Tag Archives: Hannah Sloss

by | June 4, 2012 · 1:19 pm

Deal Middle School’s Give Back Tournament Supports PeacePlayers for 2nd Year in Row!

This is the second year Deal Middle School’s 6th graders have held the Give Back Tournament fundraiser supporting PPI.

On May 30, Deal Middle School in Washington, D.C. partnered with PeacePlayers for the second time for their annual Deal Gives Back Day, an event where the school’s students select different causes to support around the theme of “Think Globally, Act Locally.” In support of PeacePlayers, the students held a ten-team basketball tournament in Deal’s gym.

The bracket consisted of ten-teams. And yes, 6th graders do rock!

Communications and Development Associate Hannah Sloss, a Deal alumnus, spoke to the 6th graders before their tournament, sharing with them PeacePlayers Today Show video and also encouraging them to continue to think globally to impact social change locally.

In the afternoon, the basketball tournament began. Each team had to pledge at least $25 to participate, but the students went above and beyond. The school showcased a great culture of service, and the students were very excited to be working with PeacePlayers to bridge divides, develop leaders, and change perceptions. Hundreds of Deal sixth graders packed the bleachers to cheer on and support their classmates playing in the tournament:

“It’s a good fundraiser because we can do it at our school but it helps people around the world,” said one student participant.

In total, Deal’s students raised $920 for PPI! We would like to thank and commend Deal Middle School for helping to support Peace Players’ cause and mission. Job well done!

If you would like to get involved and support PPI by hosting an event at your school, please contact Hannah Sloss at hsloss@peaceplayersintl.org.

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by | May 14, 2012 · 4:37 pm

PeacePlayers Goes British in Washington, DC

Last week, PeacePlayers went British! Director of Operations Tal Alter was fortunate enough to attend an event at the British Ambassador’s Residence surrounding the upcoming London 2012 Oylmpics, while Communications and Development Associate Hannah Sloss joined other British Embassy partners at the UK’s annual event for the EU Open House. Read all about both events below!

A Royal Affair:

Prince Harry at the British Ambassador’s residence with Nick Booth (right).

Last week Monday, I had the good fortune to attend a small gathering at the residence of the British Ambassador to the United States. The event was co-hosted by the US Olympic Committee and the British Embassy and was held to honor British and American competitors participating in this year’s Warrior Games, an Olympic-style competition between wounded, ill and injured military members.

To add special import to the occasion, Prince Harry was in attendance, making his inaugural visit to Washington, DC. The wife of US Vice President Joe Biden, Dr. Jill Biden, made brief remarks, and Prince Harry then planted a tree in the residence’s garden alongside those planted by his parents and grandmother, Queen Elizabeth.

Also in attendance was Nick Booth, the Chief Executive of Prince William and Prince Harry Foundation. Mr. Booth, who oversaw the execution of the gift to PPI-NI from William and Kate’s wedding, had nice things to say about PPI-Northern Ireland and Managing Director Gareth Harper.

EU Open House at the British Embassy:

On Saturday, May 12th, PeacePlayers International joined the British Embassy in Washington, D.C. to participate in their event, “This is Great Britain” as part of EU Open House Day. The annual Washington, D.C. event sees the embassies of the European Union’s 27 member states open their doors to the public for day of food, fun and cultural exhibitions. We were delighted to attend. Not only are PPI’s programs in Cyprus and Northern Ireland located in EU countries, but last year our program in Northern Ireland  was a beneficiary to the charitable gift fund of the UK’s royal newlyweds.

Joy Chen volunteered for PPI at the Embassy, helping attract visitors towards our table and our raffle.

PPI joined many other well-known organizations at the British Embassy’s celebration of EU Open House Day. PPI volunteers setup a table in main tent and went to work. We spoke to visitors one-on-one and invited them to participate in our adidas basketball kicks raffle and also donate to our cause. Overall, the day was a success. We raised funds ($200!) and awareness about PPI’s programs to the Embassy’s 10,400 visitors while advocating our grassroots approach to conflict transformation through sport.

Rebecca (left) and Sahtiya (right) speak to Embassy visitors about our basketball and peacebuilding activities.

PPI would first like to thank our enthusiastic and well-informed volunteers from the UCDC program, Joy Chen, Michael Weinberg, Juliana Cooke and Rebecca Keate, and also Jennifer Schiller and Sahtiya Logan, who did such a great job of showcasing PPI and promoting what we do. We would also like to thank the British Embassy in Washington and Ambassador Peter Westmacott for inviting us to participate in their great event. We had a wonderful time and we hope to partner again with the Embassy in the future.

Would you like to get involved with PPI? Sign up to volunteer at one of our future events in the US by sending an email to Hannah Sloss at hsloss@peaceplayersintl.org.

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by | May 7, 2012 · 3:48 pm

So What About Friendship?

This post is written by Hannah Sloss

I recently stumbled upon this map of Facebook friendships that was created by one of the megasite’s interns back in 2010. The map has raised a lot of interesting discussion around all sorts of borders: political, socioeconomic, technological, etc. Many have even argued that the resulting image depicts a modern-day iron curtain. However, the creator of the map, Paul Butler, views the project with more optimism:

“It’s not just a pretty picture, it’s a reaffirmation of the impact we have in connecting people, even across oceans and borders.”

If we view the “we” as a collective of all those working to create connections and rebuild relationships around the world, then PeacePlayers is also a testament to this impact. Basketball is our vehicle for facilitating interaction between children from opposing communities; but what happens once they leave the court? Is the connection lasting?

Friendship is by no means a clear-cut measurement; nonetheless, the concepts that PeacePlayers’ curriculum approaches, for example “seeing the humanity in the other” and “working together to meet a subordinate goal,” provide a foundation for mutual respect from which we can identify indicators of budding friendships between our participants.

Most importantly, do our participants interact outside the program? And an indicator that is growing in importance each day: Are they “friends” on Facebook? Check out one of PeacePlayers’ growing Facebook groups and decide for yourself.

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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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by | March 26, 2012 · 1:41 pm

PPI Marches to McFadden’s for its Annual “Party for Peace” in DC

Around 300 PPI supporters in the DC area came together to celebrate PPI's work using basketball to empower children in divided communities.

This week’s post is written by Research Assistant William Perry. 

Last Thursday night, March 22nd, was a night to celebrate sport and the great good it has delivered to some of the most divided regions of the world. PeacePlayers International (PPI) held its annual NCAA Sweet 16 “Party for Peace” at McFadden’s Restaurant in Washington, DC. The event brought together friends, activists and supporters of the critical sports diplomacy and peace education work PPI does everyday in conflict zones throughout the world.

PPI nearly doubled its efforts from 2011, thanks to the generous donations of our friends and supporters.

This year’s event was the biggest to date, yielding 300 guests. PPI raised $35,000 through ticket sales and a raffle for prizes which included: signed sports memorabilia from the Washington Capitals and Georgetown basketball team, Nationals and Wizards tickets, and a weekend getaway to Maryland’s Eastern Shore.

Guests listened as PPI’s Executive Director, Brendan Tuohey, took the microphone and spoke passionately about the powerful impact we are having on both the micro and macro levels: bridging divides, developing leaders, and changing perceptions.

PPI - South Africa alumnus Claire Perry and coach Nasiphi Khafu with PPI's Communications and Development Associate Hannah Sloss.

The event was also a family affair: Among others in attendance were PPI Alumni, current Fellow Rory O’Neil and the three coaches from PPI’s South Africa program, Nasiphi Khafu, Sfiso Mthembu and Mtu Zulu, who were recently selected by the U.S. Department of State’s prestigious SportsUnited exchange program.

We would like to extend our thanks to all those who attended, the gracious support of our sponsors and McFadden’s Restaurant for being an incredible host. Click here to see the full event photo album on Facebook. Once again, thank you and we’ll see you next year!

Our “Dropping Dimes for Peace” event in New York City is quickly approaching. If you would like to attend the April 2nd fundraiser, please click here to reserve your tickets.

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