Tag Archives: peace building

by | March 15, 2013 · 5:41 pm

Join PPI – Cyprus in their journey through The Middle East!

PeacePlayers - Cyprus family unites with PeacePlayers - Middle East in their recent journey to Israel

PeacePlayers – Cyprus family unites with PeacePlayers – Middle East in their recent journey to Israel

Nearing the completion of our exciting new PeacePlayers’ animations, supported by the Knowledge and Innovation Fund, Stephanie Nicolas and Ashley Johnson of PeacePlayers – Cyprus were presented with the tremendous opportunity to travel to Israel for a Practitioner’s Exchange trip.  This past week, the girls spent 6 days visiting different social media, peace building and youth development NGOs in Tel-Aviv and Jerusalem to share the videos and receive feedback from well-versed practitioners in the field.

The organizations included:

-Peace Factory, creators of the widely followed social media campaign; Israel Loves Iran

-Kids4Peace Jerusalem, an NGO offering inter-faith and inter-cultural education to Israeli and Palestinian youth

-Windows – Channels for Communication, an NGO that promotes understanding and reconciliation between communities through youth journalism and media related educational programs.

-and PeacePlayers – Middle East!

This week we catch up with the girls to gain a bit of insight into their escapades in Israel:

What are some of the key messages you take from your meetings with the NGOs in Israel?

Sharing our videos with the creators of the Israel Loves Iran initiative

Sharing our videos with the creators of the Israel Loves Iran initiative

While in Israel, we met with several passionate, successful, ingenuitive organizations with very differing approaches to peace building.  The differing approaches and perspectives offered by each organization provided us tremendous feedback both positive and critical in regards to our animation project.  The suggestions will guide us in the refinement of our product and creation of the corresponding training modules that will accompany the videos.  After showing the videos to these various audiences, including 5 different focus groups with PeacePlayers Middle East participants, coaches and staff, we can confidently say that we have an outstanding engaging product transferrable across various cultures and perspectives.

 

Tell us about your time with PPI – ME, what is one thing that you would like to implement from the program in the Middle East here in Cyprus?

Our time with PPI – ME was so incredibly valuable.  The moment we arrived in Israel we felt welcomed into family, our PeacePlayers’ family.  The shared passion for our common mission of uniting youth from divided communities through the game of basketball was evident the moment we stepped foot on the court with their program.  One of the things that really marked both Stef and myself from PPI – ME programming was the coaching and leadership skills of the experienced older PPI participants.  Several of their LDPers (leadership development program participants) were taking on the role of leading twinnings and mentoring the younger youth.  We were so impressed with their passion for the game of basketball and their passion for sharing the mission of PeacePlayers with other youth.  We would love to develop some of our young leaders’ coaching skills just as PPI-ME has, and turn our current participants into the future coaches of PPI-CY.

During your time in Israel, did you have any opportunity to explore the country?

View from the Old City of Jerusalem

View from the Old City of Jerusalem

Our meetings and time spent at the retreat with PeacePlayers did not permit too much time for exploration, however we took full advantage of the small amount of free time we had.  Jerusalem is the most historically rich city that either of us has ever visited.  While in Jerusalem we had the opportunity to tour the 4 quarters of The Old City.  We also visited the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, purported to be the site of Jesus’ crucifixion, burial and resurrection.  The visit was an experience that will last with us for a lifetime.

Any message you would like to share with the PPI – ME family? 

Thanks so much to the PPI – ME family for making us feel such a part of their team from the moment we met.  We have so much to exchange with one another and we are forever grateful for the experiences we had visiting their program.  We only hope to host a few of them in the near future so we can share the same hospitality once they are in Cyprus!

 

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by | March 1, 2013 · 6:14 pm

PeacePlayers Gets Animated: Part 2!

Introducing the two stars of the PeacePlayers Animation: Olivia and her coach Daphne!

Introducing the two stars of the PeacePlayers Animation: Olivia and her coach Daphne!

About a month and a half ago we announced, through our blog, the exciting news that PeacePlayers was becoming animated. Check out the previous blog: http://blog.peaceplayersintl.org/2013/01/18/peaceplayers-gets-animated/  Our team has been putting in great energy and efforts through the process over the past month and a half and we are proud to announce that 3 of the 5 videos are complete.  The 5 short animated films will become an educational tool used across our PeacePlayers sites and with youth development organizations worldwide.  The videos depict the PeacePlayers’ proven and effective methodology in using sport as a tool for peace-building and youth development. Alongside the animated videos will be training modules guiding the viewers through specific learning objectives for each video.

The development and creation crew includes PeacePlayers – Cyprus and PPI -International, The Cyprus Community Media Center and our animation team from Ze’dem Media.   UNDP – Action for Cooperation and Trust as well as USAID, our funders, have given us the opportunity to share our project and seek feedback from other organizations within the region. Stephanie Nicolas and Ashley Johnson will be traveling to Israel as part of a “Practitioner’s Exchange” where they will meet with 4 NGOs and unveil the PeacePlayers animated videos.  The goals of the trip will be to consult with other organizations involved in youth development and peace – building activities, receive feedback on our videos and create an action plan for the dissemination process of the films.

Of course one of the NGOs we will be sharing the videos with will be PPI – Middle East.  This will be a tremendous opportunity to meet our PeacePlayers extended family and strengthen the links between our two programs.  Our Practitioners’ Exchange serendipitously aligns with a PPI – ME retreat next weekend giving us the benefit of having staff, coaches and participants all in one location and the opportunity to share our project with all.

Follow the teams’ work during their time in Israel and the video creation process on our Facebook page.  We will be updating regularly in anticipation of the premier of PeacePlayers Animation!

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by | March 12, 2010 · 2:34 pm

The First of Many: Twinnings are Underway in Cyprus

Tina (far right, and first timer) humorously struggles to remember everyone's name. This is not an uncommon experience for those participating in PPI-CY events for the first time.

For some it started with mispronouncing girls’ names, continued with impromtu dance-cirlces, and ended with free strawberries. Everyone’s first twinning experience is unique, and for some…they are just plain awesome.

Orhun Mevlit (left) gets his team together this past Saturday.

PPI-CY kicked off its U.S. Embassy-sponsored twinning project this past Saturday in Limassol, at Agios Antonios High School. Over 35 Boys and girls from PPI-CY programs in Limassol and Famagusta all participated in the event. It was the first bi-communal experience for some, but for a majority of the participants the words “been there, done that” rang truer; something a lot of Cypriots under the age of 15 cannot really claim.

The day started off with boys and girls being divided and taking the most basic step…attempting to learn each others names. Coach Orhun tried making a circle where, when you passed the basketball to someone, you had to say their name. Coach Bahar tried a similar routine where each child had to go around the entire circle (of over 15 kids) and pronounce all of their names from memory. In a culture where the language barrier can seem overwelming, this can proved to be a tricky manuever. Even PPI-CY Fellow Rory O’Neil couldn’t make it halway around the circle without slipping up, and his job is to know these kids’ names!

Kids take part in a Coach Pohanis favorite: 'monkey in the middle' passing circles.

After the name-games ceased, warm-up games of #21, passing circles, and passing relays commenced to get the kids fired up. Mihalis Pohanis, Coach of the Limassol program, started off with one of his patented ‘monkey in the middle’ passing games that drew smiles from all the Turkish-Cypriots and Greek-Cypriots involved. Bahar’s team of girls beat Rory’s team of girls in a #21 shooting game show-down, which Rory vehemently protested. After the warm-up was over, the girls went out into the sun to use the outdoor basketball courts for a full-court match. The boys did likewise inside and after a while, both groups switched places.

Crazy things always happen at PPI-CY Twinnings. Dancing circles...are a new one.

At every Twinning, there is one special moment that happens that really cannot be explained. Sometimes its an embrace on the court between a Turkish-Cypriot and Greek-Cypriot child, and other times its a great no-look pass from one community to the other. In Limassol last Saturday, we added dancing to the list. As the twinning was drawing to a close, a small contingent of girls formed a circle on the stage next to the basketball court. The girls were supposed to be up next on the court inside, but before Rory could round them up, Coach Orhun stopped him. “Don’t stop them,” he said, “let them continue…just look at what they are doing.” Rory turned around and saw a circle of Greek-Cypriots and Turkish-Cypriots moving around in a circle and “shaking it.”

We had girls jumping in and out of the circle showing their moves, clapping in unison, and even pulling out the splits. It was perhaps one of the most random events ever to happen at a PPI-CY twinning. Tina, a Greek-Cypriot girl from Limassol (and the one who pulled out the splits in the impromtu dancing circle) was even more suprisped and overjoyed when Coach Bahar presented her and her friends with a basket of stawberrys from Team Famagusta’s bus trip that morning (Coach Bahar has a thing for strawberries sold on the roadside). Tina and her friends ran over yelling “thank you, oh thank you!” and gave Bahar a barage of kisses in the process.

Team Famagusta on top of the Limassol Castle after the Twinning.

The twinning ended like every Cypriot event should: with kebab! After lunch the Famagusta contingent didn’t just get on the bus and go straight back to Famagusta. Coach Bahar likes to make her twinnings about more than just basketball. Team Famagusta went to the nearby Limassol Castle for a little sight-seeing and picture-taking before they headed back home, making it full day for them.

PPI-CY is off and running with its 2010 Twinning program. Watch out!

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by | March 11, 2010 · 2:29 pm

Bar and Serene

International Women’s Day was Monday, but we didn’t want to let the week go by having recognized the outstanding contributions that women are making to our work only once. A few years ago, Chad Ford, a writer for ESPN.com and professor at Brigham Young University – Hawaii, visited our work in the Middle East. Among the many stories he brought back is this one, of Bar and Serene, two girls from two of the toughest neighborhoods in Jerusalem – neighborhoods that have long stood at opposite sides of one of the world’s deepest cultural divides:

Bar (right) and Serene (left) in 2006. Photo by PPI's Program Director, Samer Elayan

Bar, a poor Jewish girl from a ghetto in Jerusalem has a number of things working against her. But she is outgoing and quick to make friends, like many others who have joined the PeacePlayers Twinned Basketball Camp program.

On our visit to Bar’s house, Serene, a Palestinian teammate from Isawiyya, asks if she can come, too. Serene has never been inside a Jewish home. She is curious to get a picture of where her friend lives.

Bar lives in a dilapidated brick apartment building reminiscent of American ghettos. During the interview, gunshots ring out, followed by the sound of sirens. Later, we find out that a shooting took place just a few buildings down from Bar’s apartment.

Bar says the pressures not to mix are strong. “I like to become friends with everyone, it doesn’t matter who,” she says, sipping soda in her small apartment. “That’s the way I was taught. But not all the kids think that way. I’ve been teased for spending too much time with Palestinians.”

So how did she hook up with Serene?

“I remember that she said snitzel is her favorite food. It’s mine, too, so I thought we had something in common,” Bar says.

A friendship was born.

“It was so amazing to see that she was so interested to meet me,” Serene says. “I thought we could be good friends.”

Bar and Serene's friendship helped change Osnat's mind about the chances for peace. Osnat (right, in black) is still coaching for PPI - ME.

The two girls embrace after the interview. There seems to be a real connection, and Serene says she is trying to learn Hebrew to facilitate the communication between the two. Over the course of the next year, Bar and Serene will have the chance to interact often as part of the Twinned Basketball Clubs. The goal is that the friendship will continue to deepen over the next five years as they continue to interact and get to know each other.

While the creation of one friendship might seem small, it’s exactly these type of bonds that PeacePlayers creates to set the foundation for peace and communication. The story of Bar and Serene, says their coach Osnat Ginati, has an important effect not only on the kids, but also on the adults.

“I think kids like that, who are willing to open themselves up despite real danger of being rejected, inspire us all to be better,” Osnat says with tears in her eyes. “Some of my family tells me I’m crazy to believe a program like this will ever work. That Arabs will never change. But I see this, and I say to myself, maybe both of us are capable of change. “

Read the rest of Chad’s article here. Full disclosure: since the publishing of this piece Chad has worked for PPI as a consultant with The Arbinger Institute, helping to develop and deliver PPI’s peacebuilding curriculum. The project is supported by the Laureus Sports for Good Foundation.

Serene is still a member of PPI's Leadership Development Program, where she helps train younger players to follow in her footsteps. That's her all the way in the bottom-left of this picture.

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by | February 18, 2010 · 11:41 am

PPI – ME Gears Up for a New Season of the Peace League

Make sure you check out the end of this post to learn how you can help support PeacePlayers International for free with just two simple clicks.

Girls from Esawiah pose with their coach, Basil, and LDP volunteers before playing in a "mini-basket" game.

In preparation for the 2010 season of the PPI – ME Peace Basketball League, a unique project bringing together Arab, Jewish and integrated teams, PPI – ME athletes of all ages have been taking part in friendly scrimmages. Girls between 8 and 10 years old from Beit Safafa, the Keshet School, Esawiah and the Hand in Hand School (the “Mini-Basket” bracket) have played in several tournaments, learning the fundamentals of basketball and becoming more familiar with the rules of the game.

"College" players driving to the basket.

Meanwhile, PPI – ME’s “College” level teams, ages 10-13, have also seen regular on-the-court action. Each Friday, girls from Beit Safafa and the Keshet School gather at the Hand in Hand School in Jerusalem for “Game Day,” an afternoon of scrimmaging on mixed teams. After the girls finish, the boys of Beit Safafa and Katamon take the floor. Not only do these events provide an opportunity for PPI – ME youth to gain game-time experience, but they also represent a marked increase in twinning activity. This programming season, many PPI – ME teams are twinning at least once per week, if not more. This has immeasurably strengthened the relationships between participants, who have bonded over basketball in spite of language and other barriers.

Efrat from the Keshet School exchanges a high-five with PPI - ME Basketball Operations Manager Vito Gilic'.

Jump ball to start the LDP vs. AIS game

After tipping off at the American International School (AIS) tournament, the Leadership Development Program (LDP) squad has continued to sharpen its skills with numerous scrimmages. LDP boys played against the Jerusalem School as well as the Anglican School, posting one win and one loss thus far. The Girls’ LDP kept its winning streak alive with a victory over AIS, which recently traveled to Jerusalem from northern Israel in order to play against this talented PPI – ME team. With many more games already scheduled and the LDP slated to participate in the next AIS tournament on February 28th, the group is poised for a busy – and most importantly, fun – spring.

Coach Samer Elayan leads the team

Playing defense

Want to take a simple action to support the boys and girls of PeacePlayers International – Middle East? We’re now eligible for inclusion in the latest edition of CauseWorld, a mobile app that lets you earn “karmas” – badges backed up by donations from Citi and Kraft – for your favorite causes just by visiting your own local hangouts. Vote for PPI to be one of three new Causes included in this round. (You can find us fourth from the bottom of the list on the right.) There’s no registration required and, with just a few seconds of your time, you’ll help others support PPI for a lifetime!

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by | February 17, 2010 · 8:55 am

A Twinning with Coach Joanne

Joanne Fitzpatrick is PPI-NI’s Coach Training and Engagement Coordinator. In addition to managing the PPI-NI local coaches, Joanne also leads a number of primary school twinnings herself. Today, she describes a recent twinning between St. Clares and Carrs Glen Primary Schools.

One of the discussion sessions that form a crucial part of PPI-NI's Twinning activity.

Going into Session 5 of the St Clares/Carrs Glen twinning, things are looking up, with all teams working together to gather points from various competitions each week. This term we have 53 children from the two schools, mixed up and split into four teams: the Blue Bulls, Fitzies, Brussel Sprouts and Dairylea Dunkers. St Clares PS is situated just off the Falls Road in West Belfast, and Carrs Glen is found a short distance away on the Old Park Rd in North Belfast, each surrounded by interface areas, sectarian attacks and peace walls. All of this is forgotten when backgrounds and religions are put aside by teamwork, competition and PeacePlayers jerseys.

Carrs Glen and St. Clares students huddling up.

In the last session, the kids were lucky enough to get a visit from the PeacePlayers International-Cyprus programme, who were more than happy to give a helping hand at each station. The kids learned some ball-handling skills from Coach Emily, how to shoot with Coach Dean, laughed with Coach Shaun, discussed stereotypes with Coach Laura, and signed a contract and discussed different methods of communication with Coach Joanne. Coach Rory O’Neill and the other Cypriot coaches helped the kids understand PeacePlayers International’s worldwide operations a bit more and the extent of the work done in all its sites.

In the next session, the kids passing and shooting skills will be put to the test, we will find out how much they know about sectarianism and racism, and we’ll check up on their dance moves and teamwork!

Want to take a simple action to support Coach Joanne and PeacePlayers International in Northern Ireland?  PPI is now eligible for inclusion in the latest edition of CauseWorld, a mobile app that lets you earn “karmas” – badges backed up by donations from Citi and Kraft – for your favorite causes just by visiting your own local hangouts. Vote for PPI to be one of three new Causes included in this round. (You can find us fourth from the bottom of the list on the right.) There’s no registration required and, with just a few seconds of your time, you’ll help others support PPI for a lifetime!

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