Tag Archives: Peace Players

by | February 5, 2013 · 11:26 am

Who are we? Family!

The PPI-SA Family at Glenmore Primary School, who started tryouts this week!

The PPI-SA Family at Glenmore Primary School, who started tryouts this week!

This week starts a brand new programming year at PPI-SA. Schools all over Durban will be having tryouts to create PPI teams of 12 boys and 12 girls. We focused a lot of time and energy into getting the best coaches for our program. The same goes for our participants, we want quality kids who believe in the PPI way and invest themselves in the program. Based on this, participants are chosen based on attitude and effort as much as their basketball skill level.

Some of the PPI-SA family (Thobani, Sifiso, and Andile) playing basketball before work!

Some of the PPI-SA family (Thobani, Sifiso, and Andile) playing basketball before work!

A lot of hard work has gone into the past 3 months, to prepare ourselves for this week.  We start up this year with a brand new curriculum, coaching staff, and drive for excellence. This new programming year will be a great test for us to see where our program actually stands.

A very important difference between this year and last year is that our office staff is now heavily involved on the ground providing support to our coaches, school reps, and participants. This kind of support is a key ingredient to our success. As an organization we pledge to “bridge divides” and “develop leaders”. In PPI-SA we want to practice what we preach. As an office staff, our goal is to create an open line of communication and trust with our coaches. By providing them support on and off the basketball court, we are both bridging divides and developing them as leaders in their communities.

This new year and new program got me thinking about the PPI Cheer we do to end each practice. The first line says “Who are we?” With all the new changes we have made, does that change who we are?

The answer came to me yesterday at a tryout at Glenmore Primary School, one of our long time partner schools in the “City” area. There are so many kids trying out we had to split the tryout into 3 different days. Bright and eager faces filled the court, and the smiles on their faces said it all. One 7th grader who is returning from last year as a PPI participant insisted we do the PPI cheer to end the tryout. Her passion and enthusiasm is something I won’t soon forget. The second line of the cheer defines who we are, and what we will always strive to be for our participants. No matter how much we change, this part of PPI-SA remains in the heart of our organization. “Who are we?” The answer is, “Family”.

PPI-SA is a big family made up of our staff, schools, program participants, and everyone involved in our program. We thank each and every person involved in our program, you are all family, and we have a lot to look forward to.

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by | October 23, 2012 · 1:50 pm

Participant Spotlight: Sanele Zwane

Sanele Zwane is a developing leader with PPI-SA’s Primary School Program.

Name: Sanele Zwane

Age:  Turning 13 (Birthday is tomorrow, October 24, 2012!)

Grade: 6

We all know that PeacePlayers wouldn’t exist without our participants. They make us who we are. Under our vision, one of our goals is to “Develop Leaders”.  Sanele Zwane is an example of someone who has been able to flourish as a leader because of PPI-SA.  Sanele plays for Carrington Primary school in our “City” area. He has been with us for two years and has displayed love and passion for basketball as well as being a leader among his peers. He is the captain of the PPI-SA team at Carrington Primary School, and was chosen as an All-Star at our last City Wide Tournament. Sanele is not only a good basketball player, he is someone with honorable character and he is loved by his coach and teammates. He is always willing to lend out a helping hand and make his teammates better. We asked Sanele some questions about his experience with PPI, and where he hopes to go in the future.

Where did you grow up?

I grew up in Seaview, a peri urban area of Durban. My mom passed away when I was very young. I was raised by my grandmother, aunt, and cousin. My father now lives and works in Johannesburg.

When did you start with PeacePlayers?

I attend Carrington Primary school. I used to watch people playing basketball at Carrington from when I was in grade 1. I started to play in grade 5. I am going to carry on playing basketball because I love it.

What is your favorite part of being on a team with PPI?

To make friends with other people who also love basketball. I love basketball so much, Im going to play the rest of my life.

Sanele (in green Jersey) puts up a shot during a game at Durban Primary School.

What are your basketball dreams and goals?

I wish to be the star of basketball, and when I am rich I will help other people who are poor. I’m hoping to get a scholarship to play basketball in high school, and I hope I can play overseas in college one day.  My ultimate goal is to play for the NBA.

Have you made good friends at PPI?

Yes I have made great friends at PPI. We all enjoy playing basketball together!

I love you P.P.I

My name is Sanele Zwane and I love P.P.I

 

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by | August 14, 2012 · 9:11 pm

Molweni and Washington D.C. Collide on the Court

PPI-SA was thrilled to receive a special visit last week from the Zients family of Washington, D.C. Jeff, the Director of the U.S. Office of Management and Budget, his wife Mary, a native of Johannesburg, and their three sons- Matt, 15, Josh, 12, and Jonny, 10- flew into Durban on Monday, August 6th and spent two days with PPI-SA staff and participants.

From left to right: Jeff Zients, PPI-SA Operations Manager Debby van der Heever, and Mary Zients

First, the Zients visited the PPI-SA office and shared a delicious feast from Nando’s with the office staff before heading out to Molweni for a coaching clinic. Though the day was unusually cold, windy, and a bit wet, Molweni coaches and players braved the elements to put on a wonderful demonstration of what we do at PPI-SA. Matt, Josh, and Jonny also participated in the clinic as their parents chatted with PPI-SA staff and snapped photos of their boys playing alongside the kids from Molweni. The clinic culminated in a scrimmage where Josh, Jonny, and the St. Leo’s Primary School team took on older brother Matt and the Sizimisele Primary School.  After the scrimmage, the Zients boys raved about the experience. St. Leo’s players worked feverishly to convince Josh to transfer to their school and play for their team permanently. As final goodbyes were said, the rain started pouring down, having held off just long enough to allow PPI another opportunity to bridge divides and foster extraordinary experiences for its participants and visitors.

Jonny, Josh, and Matt Zients play alongside players from St. Leo’s and Sizimisele in Molweni as Debby van der Heever (far right) looks on

That evening, the PPI-SA office staff reconvened with the Zients for a wonderful dinner, highlighted by PPI-SA veteran Ryan Douwie, who miserably failed to live up to the hype he had created about how much curry he could eat at the buffet. After another meal the following morning with PPI-SA board members, the Zients returned to the office for one final goodbye before heading off to the airport.

All of us at PPI-SA would like to thank the Zients for their visit and their generous donation to our program. Their son Josh will also be raising money for PPI at his upcoming bar mitzvah. We wish Josh and the rest of the Zients the best of luck in all of their future endeavors, and would like to extend a special thanks to the coaches and players in Molweni who braved less than ideal conditions to make their short stay memorable.

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by | August 10, 2012 · 5:07 pm

PPI-CY’s Annual Summer Camp: Development On and Off the Court

Today’s blog post was written by Ashley Johnson, PPI-Cyprus‘s newest fellow.

Camp, the best week of the year! That’s how I remember my experience as a kid growing up attending basketball camps.  I made new friends and played a game that I loved.  I left camp feeling inspired every year. This was our hope for the 32 Greek-Cypriot and 32 Turkish-Cypriot youth attending our annual summer camp.  We set out to inspire the youth as basketball players, while also inspiring them as individuals, to become proactive leaders in their own lives and within their respective communities.  While the youth worked hard throughout the week on the basketball court, they were also challenged in the classroom.

PPI-CY campers talk about personal leadership with Akis.

Our Peace and Leadership Curriculum, developed in partnership with the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation and the Arbinger Institute, is central to our goals of uniting, educating, and inspiring the youth in our program.  Sessions on the court and in the classroom allow us to create a holistic approach to youth development, encouraging our kids to reach their full potential as basketball players and as individuals.  Fellow Ashley Johnson and Board member Akis Christofides began the classroom sessions for the week with two leadership sessions.  Ashley’s sessions began with the kids looking internally, talking about what leadership means, and determining how to cultivate the qualities of a positive leader within themselves.  Akis’s session built off of their understanding of role models and leadership, and stressed the importance of seeking to create a life full of passion and purpose. He inspired the kids with video clips of superstars like Michael Jordan and Lance Armstrong.

Ashley uses her experience as a volunteer in the Peace Corps to start a discussion about the importance of serving others.

We then transitioned to another classroom session on service and volunteering.  The participants saw photos and listened to stories about Ashley Johnson’s experiences as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Cameroon. learning that serving others, whether across the world or in one’s own community, not only positively impacts those whom you serve, but also greatly develops one’s own character.

With the kids beginning to think about and see themselves as integral members of a greater community, PPI-CY Managing Director, Marina Vasilera and Board member Tarik Tekman took the lead in the next two sessions.  The focus was on PPI’s signature peace-building curriculum, “The Anatomy of Peace.”  Through the Anatomy of Peace sessions, the kids began to examine the way they view others, evaluate whether they see others as individuals or as objects, and realize the importance of seeing the humanity within all individuals.

Campers share their work in a classroom session.

With such rich experiences throughout the week on and off the court, there is no doubt the campers returned to their homes inspired and empowered.  With their continued growth and development as PeacePlayers participants and leaders, it is our hope that youth will be able to positively shape the future of the island of Cyprus.

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by | August 9, 2012 · 9:10 pm

Thank You To The PPI Family For Opening My Eyes: A Letter From Sharon Zaidenras

Sharon Zaidenras has been working as PPI-ME’s Development Associate since April, but now it is time to say goodbye as Rifka Miyara returns from her 3 and a half month leave. Thank you, Sharon, for joining our family, for all of your hard work, and for sharing this powerful story.

PPI-ME’s youngest participants, ‘Minis,’ pose for a photo with LDP-ers, PPI staff, and American friends during the 2012 Middle East site visit at the Hand in Hand School in Jerusalem

Never once did I think I would work for an organization involved with coexistence in the Middle East.  I grew up in a small, predominately Jewish town in the Midwestern United States. Even with the physical distance between me and Israel, I had always had an intense connection. I was actually born in Israel, but left when I was 18 months old. I had aunts, uncles, cousins and even friends in Israel. With the distance, however, I shut my eyes to the conflict. I was scared for the people I held near, but as a young person, I never really acknowledged the severity of the situation. Not until December of 2005.  It was then that I realized how much my life would be affected when I lost a cousin in a suicide bombing.  I remember that day like it was yesterday, and ever since, I have carried a heavy heart wrapped with guilt and anger- I never imagined it could be mended.  Her death affected everyone in my family differently, but for me, it really affected my views on the conflict in the Middle East. Even though I had always wanted to go back to Israel, I avoided it for several years afterward.

I officially decided to make Aliyah (immigration to Israel) in February 2012. I had one motivation- the love of my life, Mark. I had always played with the idea of moving here to Israel, but never would have actually made the leap had it not been for him. So when I finally made the decision to come, I began to compartmentalize my life. I set my Aliyah date for April 9, quit my job, packed my bags, said my goodbyes, and headed to my Homeland to create a new life for myself.

Within the first two weeks of being here, I was offered a position as the Development Associate at PeacePlayers International – Middle East as Rifka‘s replacement for three and half months.  And thus I began the endeavor of working for an organization that uses the game of basketball, combined with a unique conflict resolution curriculum, to bring together Palestinian and Israeli children.  WHAT?  I know zero about basketball. And even less about conflict resolution (just ask my now fiancé!).

PPI participants in Tamra take time out from their ‘twinning’

It didn’t take me long, though, to really feel emotionally connected to the organization.  I went to my first basketball session (i.e. ‘Twinning’) in a little community up north in a town called Tamra.  Watching the Palestinian kids from Tamra and the Israeli kids from Zichron Ya’akov play basketball together- smiling, giggling, having fun, BEING KIDS- not thinking at all about hate, fear, or discomfort made me realize there could be no better way to solve an age-old conflict than by starting with the children.  It was so natural for them to play together, despite the fact that they were on two sides of a relentless conflict.  I left that twinning PROUD to be a part of such a movement.

In July, about fifteen friends of the organization came to see the unique way PPI works in the Middle East.  As the Development Associate, it was my job to coordinate their site-visit, down to their hotel reservations. From the moment they got off the plane, to their last seconds in this country, I was with them. We traveled around the country, and saw the many communities PPI–ME touches on a daily basis.  We met with teens in the Leadership Development Program (PPI-ME participants with demonstrated leadership potential, who at age 16 can volunteer as assistant coaches in their local neighborhoods, get involved in coach-training activities, and lead community service projects). These LDP-ers taught us about their personal experiences within the organization. They told us that over the years, their friendships have blossomed off the court, despite the fact that their parents may not be so happy about it;  they are determined to communicate with one another, whether it’s though Arabic, Hebrew, English, or the language of basketball; when they first started with PPI-ME, it wasn’t about building bridges, but more about playing the game- and over time, it grew into the idea of becoming friends. Everyone was touched by their stories, including me.

On the third day of the trip, we met with a Palestinian government representative, who spoke about her desire for peace. I was amazed at what she had to say about the political positions of both sides and about the emotional toll is has had on both communities. I cried silently in my seat, less for what she was saying, more for how I could have possibly waited so long to take a stand on the situation in the country I had always considered home.

As we were leaving, Karen asked me to share my cousin’s story. I immediately said no. Not because I didn’t want to share her story, but because of my paralyzing fear of speaking in front of crowds. But then I thought to myself, I owe it to these people to let them hear her story. So I told them about how she went to a mall in the city closest to hers with a friend. And as she walked in, she knew she was walking into a death trap.  And despite her efforts of getting away, she was killed. She left behind a husband and three kids, on top of parents, siblings, nieces, nephews, cousins and friends. And there isn’t a day that goes by that we don’t miss her. I told them this story to remind them that while many of us want peace, a lot of our scars are so fresh that it’s hard to let go.

Sharon smiles with previous PPI – ME player, Samer Jasser, who is now making it big playing college basketball in the U.S.

Fortunately for me, I finally had the opportunity to see the conflict from a different angle.  I saw the different ways basketball could really bring young people together. After all, in order to win, you have to rely on one another, use one another, and understand one another.  Watching these kids play together, I have been forever impacted by their compassion for one another.  I will never forget the image of two Palestinian girls sincerely excited to see their Israeli friend, regardless of the fact that they just saw her two days prior. I will never forget the love and passion of the local staff and how hard they work toward a peaceful solution. I will never forget my newfound friendships with my Palestinian and Israeli coworkers, who are nothing less than good friends and amazing people.

Thank you to Karen, Rifka, Githa, Samer, Vito, Nissreen, Oshra, Galit Shlomit, and the whole PPI family around the world for opening my eyes. I will take the message that PeacePlayers has ingrained in me everywhere I go- that children who play together CAN learn to live together. I know it’s true. I saw it with my own eyes.

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by | August 6, 2012 · 7:22 pm

Catching Up With PPI Alum Harry Morra (NI ’08)

Congratulations to former PPI-NI Operations Manager Harry Morra and his fiancé, former PPI-NI Managing Director Kelly Lyons, who are getting married later this month! Kelly is now the Director of External Affairs for Up2Us, a national coalition of sport-for-good organizations for community-building and youth development. We wish you both all the best! In the interview below, Harry talks about his work leading a group project to evaluate the impact of PPI’s Fellowship program.

Harry (third from left) and Kelly (second from right) at a Belfast Giants hockey game with friends from PPI. On this visit to Northern Ireland in March 2011, Harry and Kelly got engaged!

You’re currently working on your graduate degree at Lehigh University. Has your experience with PPI influenced your path?

Working with PPI, you get a taste of both the education field and the nonprofit world. When I came back, I decided that I really believed in education. I wanted to continue with what I had started to build. The program I liked most was comparative international education, or Globalization and Educational Change. It involves using qualitative and quantitative methods to study differences in education programs all across the world.

I’m focusing on a project in Cambodia, where there was a mass genocide of the educated class in the 1970s under Pol Pot. Today, there are no educated 30- to 60-year-old people in Cambodia. Cambodians are thirty years into redesigning education. Out in rural communities, schools aren’t common, and it’s not natural for a family to send a 5-year old child to school. I’m working with Caring for Cambodia, an organization that tries to get kids to come to school.

Tell us more about the research project! What can you tell us about the information you gathered?

We qualitatively evaluated how the PPI experience impacted each of us, as well as the overall value of program, by looking through the eyes of the people who actually went through it. A significantly high number of alums participated in the study- I think that goes to show that PPI has a close-knit family.

We found that the fellowship program is extremely valuable to PPI and has a ton of potential to grow. We drew comparisons to Fulbright and Rhodes scholarships. People who aspire to work in public policy, international relations, international law, community development, or education can use PPI as a stepping stone.

I learned that everybody feels the same way I do- they loved the experience and thought it was just life-changing.

What are some of your best memories of your work in Northern Ireland?

I was hired to start a coach training program in Northern Ireland. At the first session I organized, only one person came. I was really disappointed. I felt like I had failed. But 18 months later when I left PPI, we had a fully functioning coach training program. We were meeting with 30 coaches at a time, both PPI people and coaches from the greater community.

A scene from the past: Harry leads a single ID session at Bunscoil Primary School

Another favorite memory is getting to do the leadership development program. We borrowed the model they were using in South Africa, analyzed it, and reshaped and remolded it for Northern Ireland. We worked it from something on paper to something real.

My third, hands-down favorite memory is running the weekly twinnings. We felt like we were doing something that was so new- the kids just gravitated toward us, and they were from such a historically divided community. There were so many structural reasons for them to stay apart. Schools across the street from each other would let the kids out a half hour apart so that they would never see each other. So many things were stacked up against integration. I loved building relationships with the kids week in and week out, and getting the kids going toward a shared future.

What were you hoping to get out of your experience with PPI? How did you grow over the course of the experience?

For me, I wanted to gain a strong sense of individuality and independence. One of the major reasons I think people should be involved with PPI is that PPI allows you to put your money where your mouth is. It’s a lost easier said than done to try to live in a foreign country, use your education to help out, and implement something you believe in. PPI puts fellows and program directors in situations where they are really responsible for making the program happen. I found the confidence to follow through with the things I say, and found out who I am and what I wanted to work on for the rest of my life.

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by | August 3, 2012 · 3:14 pm

PPI-Cyprus Summer Camp Features NBA and WNBA Guests

The PPI CY Summer Camp participants with staff and guests

This past week PeacePlayers-Cyprus held its annual Summer Camp.  The camp hosted 64 Greek-Cypriot and Turkish-Cypriot youth for 6 days and 5 nights at the Rodon Hotel in the Mountain Village of Agros.  In attendance at the camp were the Brooklyn Nets Assistant Coach and former NBA player Doug Overton and former WNBA player Shaunzinski Gortman.  If the final day was any indicator as to how the camp went, then all involved would say it was a huge success.  As the seconds ticked down and the buses pulled up, hugs and goodbyes began to fill the reception area of the Rodon hotel.  Doug and Shaunzinski frantically signed shirts and scribbled autographs on the programs and scrap paper that campers pushed their way.

Coach Doug Overton speaks to the PPI-CY participants

The week was filled with basketball and learning.  Campers woke up in the early hours and started their day with some morning activities before breakfast.  Activities ran through the week, including pool time, a disco night, a survival game obstacle course, and a film workshop.  But at the core of the camp was basketball and classroom time.  On the court, campers were run through drills and given time to compete in games.  In the classrooms, they learned about leadership and the importance of volunteering from Fellow Ashley Johnson and head of the PPI-CY board Akis Christofides, the Anatomy of Peace from Coordinator Athanasios Souflias, Managing Director Marina Vasilara, and Board member Tarik Tekman, and other life skills and issues of personal development.  Both Doug and Shaunzinski spoke to the campers as well, touching on the importance of believing in oneself and having the confidence to succeed.

The campers had the chance to play and compete

It was apparent to anyone observing our campers that the bicommunal efforts of PeacePlayers Cyprus are having an impact on our participants.  The children from both sides of the island were interacting to the point that you could not tell we were running a bicommunal event.  As they played on and off the court together the participants seamlessly weaved in and out of their assigned teams and groups leaving no one isolated or alone, regardless of where they were from on the island.  One night, as Doug asked the question “what is one thing you have learned so far from camp?” a participant stated that he had learned the language of the campers from the other of the island.

The camp is a great chance for our participants to be exposed to prolonged interaction with kids that they usually do not get to interact with on a daily basis.  To be able to spend 6 days and 5 nights together allows them to get to know PeacePlayers Cyprus, its staff, its guests, and most importantly its participants better.

Thanks to the Brooklyn Nets and the Embassy of the United States Nicosia Cyprus  for making this event possible!

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by | August 2, 2012 · 4:59 pm

NBA Former All Stars Meet Future All Stars

This summer, AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee) and PPI – ME partnered to hold a unique event in Jerusalem.  AIPAC was hosting fifteen retired NBA (National Basketball Association) players traveling within the framework of the ‘Athlete Ambassadors’ program, and wanted to introduce them to the unconventional way PPI uses basketball to bridge divides.

Among the athletes on the roster were Stephen Bardo, Dr. Dick Barnett, Kenny Battle, Willie Burton, Joe Barry Carroll, Cedric Ceballos, Dale Ellis, Spencer Haywood, Stephen Howard, Marvin Roberts, Danny Schayes, Sedric Toney, and Sam Vincent.

Breaking fast at the Beit Safafa Community Center

The event, held August 1, fell during the middle of Ramadan.  Therefore, to start things out, all of the NBA players, members of AIPAC and ‘Athlete Ambassadors’ teams, and about 20 PPI members and employees, broke fast together at the Beit Safafa Community Center.  Before everyone dug in, Muhammad Salman, a member of PPI – ME’s Leadership Development Program (LDP) started the meal with some insight as to what Ramadan is and what it means to the Muslim community.

After everyone (especially those who had been fasting for the day) finished eating, they were ready to get on the basketball court.  About 30 kids and their 15 new veerrrryyyy tall friends ran basketball drills, talked about the PPI curriculum, shot hoops, and strutted their stuff.  The kids got lessons from the NBA players, and taught their professional counterparts some of their moves.

Sharing moves on the court

It was evident that everyone took away something from the event.  While the kids learned new bball techniques, the basketball players saw firsthand how the sport they have been playing for years could actually help to solve centuries-old conflicts. Needless to say, everyone walked away far more knowledgeable.  A great time was had by all!

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by | August 1, 2012 · 8:52 pm

Thanks to PPI – Northern Ireland

This week’s blog post is written by PPI – Northern Ireland’s summer intern, Alberto. Read Alberto’s May post to “From the Field” here.

Alberto on the court

Hello again everybody,

It has been two months since I first wrote here. Since then, I have taken part in lots of events (twinning programme, Game of Three Halves, Spring Jam, CCL).

School time has ended for the summer, and we are now in the midst of our Interface Games camps in North, East, South and West Belfast. Unfortunately I will be here just for the North and West Belfast camps, but surely all of them are going amazing!

Here in the PPI-NI office, everything is going great. Colleagues are making me feel at home and we are helping each other out. I’m still meeting new people and learning new things, too.

Alberto leads a team-building activity

Spring Jam was such an interesting day. We worked with a huge number of children- all motivated, keen on playing, and really looking forward to meeting more kids. I had the luck to work on the team-building games with Patrick Harley. Everybody had fun there, not only children, but also the coaches and volunteers.

I am coming to the end of my time with PPI-NI. I will be sad to leave, but it has been an amazing placement and opportunity to work here.

I would like to thank everyone who has made it sweet to the beat!

Alberto (far left) with members of the PPI-NI staff

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by | July 31, 2012 · 7:33 pm

Personal Perspective: Andile Msomi at the Laureus YES Programme

A few weeks ago, PPI-SA blogged about the Laureus YES programme that some of our staff were selected to attend. One of those staff members was Andile Msomi, who coaches for PPI-SA. Andile wrote her own blog about her experience with the YES program, which we have decided to share with the wider PPI community. The transcript from Andile’s blog follows:

G and I, gazing across the dam, reflecting on the YES programme.

First of all, I would like to take this opportunity to send my gratitude to PeacePlayers International (PPI) for giving me such a tremendous opportunity to take part in the Youth Empowerment through Sport (YES) program and meet such wonderful people. I couldn’t be any happier. It really is an honor and it means a lot that PPI saw potential and decided that I deserved the chance to enroll in this program.

Laureus has always been one of the “sports for good” organizations I like. Being involved with them, one way or the other, has always been my ultimate dream, and when Kristin (PPI co-worker) told me about the YES program opportunity, I knew I had to take advantage of it.  I was head over heels and cancelled all my plans, which were to represent my school at the USSA’s basketball tournament in Port Elizabeth.  It wasn’t easy, but I knew it was worth it.  I didn’t know that then, however.  That said, I knew this opportunity was once in a lifetime. USSA’s next year??

In a nutshell, the Laureus Youth Empowerment through Sport Programme (YES) is a six month pilot project aimed at “empowering young people to use sport as a tool to promote positive change in their lives and communities.”  The program is run by Mthokozisi Madondo, who is very authentic, most polite, grounded, kind, patient and caring. Mthoko goes beyond his job description and is always there for us, especially emotionally.

I was just amazed by the effort that Mthoko and his stakeholders put into making this program a great success. I learned a whole lot of different things, was challenged on so many different levels, and was given insight about a lot. From the guest speakers to the IT guys to the PPI fellow colleagues and the fellow participants; I learned so much from these amazing people. They gave me a chance to perceive the world around me differently, cautiously and broadly. You know, during and after the program I realized that life is a mystery; we learn everyday and just when you think you know it all, someone comes and reminds you that your room is not as full as you think it is. You’ll always have someone to present you with something new; you just have to choose to open up to them. Partaking in the activities and just being part of the group stimulated a whole lot of emotions.  I feared, I cried, I rejoiced, I cared, I laughed (sooo much), I sympathized and empathized, I was startled (…by Maloisane for making the banana disappear), I admired… I mean, I even got a glimpse of parts of me that I never thought I’d ever reach.

Beauty at it’s best, sunset over Shongweni’s Dam

I got a chance to overcome my greatest fears. Fear of height, water (… just deep water).  I went canoeing!  The anxiety, the adrenaline rush, and just giving my mates the benefit of the doubt, made it more fun and more special to me. It was great, period. The morning and the evening glory on the horizon and around me were as satisfying as the authentic beautiful smiles of people I was surrounded by.

I also got a pitch full of insight about a whole lot of LITTLE things that I barely pay attention to.  Yet the little things are crucial.  The little things are what make you whole as a person and an individual. Things like being aware of the group of people that are in and out of your circle of life, knowing what gives you life, and things like acknowledging how you treat and see people around you.   Do you see them as objects or equals?  These are some of the things that are unconsciously, sometimes intentionally, overlooked.   However, the little things are what make the complete being.

It was a privilege being part of the Laureus YES program.  I could not have spent my holidays differently or in any better way. It’s like someone sneaked into my brain, just saw all the blanks and automatically drove me into this program; the experience is irreplaceable and it was everything I needed. I hope Mthoko continues touching lives and developing youth for the betterment of themselves and the people around them.

Frankly, you all are amazing, and I’m glad to have met you.

Love, Andile Msomi

A link to Andile’s blog can be found here. Nasiphi Khafu, area coordinator for PPI-SA, also attended the YES program and has started her own blog about her experiences helping in the community. A link to Nasiphi’s blog can be found here.

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