-up to prepare the body for all the movements in practice; this routine gives me a chance to stress the importance of proper body mechanics. This warm-up should be around 5-10 minutes long.

Walking Toe Raises Side Pivot Hip Flexor Carioca Knee Punch
Ankle flips/Skips Lateral Shuffle (both ways) Lunge Walk (forward/back)
Heel-to-Hamstring Lateral Skips (both ways) High Knee Skips(exaggerated)
Walking Knee Hugs Loose Carioca Russian Skip

2. Core-Training on the Court with the Basketball

You can do core training exercises for repetitions or for time. The key is to be creative to always keep players stimulated throughout the workout. Core training is great for athletes’ balance, stability and injury prevention.

Push –Up (1, or two hands on ball Russian Twists Full Sit up
Planks (ball at feet) Woodchoppers Ball Slams (Reps)
Dips (ball at feet) Bicycles Wall throws (work diff. angles)
Figure eight crunches Toe touches with ball Squat Jumps

 

3. Ball Handling – Tennis Ball Reaction Drills

Partner Passing while dribbling Wall tosses while dribbling Pickups while dribbling

4. Basketball Skill Stations

This week, I worked on the player’s endurance and mental strength by doing four rounds of station work, like in a game, increasing the time each round. You can adjust the station time according to skill level of your players, but each station should incorporate finishes around the basket, shooting fundamentals, footwork shooting and then position break down, for example.

Jab and Attack  series Rip series with chair Floaters off the bounce
Curl series Cone dribbling to pull ups Euro-step finishes

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by | December 22, 2011 · 4:39 pm

PPI – ME Guests of honor: Win Sheridan and Brendan Tuohey

Brendan, Tal, Dan and Win (back row, l. to r.) at a girls' Twinning in Jeursalem

Last week, we received a visit from PPI board member Win Sheridan and Executive Director Brendan Tuohey, who made the long plane trip from Washington, D.C. to check out the work we’re doing on the ground. Although Brendan has been to the region numerous times over the years, this was Win’s first trip to the site. Win got a chance to meet hundreds of our Palestinian and Israeli kids in Israel and the West Bank. The action started immediately upon landing Sunday evening, when Win and Brendan traveled straight from the airport to the Hand-in-Hand School gym in Jerusalem, where they caught our session with women’s golf star Morgan Pressel. After that, we decided to give them a break and let them rest up for the activity-packed days ahead of them.

Win helps Ein Rafah Minis with a relay drill

The next morning started out with a tour of the Old City of Jerusalem, led by a tour guide named Martin, who also happens to be the father of one of our longtime PeacePlayers, Yuval. He gave them some of the city’s rich and complicated history and also shared how happy he was that his daughter has had a chance to be a part of PeacePlayers. After that, Win and Brendan drove straight to Ramallah, where they caught a basketball clinic with Palestinian girls in the Jalazone refugee camp. Win got right into the action, lining up for relays together with our girls. And was that it for the day’s events? No way! From Ramallah, Win and Brendan drove back to Jerusalem, where they got to practice with a group of Palestinian and Israeli league players from East Jerusalem and Holon, and then catch a professional Eurocup game, witnessing Hapoel Jerusalem succumb to Ukranian team BC Donetsk.

Day three started with a trip to the Dead Sea, where Win, Brendan and a couple of our staff members got to dip in the extra buoyant, salty waters. Then it was once again back to Jerusalem for another Twinning, this time for one team from East and another from West Jerusalem. There they were also joined by Tal Alter from the PPI headquarters, who was visiting Israel with family, and American basketball player Dan Grunfeld. The Twinning was followed up by a session of PPI’s Peace Education Curriculum, led by members of the girls’ Leadership Development Program, who showed off their most impressive facilitation skills.

Win on the court with Jerusalem Minis

On the fourth and final day of Win and Brendan’s visit, we held the first “Minis” Twinning of the season for kids from Keshet School in West Jerusalem, and Beit Safafa in the East. After meeting the Jerusalem Minis, Win and Brendan got on the court with our Ein Rafa Minis, who despite the cold temperatures, were in high spirits! After that, it was sadly time for Win and Brendan to head to the airport. They both told us they are going home with good memories a plenty, and Win had some especially kind words to share about his first experience in the Middle East:

“It was truly awesome to be at the twinnings to witness it first-hand! To see Jewish and Arab girls and boys playing together as a team and having fun was incredible! It just seemed natural for them to be together and, obviously, true friendships are being built. The leadership session was excellent, as well! I have no doubt that some of the girls will emerge as true leaders and even some will become PPI coaches, but, regardless, all benefit a great deal from the program. The positive attitude, confidence, relationship skills, discipline, etc. they get from it will serve them well in the years to come. Overall, it was a phenomenal experience that I will never forget!”

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by | August 11, 2011 · 2:50 pm

Malak, Romy and Mayar: Palestinian and Israeli BFFs

(Left to Right) Mayar, Malak and Romy just hours after meeting each other at the Peace League.

It was an unlikely match. In April, Romy, a bubbly Jewish Israeli middle-schooler from the Israeli town of Herzliya, came to her first PeacePlayers activity. She heard about us from a friend of her parents: PPI – ME’s very own Manager of Basketball Operations Vito Gilic’. Amidst the tournament action on the court and the joshing around in the stands, she made two instant BFFs. Her two new friends: Malak and Mayar (better known by her nickname, Pistachio), Palestinian girls her age from East Jerusalem, about an hour’s drive from Romy’s hometown. Already at their first encounter, the three girls made plans to room together at the Peace Education Retreat, the three-day getaway that would take place the following month. At the retreat, the girls were three peas in a pod, playing together on the court and in the sand all day long. That was the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

Malak, Mayar (on left side of table) at Romy's family's house with PPI - ME Manager of Basketball Operations Vito Gilic'.

The girls’ parents have been brought into the fold as well. Romy’s parents attend many of the PeacePlayers events that she attends, as do Malak’s father and Mayar’s mother. Through PPI, the girls’ parents’ have become friendly as well.

Malak, Mayar and Romy’s conversations are a mix of Hebrew and Arabic. Romy only speaks Hebrew; Mayar only speaks Arabic; and Malak, a student at the Hand-in-Hand School for Bilingual education, speaks Hebrew and Arabic and helps both of the other girls understand each other.

Recently, Romy invited Malak and Mayar hang out with her in Herzliya. Malak and Mayar were excited to make the trip from East Jerusalem. The girls hung out on the beach and ate dinner with Romy’s family. Of course, they also played basketball: The three musketeers headed over to the Herzliya Sportech (where we recently held our Spring Tournament), where they met up with some of Romy’s friends and played around on the court.

(Left to right) Mayar, Malak and Romy take part in a workshop at the Peace Education Retreat.

It’s definitely common at PPI for Palestinian and Israeli kids to become friends. They pal around at events and they’re active on each others’ facebook pages. There still are challenges, however, in bringing them together outside of the comfortable sphere of our activities. Safety issues, community pressures and economic difficulties (i.e., many parents don’t have a car) are among the challenges. Malak, Mayar and Romy’s friendship has risen above those challenges. They do not see each other through the prism of the conflict between each others’ ethnic groups. They see each others as people, plain and simple.

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by | July 21, 2011 · 6:55 pm

Partner Spotlight: Hand-in-Hand School

Arab and Jewish teens amidst a training session with former pro star Limor Mizrahi in the Hand-in-Hand gym.

At PPI – ME, we thought we’d take this week to introduce you to one of our partners: The Max Rayne Hand-in-Hand School for Bilingual Education in Jerusalem. Over the years, Hand-in-Hand has become our home base, with its gym hosting many team practices and nearly all of our Twinnings. Hand-in-Hand is also the home court of the Leadership Development Program and the Jerusalem All Stars. PPI – ME’s partnership with Hand-in-Hand doesn’t just stem from the convenience of its location, which lies near the boundary between East and West Jerusalem and is in walking distance from a number of the neighborhoods where we work in the city; it grew out of a common ideology and vision: to create a reality in which Arab and Jewish children can learn together, play together and grow together into adults who embody Arab-Jewish cooperation.

PPI's girls get the gym ready for the holiday-themed Mini-Fest this past December.

Hand-in-Hand was founded in 1999; and after 12 years in operation, last month saw its first graduating class go out into the world. All in all, Hand-in-Hand has 520 Arab and Jewish students. Children hail from neighborhoods across the city in both East and West Jerusalem, and even some small towns outside of the city, such as Abu Ghosh and Aminadav. School Principal Nadia Cnaani, an Arab citizen of Israel originally from Nazareth, has worked at the school for 11 of its 12 years. A year before joining the staff, Nadia joined the school as a parent, enrolling her daughter in its opening year. Adding to the multiple connections between PeacePlayers and Hand-in-Hand, Nadia’s daughter is even involved in PeacePlayers.

Hand-in-Hand, just like PeacePlayers, offers an opportunity to “see people as people” across contentious ethnic divides. “When you see the humanity in the ‘other,’ the ‘other’ sees the humanity in you,” says Sarit Reuven, the Israeli Hand-in-Hand school secretary. “People should be afraid by the fact that they don’t know [‘the other side’] and not by the prospect of knowing [them]. All of the problems that we have exist because we don’t know each other,” adds Nadia.

Leadership Development Youth guide Arab and Jewish children through drills in the Hand-in-Hand gym.

Nadia says that the change that children undergo during this exposure will accompany them throughout their lives. “There is no way that someone comes through the school gate and stays the same person they were before they entered,” she says. “The experience of being in the school gives children tools to use when they enter the outside world. It helps them see things in a new perspective… I don’t think that these children will grow up to promote war or violence; they will grow up to promote tolerance.”

But not everything is that simple. “There are definitely people who look at [what we do] and say it’s a drop in the bucket.” According to Sarit, the most common reaction is surprise. “What, it works?’ people say. We tell them to come and see it [with their own eyes].”

Nadia concludes with some words for the future: “You don’t necessarily need the whole country as one united group to get on board; rather, if everyone who believes in this starts something small in his or her community, there will be a tremendous change… People need to have hope.” We agree completely.

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by | June 2, 2011 · 3:48 pm

Learning from a Pro

Ferial Sakran Khateeb meets with the girls of our Leadership Development Program (LDP).

PPI – ME uses the game of basketball to achieve a number of goals. First, we try to infuse tolerance and understanding into the complex relations between the two peoples that inhabit this land – Jews and Arabs. A second aim is to give children from underserved communities a chance to play and learn in an atmosphere of acceptance and tolerance, which will allow them to acquire greater confidence, self-esteem and other life skills. A third aim of our work is to promote the standing of women in society by using basketball to offer a tangible platform for success and opportunity. Indeed, the majority of PPI – ME participants are girls.

PPI - ME is thrilled to have had Ferial Sakran Khateeb, an Arab professional basketball player, work with our program.

Answering to our goal of empowering women through basketball, members of the Leadership Development Program for Palestinian teen girls – which is generously funded by the Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) – recently met with Ferial Sakran Khateeb, an Arab basketball player from I’billin in northern Israel. Ferial is a professional basketball player who has played for the Israeli National Team. Ferial, who met with the girls at the Hand-in-Hand School gym in Jerusalem, spoke about her life as a woman, as a basketball player, and as an Arab. She discussed the challenges of being a woman in Arab society, and presented statistics about the state of women today. According to Ferial, rising above these challenges comes down to a matter of confidence. When a girl is confident about who she is and what she wants in life, she can achieve any goal she sets her mind to.

LDP participants creating their school of fish.

After speaking to the girls Ferial worked with them on educational arts and crafts game that allowed the young PeacePlayers to reflect on their own identities as Arab women. Each girl chose from a selection of paper fish, picking out fish which she felt represented a personality trait that she possessed, either positive or negative. On the back of the various fish, the girls wrote their reasons for choosing that particular fish and glued the fish to a drawing of an aquarium. The aquarium represented the PPI family, which contains all sorts of people with all sorts of strengths and challenges.

At the end of the meeting Ferial and the girls played a game of basketball together. As a professional basketball player and an Arab woman, Ferial is a unique role model for the girls of the LDP. Ferial is an example that when a young woman has a dream and remains confident in fulfilling it, she can accomplish anything.

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by | May 19, 2011 · 2:01 pm

PPI – ME Season Spotlight: Review of the Jerusalem All Stars

Last month the first season of the Jerusalem All-Stars came to an end. The All-Stars marked the first time PPI – ME had teams competing in the Israeli Basketball Association’s official youth league. The two girls’ teams also constituted the first time integrated Palestinian-Israeli teams from Jerusalem had ever competed in the elite league, period. Throughout the season, ”From the Field” has visited the teams, covering the season from different angles, and showing how girls in grades 7-9 are able to promote peace in the public sphere through basketball.

The All Stars played hard this season, soaring into second place in their respective divisions.

The Jerusalem All Stars are two teams that are completely mixed, that is, have Palestinian and Jewish players playing together. One team is made of girls in grades 7-8, and the other of girls in grade 9. All girls on the teams are PPI – ME veterans, who have experienced our unique Peace Education Curriculum and who have taken part in countless twinnings and encounters with the ‘other.’ Playing on mixed teams brought them even further down the path of understanding and acceptance.

The teams’ special makeup made them famous in their respective divisions. Even though some people in the league found the encounter with mixed Palestinian-Israeli teams to be challenging, most were happy to hear their story and to see them in action. Every week, the home stands at the Hand in Hand School gym – the teams’ home court – were filled with parents, relatives and friends of the players – Israeli and Palestinian – who cheered together in two languages. Players, their parents and coaches of the opposing teams watched the All Stars girls and saw in them flag-bearers for peace.

The All Stars were supported at each game by their friends and family.

On the court the All Stars teams proved that they deserve to play with the best teams in the country. The teams both finished in second place. The older team won fifteen games out of eighteen and had only one loss more than the team that finished in first place. The younger team came even closer to championship, as it finished tied for first place with three losses in twenty games, and only due to point difference finished second. For both teams this is an amazing achievement, considering that this is their first time in the league.

Other than the fact that the All Stars are great basketball players, what made them better than most teams was that they played with a lot of heart, willpower and enthusiasm. Not once did they allow an easy basket or let an opponent player get easily to a loose ball. This passion is not only a manifestation of their love for the game, but also stems from the feeling that they play for a cause. It seems that for the All Stars, they needed to prove that the PPI way works. In a region where too few people are willing to communicate, these girls raise the bar and prove that coexistence and cooperation would take everyone’s game to the next level.

PPI – ME would like to thank USAID for helping support this groundbreaking initiative.

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by | April 21, 2011 · 1:23 pm

Friends from Near and Far Join PPI – ME in Jerusalem for the Peace League

The Peace League hosted teams at the Hand in Hand School in Jerusalem.

On Friday, April 8th PPI – ME’s team of girls in grade 5 from East Jerusalem hosted two teams at the Hand in Hand Bilingual School gym, for the first of two meetings of PPI – ME’s annual Peace League.

Participants chowed down on pizza after the tournament.

One visiting team came from nearby Mat’e Yehuda Regional Council. This team has been twinning with the East Jerusalem team over the past few months. The second visiting team came from Zikhron Ya’acov, a good two-hour drive north of Jerusalem. This was the first time this year that the girls from Zikhron Ya’acov met their counterparts from East Jerusalem and Mat’e Yehuda.

Referee and former PPI Fellow, David Lasday, works with a visiting team.

The day before the tournament the host team met in the gym, set up for the matches, and prepared signs announcing the Peace League and welcoming each of the visiting teams. The signs were posted on every corner of the gym during the event. During the tournament each team played against each other. As it happened, every team won one game. After the games were over, everyone had pizza and refreshments.

We threw Galit a surprise birthday party!

On the sidelines PPI – ME Manager of Basketball Operations Vito Gilic operated the scoreboard with some members of the PPI – ME Leadership Development Program. For the veteran PeacePlayers, this was an opportunity to help and guide the younger participants as well as practice their skills in operating the scoreboard, in the case that they are asked to help in future PPI – ME activities. David Lasday, former PPI Fellow, also pitched in serving as a referee. After the event was over, the participants threw a surprise birthday party for PPI – ME’s Logistical Manager Galit Sahar. Happy Birthday, Galit!

The Peace League is one of many activities generously funded by USAID.




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by | March 25, 2010 · 1:29 pm

The Newest PPI – ME Team

Team huddle after the first twinning of the programming season

At the beginning of the 2009–10 programming season, PPI – ME formed a new team for 8th grade girls at the Hand in Hand School for Bilingual Education in Jerusalem. Though the girls are learning basketball for the first time, they have quickly picked up the sport and regularly play alongside some of PPI – ME’s more experienced athletes. The group itself is a reflection of the diversity of the school – Arabic, Hebrew, English and Dutch are among the languages spoken by team members. This year the Hand in Hand School twins with teams from the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Esawiah and the town of Beit Shemesh. The girls have been coming together twice per month for joint practices and games, all leading up to the much-anticipated Jerusalem Peace League, which tips off next month. Below are some highlights from this season’s Hand in Hand twinning activities:

The girls participate in a team-building dribbling exercise with encouragement from LDP volunteers.

Hustling after a loose ball on the court.

Cheering on their teammates during a game.

Posing for a picture after a twinning.

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by | October 15, 2009 · 12:09 pm

“Normalcy:” PPI – ME Through the Eyes of a Volunteer

PPI - ME participants and volunteers at the 2009 Spring Tournament

PPI - ME participants and volunteers at the 2009 Spring Tournament

PPI – ME would not be the same without its dedicated volunteers, who give their time and energy to help youth and staff members carry out the many projects that take place during the course of the year. From assisting at bi-weekly practices, to keeping score at the Jerusalem Peace League and running stations at the Spring Tournament, volunteers have contributed in many ways to the success of the program.

Tali Minsberg, a US college student studying abroad for the year in Israel, is currently volunteering with PPI – ME, both in the main office as well as the field. Her duties include helping coach a 7th and 8th grade Girls team each week at the Hand in Hand School in Jerusalem. After her first practice with the team, Tali wrote the following piece describing her experience:

“This fall, I am taking on three internships in Jerusalem: writing for the Jerusalem Post, translating and reporting in English for Hapoel Jerusalem, and coaching and doing PR work for PeacePlayers International.

My experience thus far has been outstanding. I have been published in the JPost, translated various pieces for Hapoel (Jerusalem’s professional basketball team), and done research and grant writing for PeacePlayers.

But it was a group of 12-year-old girls that gave me the most wonderful experience I could imagine. Yesterday, in a Jerusalem gym, I helped coach 11 Jewish and Arab girls. And the experience can be described with one word: normal.

The enthusiastic team is one of many in PeacePlayers International – Middle East, an organization that unites children together under the premise that children that play together can learn to live together.

The girls bounced around the gym excitedly – working on layups, doing drills, and scrimmaging. It was the scene of any basketball practice; screeching shoes, high fives, and of course, the holiest sound of them all, the swoosh.

There were no divisions, no cliques, no awkward exchanges. They were simply a group of girls that wanted to play some basketball.

Half way through practice, we took a water break. Only then did I notice a slight difference. A handful of girls were not drinking any water due to Ramadan.

As an athlete, I completely understand the unity and camaraderie that comes with athletics. The universal language of sport is something I strongly believe can change the way we think of one another.

Watching the girls play together was nothing out of the ordinary. And that is how I know PeacePlayers is succeeding.”

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