Tag Archives: Ledra Palace

by | February 8, 2013 · 7:35 pm

The Palace is our Playground

The Kiti girls and Lapta girls make Ledra Palace their playground on a sunny Saturday

The Kiti girls and Lapta girls make Ledra Palace their playground on a sunny Saturday

A warm sunny February day greeted us as we entered the grounds of what was once the most famous hotel on the island of Cyprus, Ledra Palace.  The luxury hotel was caught directly in the midst of the fighting in 1974 and was acquired by the UN as a station for their troops.  Ledra Palace is situated in the Buffer Zone between the north and the south, and thus provides a neutral ground for us to hold our bi-weekly twinning events.

The United Nations Peacekeeping Forces in Cyprus (UNFICYP), generously provide us access to their basketball court behind Ledra Palace, transportation for our teams arriving from all over the island and most importantly pizzas for the kids to share after the games.  This past Saturday marked the beginning of the second half of the 2012-2013 “Twinning” program.

Nesli, one of our Lapta girls, dribbles the ball up the court during the twinning

Nesli, one of our Lapta girls, dribbles the ball up the court during the twinning

After a short hiatus for our Twinning program during the holiday season, the sunny February day met our 20 Greek-Cypriot and Turkish-Cypriot players early Saturday morning on the court.   The day saw us hosting 2 separate Twinnings.  One in the morning between the players from Dali in the south and the youth from Kyrenia in the north, followed by the Kiti girls and the Lapta girls’ teams.  The Twinnings take place between the same teams several times throughout the course of a season and allow for our kids coming from the two different communities to have frequent interaction with the same group of players.  The ultimate goal is that through meeting with and playing with the youth from the other team throughout the season they build friendships and a few of the existing pre-conceived notions of “the other” begin to break down over time.

So as the mild sun rays of a late winter day reached down touching the court, the sounds of basketballs bouncing and kids laughing filled the grounds of Ledra Palace.  It is a heart filling scene, one full of hope as the island’s future, it’s youth, unite once again on the courts of Ledra Palace.  Similar scenes will be played out every other Saturday from now until the end of March.  Follow us on our facebook page and our blog for more photos and updates from these and many other PPI-CY events.

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by | December 14, 2012 · 2:58 pm

PeacePlayers – Cyprus Twinnings in Full Swing

Twinnings unite our PeacePlayers from all over the island

Twinnings unite our PeacePlayers from all over the island

The PeacePlayers – Cyprus twinning program is an island-wide network of basketball teams that provide boys and girls ages 11-15 in Greek-Cypriot communities and Turkish-Cypriot communities basketball and life skills education sessions two times each week, culminating in monthly integrated bicommunal “twinnings.” Our twinnings are the opportunities for our participants to come together and play on mixed teams with kids from the “other” community on a regular basis.

PPI twinnings always start with some fun relay races

PPI twinnings always start with some fun relay races

Nearly every other Saturday throughout the school year, one of our Turkish-Cypriot teams and one of our Greek-Cypriot teams join their twinned team from the opposite community in the United Nations Buffer Zone for a morning of basketball.  Thanks to the support of the UN, PeacePlayers have access to a court inside the neutral territory of the Buffer Zone.   The events are hosted at Ledra Palace, a once well-known luxury hotel in the heart of Nicosia, Cyprus’ capital.  Ledra Palace has since been converted to the home of the UN Troops stationed in Cyprus.  The United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) provides PeacePlayers access to their court, transportation for our youth to arrive in Nicosia from their particular community, and even pizza after the games.

On the court we mix the kids and create teams that are represented by both sides so that they have the opportunity to get to know someone from their twinned team. At the beginning the kids are hesitant, often never having met nor spoken with a kid from the opposite community.  In order to break down those initial social barriers  we start with activities that focus on individual one on one connections.  Each child is partnered with a kid from the opposite team to compete in silly relay races.  Nothing breaks down the initial hesitancies like laughing together with someone.

Check out the video of a dance session that took place on the court during this past weekend’s Iskele and Engomi girls twinning:

After a few fun games, and lots of laughter, the kids are assigned to mixed teams for competitive basketball scrimmaging with their new teammates. This combination of silly and competitive activities helps form new bridges between the children once the initial barriers have been broken down. At our most recent twinning, Zeynep, a Turkish-Cypriot girl, had just played in her first twinning. Afterwards her mother spoke to our coaches about her daughter’s experience:

“I was really nervous to let my daughter go to the buffer zone, I’ve never been down there myself.  Then she came home afterwards and was so excited about having played basketball with her friends, and having made new friends that love the same game she does.” – Zeynep’s Mom

Without PeacePlayers, children like Zeynep would not have the opportunity to meet kids from the other community. And by bringing youth together on a regular basis, week after week, these new faces they first see on the court become new teammates and even friends. The initial fears and uncertainties of stepping outside of one’s own community begin to disappear both from the child’s perspective and in Zeynep’s case from the parent as well.

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by | October 19, 2012 · 5:33 pm

PPI CY & Norwegian National Football Federation team up!

The Norwegian Ambassador visits PeacePlayers Ambassadors

From Football to basketball Norwegians step off the field and onto the court to show their support for PeacePlayers Cyprus.   This past Tuesday while the Norwegian National Football team was in Cyprus to play a match against the national team of The Republic of Cyprus they took time out of their busy schedule and along side of the Norwegian ambassador, visited PPI Cyprus and 20 of our participants.   Demonstrating Norway’s tremendous support and encouragement of bi-communal relationships on the island.

The event, which brought together 10 Turkish Cypriot boys and 10 Greek Cypriot boys, to play together in the Ledra Palace Buffer Zone overcame last minute hurdles to arrange a positive meeting between the young PeacePlayers Ambassadors and the Norwegian Ambassador.  With the last minute restriction to use the basketball court in the UN controlled buffer zone, the event quickly turned into a Street Ball session.  Who needs a real court, when we can play a little street ball?  It was a real tribute to the boy’s excitement for the game, they didn’t even flinch when they were told they couldn’t get on the court.  What could have been a real barrier to the event transformed into an impromptu lesson in teamwork carrying the hoop we keep behind our office and placing it alongside the street, together they created their own court.   Once the boys stepped onto their newly transformed basketball court all was forgotten: challenges, differences and anything else that would have hindered the game were left behind, it was time for basketball.

Former National team and Premier League Football stars Jan Age Fjurtoft and Henning Berg joined the PeacePlayers in the pick-up game.  After the game each player was rewarded with a ticket to the National team game that evening.  They also shared with each of the boys bracelets that represent the initiative “Handshake for Peace,” a collaboration between FIFA and the Noble Peace Centre, promoting mutual respect through sport.   A perfect match for our young Cypriot PeacePlayers who learn to respect one another through the game of basketball.

It was an honor for PPI to host the representatives from Norway and honor for our players to play alongside of such stars as Fjurtoft and Berg.  We look forward to events that could provide an opportunity for us to collaborate again.

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by | May 4, 2012 · 1:39 pm

PPI-CY Holds Final Twinning of the Year

The group made up of Greek- and Turkish-Cypriot children celebrate the Twinning at Ledra Palace.

Last Saturday PeacePlayers-Cyprus held a special celebration at Ledra Palace while holding the last twinning of the year.  Starting in January of this year PPI-CY began partnering with the United Nations to hold bicommunal basketball games that we call ‘twinnings’ inside Ledra Palace in the UN controlled buffer zone. Twinnings are a chance for children to come play basketball together under the supervision of their coaches, build friendships and learn about peace. During twinnings Greek-Cypriot and Turkish-Cypriot children are put together on the same teams so they have a chance to play with each other. The UN has supported PPI-CY’s mission by providing buses, food and an outdoor basketball court where the children from both communities can play.

“This year PeacePlayers has brought together over 200 young people from both communities to play basketball and develop friendships. Our Bicommunal Celebration on April 28 will give others the opportunity to see what we have been doing to promote peace in our island.” said Marina Vasilara, PeacePlayers – Cyprus Managing Director.

One pair of bicommunal children completes a teambuilding activity.

On Saturday morning 40 boys and girls from both the Greek-Cypriot and Turkish-Cypriot communities from PeacePlayers’ teams in Dali and Lysi/Akdogan came together at the basketball courts inside Ledra Palace in the Buffer Zone in Nicosia to celebrate the completion of this year’s twinnings. PPI-CY also invited its local board of directors, parents from the two communities, other local NGOs. New EU Representative to Cyprus, Mr. Giorgos Markopouliotis, also came by to show his support for PPI-CY. Several newspapers came as well to take pictures and write about the day’s activities.

The day was a great opportunity for some important people to see first hand how PPI-CY makes an impact in Cyprus. The kids had a great time too, playing long competitive matches on a beautiful April day. The same kids will have one more opportunity to play with each other this Saturday for the End of the Year Tournament, which will bring over 150 children from PPI-CY teams all across Cyprus for one giant in door 3 on 3 tournament.

To see more photos from both events, make sure to visit the PPI-CY Facebook Group!

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by | April 6, 2012 · 1:17 pm

2 Twinnings, 2 Times The Fun

PPI - Cyprus continues to hold its Twinnings for teams at the historic Ledra Palace.

This past Saturday PPI-CY held not one but TWO twinnings at Ledra Palace. The day started off with the girls teams from Lapithos/Lapta and Kiti coming together for the  third time this year. It was great to see the girls come together again, this time recognizing the faces of the girls they were going to play with. Bringing the same teams together several times a year is essential for the kids to start to form real relationships with each other. The girls will meet once more at the End of the Year Tournament on May 5 with all the kids from PPI-CY.

PPI - CY has reached new heights with its Twinnings, which are occurring on a more frequent basis this year.

After the girls in the morning were done playing and had eaten their fill of pizza they headed back to their villages. As they were leaving, the PPI-CY teams from Iskele/Trikomo and Larnaca were coming together to play each other for the second time. The hot sun was shining down on the kids, but their spirits and energy was high. For two more hours the kids ran around playing full court basketball on mixed teams. All over the court you could see Greek-Cypriots and Turkish-Cypriots holding hands, giving high fives and laughing together.

But the pictures tell the whole story. To see all of the pictures from both twinnings, make sure to visit the PPI-CY Facebook group.

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by | February 24, 2012 · 5:13 pm

PPI-CY Amps up its Bicommunal Programming

PPI-CY Coordinator Thanasis with one team of Greek-Cypriots and Turkish-Cypriots at Saturday's Twinning

This past Saturday PPI-CY held its second twinning of the year, pairing a Greek-Cypriot team from Kiti with a Turkish-Cypriot team from Chetinkaya in Nicosia. There were a total of 25 boys in attendance who were all meeting each other for the very first time. For most of the boys, it was their first time ever meeting any child from the ‘other’ community.

The day started well as children from both communities crossed their checkpoints and walked into the historical Ledra Palace. Ledra Palace, a hotel that used to be one of the most extravagant hotels in the island, is now used as a barracks for the United Nations Peacekeeping Forces. At the beginning of this year they signed an agreement to allow PPI-CY to house all of its bicommunal twinnings at a basketball court in the back of the palace. This is very significant as it is the only opportunity for children in the two communities to come together and play basketball in a neutral area.

PPI-CY was again fortunate to have the Chief of Civil Affairs of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP), Sunaina Lowe, attend the event with us. Sunaina also attended the first twinning at Ledra Palace in January. It is great to see her support and the support from the United Nations for the work PeacePlayers is doing.

We are all looking forward to our next twinning, which will be on Saturday February 25 between the kids of Lysi/Akdogan and Dali. As always you can see all the pictures from PPI-CY events at the PeacePlayers International – Cyprus Facebook Group.

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by | February 3, 2012 · 9:39 am

PPI-CY Holds First Twinning of 2012

Lapithos/Lapta and Kiti Twinning at Ledra Palace

PPI-CY started 2012 off with a bang, holding its first twinning of the school year. This past Saturday PPI-CY brought 14 girls from the Turkish-Cypriot village of Lapithos/Lapta, and 16 girls from the Greek-Cypriot village of Kiti, together to play basketball for peace. The twinning took place at the symbolic Ledra Palace in the Nicosia buffer zone. Since the events of 1974, Ledra Palace has been home to the United Nations sector-2 fighting forces. This year however, the UN has made an agreement with PPI-CY to let us use their facilities for our bicommunal activities.

Participants warming up before the first game

The day started off great, with girls from the two communities arriving early in the morning ready to play. Sunaina Lowe, the Chief of Civil Affairs for UNFICYP, came to make a speech to the children, explaining to them the importance of coming together. To everyone’s delight, Sunaina put on a PPI-CY jersey and joined one of the teams of girls and participated, as they played warm up games.

The girls were mixed up with even numbers of Greek-Cypriots and Turkish-Cypriots on each team. Then the teams played full court matches, utilizing the skills they have been taught during their PeacePlayers basketball practices, which had been occurring twice a week since September. While many of the girls have been part of PPI-CY for 2 or 3 years, some were brand new to the program. For the new girls, the twinning was their very first experience playing on the same team with child from the ‘other’ community.

After the games, the girls all sat down with their teams for some pizza and juice all generously provided by the UN. This was another great opportunity for the children to try learning more about their new friends.

Girls enjoy pizza with the historic Ledra Palace in the background

Saturday’s twinning is the first of 12 scheduled bicommunal twinnings that will match all 250 of PPI-CY’s kids together over the coming months. The Lapta and Kiti girls will be matched together again on March 17, helping to reinforce the bonds of friendship. PPI-CY would like to give a special thanks to Sunaina and the UN for helping make these twinnings possible. For more pictures and information about future twinnings please join the PPI-CY Facebook group.

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by | December 2, 2011 · 2:47 pm

The PPI-CY Coaches Retreat

PPI-CY Coaches get ready for their bike ride in the Pendaktolos Mountains

On Saturday and Sunday November 19 and 20, PPI-CY held a coaches retreat for all of our coaches. In the spirit of Thanksgiving, we enjoyed the opportunity to bring all of our coaches together for a weekend to bond and give thanks to our dedicated local coaching staff. The weekend started with a full day Anatomy of Peace seminar. The seminar, which was led by PPI-CY Board Member Tarik Tekman, and myself taught our coaches about conflict resolution techniques and how they can be applied to the basketball court. The seminar was also open to people from the NGO sector who came to learn more about PPI-CY’s work.

Coaches with Board Members, Akis and Tarik, in front of the PPI-CY Office in the buffer zone

Following the seminar, the coaches went to cheer for PPI-CY Coordinator, Athanasios, play in a match between his team Omonia and AEK, which Omonia lost. Even after a tough defeat, we were all in good spirits as we ate Japanese style noodles together. That night everyone bunked up in a local hotel to try and get some sleep to prepare for the next day. In the morning everyone ate a delicious local breakfast together and walked to Ledra Palace in the buffer zone.

In a new agreement between PPI-CY and the United Nations, PPI-CY has been given permission to use the basketball courts in the back of Ledra Palace for our future bicommunal events, giving us a great opportunity to bring our children together without dealing with the hassles of border crossings and ID checks.

PPI-CY coaches Antonia (left) and Costas (right) getting goofy before their bike ride

Later the coaches met with PPI-CY Board President Akis for a meeting where everyone gave an update for their teams, what their individual goals are, and what our expectations are as we gear up for our twinning program which will go from January to May. Then all the coaches crossed into the Turkish-Cypriot community where we took a bus to the Pendaktolos Mountains for some mountain biking. For recently hired coach, Antonia, it was her first time crossing to the north in her whole life. Even after nearly 2 years of watching kids cross for the first time, it is still amazing to see a 25-year-old woman take the first step for her family and community by crossing the boundary between her community and the other.

PPI-CY coaches pose in front of an amazing view during the bike ride

The bike ride took us through wooded mountains on the northern coast of Cyprus. Along the road we kept stopping for some breathtaking views of mountain peaks surrounded by the bright blue of the Mediterranean down below. We ended up at Buffavento, an old log cabin style restaurant nestled in the hills. When we arrived Antonia was so excited she tried calling her mom to tell her about her experience, but was disappointed when she realized that her phone didn’t work. “Of course,” I told her, “Your Greek-Cypriot phone doesn’t work on this side.”

After another delicious and well-deserved meal, we all gathered back onto the bus and headed back to Ledra Palace to say goodbye. Everyone at PPI-CY is excited to be going into a new year with a great group of coaches ready to bring their kids together in order to foster peace in Cyprus.

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by | September 30, 2011 · 1:22 pm

PPI-Cyprus Holds the Peace Day Basketball Tournament

100 Greek-Cypriot and Turkish-Cypriot children came together to play for peace

On Saturday, September 24, PPI-CY held the Peace Day Basketball Tournament in celebration of International Peace Day. The tournament brought 100 Greek-Cypriot and Turkish-Cypriot youth together to play basketball on mixed teams and enjoy music and food together. The tournament hosted children from across Cyprus who played 3-on-3 street basketball in mixed teams, implementing the idea that sport can be used as a tool to help break down social divides and begin to change the negative perceptions children may have about the other community.

Leading up to the tournament, PPI-CY also joined forces with Peace One Day, a UK based nonprofit organization working to promote peace around the globe. Now they are working towards Global Truce 2012, the biggest call for peace the world has ever seen. PPI-CY is proud to be an official partner for Global Truce 2012, helping to connect PPI-CY to an international peace movement. By bringing Cypriot youth together, we are participating in a global event to reduce violence and promote peace.

“It’s exciting because we learn how [Turkish-Cypriots] live. We are together and we play for fun, and we forget that we don’t stay together… We can live together,” – Alexis, Greek-Cypriot participant (15 years old)

The tournament was also special because for the very first time since the conflict in 1974, the UN Buffer Zone was chosen as the site for a youth sporting event for peace. Playing underneath the symbolic Ledra Palace, for the first time children could come together on neutral ground, put political and social prejudices behind them, and focus on more hopeful future. Many local newspapers, television and radio stations covered this historical event. Make sure to check out our Facebook group to see children’s reactions to the tournament and all the photos from the event.

Listen to this 4 minute radio spot by the British Forces Broadcasting Service recorded during the tournament!

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by | January 7, 2011 · 3:08 pm

2011: A New Year for PPI-CY


Chronia Polla, Mutly Yillar, a Happy New Year to everyone from PeacePlayers-Cyprus! Everyone at the PPI-CY office is excited to start a brand new year full of innovative initiatives and some amazing projects!

Teams from Famagusta (TC) and Agros (GC) at a 2010 Twinning.

Leading the way will be the 2011 twinning program, set to launch Saturday, January 29th. In each of our twinnings, one of our school teams hosts 2 teams from across the “buffer zone,” the UN-administered line that divides the island, for a day of fun basketball games followed by a meal. Some of the kids are excited to see old friends from the last year, while others will be crossing for the very first time.

Next, PPI-CY is excited to announce that it will begin working with ZEP (Zone for Educational Priority) Schools in Limassol again. ZEP schools are multicultural schools for underprivileged children that focus on keeping their students in class and off the streets.

The mural PPI-CY painted with Agios Antonios School last year.

Last year, we held basketball practices at the Agios Antonios 18th Elementary and High Schools and even painted a PeacePlayers mural. This year we are expanding to include the Agios Antonios 4th School as well, leading the PE classes there with basic basketball and conflict resolution drills.

In the summer, we are planning some big events to include both schools, such as an all day sports festival that will include volleyball, squash, judo, tae kwon do, archery, and weightlifting, and a water sports day that will include sailing and kayaking. It will be an amazing opportunity for these children and is sure to be a lot of fun.

The Home for Cooperation, above, will be renovated for PPI-CY's new office.

PPI-CY is also excited to announce that it will move offices this spring to the Home for Cooperation, a renovated office building located in the Ledra Palace Buffer Zone. The new building is a project organized by the Cyprus Association for Historical Dialogue that will house several bicommunal non-profits. The Ledra Palace Buffer Zone, located in the heart of Cyprus’ capital city of Nicosia, is a place where people from both communities can cross. It is one of the only areas on the island where Greek and Turkish-Cypriots can meet on equal terms. We are also working to hopefully make this the site of a new PPI-CY basketball court in the coming year. A new office and court in the buffer zone are more than convenient, they are essential to the impact we ultimately hope to make.

Action on the court at last year's end-of-year tournament.

In addition, PPI-CY will participate in the opening ceremonies for the Home for Cooperation the first weekend of May. The Ceremonies will be a 3-day fair with music, food, and discussions of the history of the Cyprus problem. PPI-CY will have its annual end-of-the-year tournament on the second day of the event. This is a great opportunity to engage a very broad swath of Cypriot society, including politicians, teachers, childen and other organizations in our work.

Lastly, PPI-CY in partnership with US Embassy is organizing two bicommunal overnight summer camps where Turkish- and Greek-Cypriot children will cross the buffer zone to spend a week together, playing basketball and building friendships. PPI-CY is very excited to help make this amazing opportunity possible for these kids.

2011 is sure to be a busy and fantastic year for PPI-CY!

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