Tag Archives: peaceplayers international – northern ireland

by | June 19, 2013 · 2:14 pm

PeacePlayers Give U.S. President Barack Obama a Wave in Belfast

ppi in orange

PPI-NI staff and participants, dressed in bright orange, await First Lady Michelle Obama and U.S. President Barack Obama’s speeches in Belfast on Monday.

On Monday, the 17th of June, Belfast came to a standstill as the United States’ First Lady Michelle and President Barack Obama made an appearance in Northern Ireland for the annual G8 summit.

PeacePlayers International – Northern Ireland (PPI-NI) staff, board members, and Champions 4 Peace participants were privileged to be invited to attend a gathering of youth groups, schools, and organizations where both the First Lady and President spoke.

As the convoy of PeacePlayers arrived at Waterfront Hall, the excitement rose. The staff and participants joined a line of hundreds of school children, sports teams, youth groups, and more. PPI-NI was greeted by smiles, waves, and hugs from past participants and partner organizations.

We took our seats and, in true PeacePlayers spirit, participants made an attempt to keep the audience’s energy high by starting “the wave,” which was no small challenge since everyone began the day at 5 a.m. After three or four waves along our row, the spirit spread and other organizations and schools began joining in. As the PPI participants looked around them, they could see what they had started. Hundreds of people joined, including First Minister Peter Robinson, Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness, and sporting legend Dame Mary Peters.

Local DJ Pete Snodden warmed the crowd with music and introductions to some of the groups that were present. PPI-NI’s orange t-shirts earned us attention and our Project Coordinator Joanne Fitzpatrick was handed the microphone to explain the work of PeacePlayers and the Champions 4 Peace program to the entire audience.

Shortly after our introduction, the main show began. Hannah Nelson, a 16-year-old pupil at Belfast’s Methodist College, gave a powerful speech about the future of Northern Ireland before welcoming the First Lady, Michelle Obama. Nelson proved up for the task, saying, “If we are to take away prejudice from young people’s minds, we can create a society that can get along together, a peaceful society. Northern Ireland is my home, the reality is it has a past….Now is the time to make permanent peace in Northern Ireland because we, the young people in this room, want and deserve to live in peace. Northern Ireland is my home, and the reality is it has a future.”

Michelle was greeted with a huge cheer and a standing ovation as she entered the stage. She gave an empowering speech aimed at the young people about both her and the President’s upbringing. “In just a couple of decades, you will be the ones in charge,” she said. “You will be the ones shaping our shared future with your passion, energy and ideas. So when I look around this room, I don’t just see a bunch of teenagers. I see the people who will be moving our world forward in years ahead, and that’s why we wanted to be here today.”

U.S. President Barack Obama showcased his excellent speaking skills before a Northern-Irish crowd that included PPI-NI.

U.S. President Barack Obama showcased his excellent speaking skills before a Northern-Irish crowd that included PPI-NI board members, staff, and participants.

After Michelle’s speech, it was time for the main attraction. The crowd again rose to their feet and gave an almighty cheer for President Obama as he walked onto the stage. He spoke about the relationship between the United States of America and Northern Ireland and previous visits from Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush to the region. He spoke of the peace process and Northern Ireland’s progress over the last 30 years. He said, “For years, few conflicts in the world seemed more intractable than the one here in Northern Ireland. So, when peace was achieved here, it gave the entire world hope. The world rejoiced in your achievement, especially America.”

As we left the Hall, Champions 4 Peace participants were in awe and described both the First Lady and President’s words as “extremely motivating and hopeful for a better future.” As the group stood outside, the orange t-shirts again grabbed the attention of passers-by, including local politicians, who asked the Champions 4 Peace how they got involved in our program and what they hope for their future.

Overall, it proved to be an empowering and inspiring day for board members, staff, and participants alike. PPI-NI would like to thank Belfast’s US Consul General, Gregory Burton, for the invitations and all the other people involved in the making of a day we will never forget.

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by | June 3, 2013 · 1:36 pm

International Fellowships offer Americans unique opportunity to bridge divides, bring peace

South Africa International Fellow, Kristin Degou, during a basketball practice with her PeacePlayers team

South Africa International Fellow, Kristin Degou, during a basketball practice with her PeacePlayers team

While every individual involved in PeacePlayers is absolutely necessary, the 75 international fellows who have volunteered at each of the PPI sites since 2001 are an integral part of the PPI program. PPI’s International Fellowship program offers outstanding post-collegiate scholar athletes the opportunity to serve two year terms in any of the PPI sites: Northern Ireland, South Africa, the Middle East, or Cyprus. PPI Fellows provide basketball expertise to the children involved in the program, serve as mentors and role models, and act as neutral facilitators between PPI coaches and participants.

Megan Houlihan with a group of PeacePlayers in Northern Ireland

Megan Houlihan with a group of PeacePlayers in Northern Ireland

While each fellow must fulfill the expectations of the program, some join PPI already interested in a certain aspect of the organization’s mission. Megan Houlihan of New York joined the PPI family in 2010, when she worked as an International Fellow at PPI’s Northern Ireland site. One of her main goals for her time in Ireland was to inspire young girls in the area. “I really believe that involvement in sport allows young girls to develop a sense of self-confidence and assertiveness,” she said. “On a larger scale, that can play into the integral role women have in achieving peace in conflict situations.”

In addition to acting as a mentor, role model, and facilitator to the different groups involved in PPI, many International Fellows go above and beyond to immerse themselves in the divided communities in which they are working. Adam Hirsch worked as an International Fellow at PPI’s Cyprus site from 2010-2012. While in Cyprus, Adam organized 3 mural projects at disadvantaged schools. One of these projects was for the children of Agios Antonios Elementary School in Limassol. Agios Antonios is very unique in that it is one of a handful of schools in Cyprus that has students of Greek-Cypriot, Turkish-Cypriot, and Roma descent. The murals depicted the key elements of the PeacePlayers mission: hope, peace, and of course, basketball. Adam said of the project, “The finished product was more than just something nice to look at; it was something the kids could see every day and be proud of, showing the world just how much potential they have if given an opportunity.”

International Fellow, Adam Hirsch, in front of the mural at Agios Antonios in Cyprus

International Fellow, Adam Hirsch, in front of the mural at Agios Antonios in Cyprus

Upon completing their fellowships, alumni of the PPI International Fellowship program have gone on to careers in fields including finance, technology, sports management, social entrepreneurship, and international development and have attended graduate schools including the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, Columbia University Business School, and Tuft’s Fletcher School of Diplomacy. Thibault Manekin, a 2003-2006 fellow from the PPI-South Africa program, said, “…one of [PPI's] biggest lessons was how much we [Fellows] learned about people, and that’s translated really well into the work [I am] doing now.” Thibault currently heads Seawall Development, a company which is innovatively revitalizing Baltimore’s abandoned industrial landscape.

Adam reiterated the importance of his experience as a PPI Fellow, and encourages others to participate in the International Fellowship Program. He said, “I am so grateful to those who made this experience possible, but the impact of the PPI Fellows is ongoing, and there are a lot more children and communities that can benefit from our work.”

PPI is now accepting applications for the International Fellowship program. Applications can be found here.

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by | May 15, 2013 · 2:30 pm

Are you a Champion 4 Peace?

Champion (Champ-eeh-on) - noun:

  1. a person who has defeated all opponents in a competition or series of competitions, so as to hold first place.
  2. anything that takes first place in competition.
  3. an animal that has won a certain number of points in officially recognized shows.
  4. a person who fights for or defends any person or cause.
  5. a fighter or warrior.

Champion 4 Peace:

  1. Someone who catalyzes positive social change, thereby creating a more peaceful society.

Each year PeacePlayers International – Northern Ireland brings together 2,000 young Catholics and Protestants from areas least likely to embrace peace or coexistence efforts, and uses sport  as a tool to help them understand and overcome conflict. Last year PPI-NI introduced the Ambassador Programme, which gave participants a voice and the opportunity to lead the programmes in which they were involved. The goal was to create a class of new PPI leaders, young champions for peace who actively contribute to creating a more peaceful society.

This year the programme got a face-lift – the programme was split into Juniors (11-13) and Seniors (14-18) and renamed “Champions 4 Peace” (C4P). Over the next few months our Senior C4Ps will be working on fundraising, event planning, and facilitation skills, while the Junior C4Ps work on a fundraising event, recruitment of new C4Ps, and volunteering at the Spring Jam Tournament. In addition, both groups have shown an interest in developing a documentary film as a way of recruiting new members!

Are you a Champion 4 Peace? Share your story in the comments or on Facebook and Twitter.

If you are interested in getting more information about the PPI-NI Champions 4 Peace programme or want to help in any way with the programme, please contact Joanne Fitzpatrick at jfitzpatrick@peaceplayersintl.org.

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by | January 16, 2013 · 5:26 pm

Finding Positives in Northern Ireland

PPI - NI Managing Director, Gareth Haper, doing a cheer at a PPI Tournament

PPI – NI Managing Director, Gareth Haper, doing a cheer at a PPI Tournament

This week, we hear from PeacePlayers International – Northern Ireland (PPI-NI) Managing Director Gareth Harper. Gareth took up the position of Managing Director in March 2009, having previously worked as Programmes Manager with Rural Community Network NI, a regional rural community development organization.

On Saturday morning, my wife and I were taking our two daughters for breakfast in Newcastle—my home town in County Down—as a treat at the end of their first week back at school after the Christmas break.  When I’m with my girls, as much as possible, I try to keep the time sacred and normally I don’t even have my phone with me, let alone answer it.  But this time I had it, and the number came up as international which usually means it’s one of my extended PeacePlayers family members in DC, Cyprus, the Middle East or South Africa. So I took the call.

However on this occasion it was not one of my “PPI siblings”; it was a gentleman of the French press.  I’m still glad that I took the call. The man’s name was Olivier, and he explained that he had been sent to Northern Ireland to cover the riots in Belfast.  Just before I jumped in to say that I would only be interested in talking to him about the positive work that PeacePlayers and others have been doing and that I am fed up with only the bad news being reported (well, he did interrupt my sacred family time!), he explained that after three short days he had come to recognise that both the local and international coverage of the current situation was presenting in his view a highly disproportionately negative image of the city of Belfast and indeed of  Northern Ireland.

PPI-NI's Darryl Petticrew leads a community relations session with children from Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

PPI-NI’s Darryl Petticrew leads a community relations session with children from Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

Yes, he had witnessed the rioting first hand and he had been shocked by what he saw. But he had also been able to get lunch, walk around the city and to talk to people going about their daily routines.  He decided and had taken it upon himself to invest in seeking out what he suspected to be behind the negative.  His investigation led him to me for a meeting at Peace House on Monday morning at 10 a.m.  Olivier was delighted to hear about the great work which PeacePlayers and others been involved with, about the Game of Three Halves, the Belfast Interface Games and the fantastic work being done by the Gaelic Athletic Association, Irish Football Association, and Ulster Rugby.

He decided that he wanted to present an alternative and perhaps more proportionate picture of the actual situation and reality.  This for me is great and indeed depressing all at the same time. It took a French journalist only three days to see that there are many more positive than negative stories to be told about Northern Ireland.  Wouldn’t it be brilliant if we all took the time to invest in thinking about what a great place this is?  Perhaps then, we could think about how it can still get better.

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by | December 31, 2012 · 9:28 pm

Happy New Years from PeacePlayers International

Summer Banner
2012 has been an exciting year for PeacePlayers International. In just the last year PPI has worked with more than 4,000 youth in our sites in Northern Ireland, the Middle East, Cyprus and South Africa. But the simple task of bringing children together to play basketball has not always been easy. With bombs dropping in Israel and Gaza, and riots on the streets of Belfast, PPI has had to rely on the strength of our local leadership and from our supporters around the world in order to continue to improve the lives of so many youth in these conflict torn communities. With these challenges behind us, PPI looks towards 2013 to be our most impactful year yet. As we get ready to make the transition, here are just a few highlights of PPI’s programming from the past year:

PPI - Middle East Teens Rise Above Conflict and Get Pointers from NBA and Golf Stars

28839_206628066138358_1283117983_n1In the midst of the violence between Israel and Gaza, a group of Palestinian and Israeli PeacePlayers got together to prove that their friendships were not so easily threatened by the missiles raining down on either side of the border. In two events, one a basketball clinic led by former NBA greats Brian Scalabrine and Will Perdue and the other a golf clinic led by golf legends Amy Alcott,Hunter Mahan, Sean Foley and Michael Thompson, youth from East Jerusalem, West Jerusalem and Holon got to forget momentarily the recent trouble in the region. The events were made possible by PPI board member and top sports agent Arn Tellem and his wife Nancy, who hosted the events as part of a golf-inspired mission to Israel.

PPI- South Africa Builds a New Basketball Court in Waterloo

IMG_1704In November PPI-SA built a brand new basketball court for a school in Waterloo that will be used to teach hundreds of new children. Situated in a landscape of rolling hills north of Durban, Waterloo represents a brand new area for the PPI-SA program. When the new school year starts in January, Waterloo will be prepared to enter both a boys and girls team into the primary school league where the teams will have the opportunity to travel and host teams from other communities.

PPI- Northern Ireland Participates in the Belfast Interface Games (BIG)

ppi-lopez-01The Belfast Interface Games (BIG), organized by the Belfast Interface Project and PeacePlayers International, brought hundreds of children from all backgrounds and both sides of the sectarian divide together for a sports spectacular. Children had a chance to play soccer, Gaelic football and rugby with local sports legends. Brooklyn Nets Center, Brook Lopez, made the trip across the Atlantic to participate in the event. The event showcased the powerful potential of sport for community relations and peace-building work.

PPI – Cyprus Holds Bicommunal Summer Camp with NBA and WNBA Stars

557225_4319582076611_1514706332_nIn July PPI-CY organized an overnight Bicommunal Basketball Summer Camp that brought 64 Greek-Cypriot and Turkish-Cypriot boys and girls together for a week of sports and team building activities. PPI-CY had the privilege of hosting NBA Nets Assistant Coach, Doug Overton, his wife, and former WNBA player Shaunziski Gortman during the duration of the camp. The summer camp showed how real bridging of divides happens not just on the court, but also during meal times and evening activities. Doug Overton also held a coaches seminar for over 20 coaches from both sides during his stay to help in coaching techniques and practices of coaches for youth level basketball. Both the coaches seminar and our camp were widely covered in the media and on the main news program of one of the major TV channels.

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by | December 26, 2012 · 1:50 am

PPI-NI Top 3 Moments for Fellow Chris Schumerth

This week’s blog post comes from International Fellow Chris Schumerth, who has been a part of the PeacePlayers International – Northern Ireland (PPI-NI) team since August of this year. Here, he shares three PeacePlayers highlights from 2012.

Several participants taking part in PPI-NI's Jingle Ball Tournament.

Several participants taking part in PPI-NI’s Jingle Ball Tournament.

1. Coaching at Jingle Ball. Of the nearly 200 children who showed up to the event, I was entrusted with twelve primary school boys that made up our team called The Jazz. The boys came from different schools around Belfast, and several of us were getting to know each other for the first time. We spent the day together, playing five basketball games and participating in various community relations activities.

My group was full of energy, which came in handy on the court. We won our first three games, then tied our fourth. We thought for sure that a win in our fifth game would earn a trip to the finals. But we gave up a lead in the final minute and lost! We were a little bummed out, but to our relief the finals match-ups were announced, and we had earned a spot anyway. We cruised in the championship, winning easily.

2. A fall residential conversation with staff members and program participants. In all our programming, we are always seeking ways to integrate sport with conversations about our experiences with prejudice, sectarianism, stereotypes, conflict, etc. Those things can be difficult for adults to talk about, let alone kids. But on this particular day, in an activity that ended a weekend we spent with about a dozen teenagers, they totally met us there, speaking openly and honestly about very difficult topics. The activity asked everyone how comfortable he or she was with certain groups of people: the police, Protestants, Catholics, homosexuals, Chinese people, etc. Not surprisingly, the activity led to a lively follow-up of stories, and several kids were quite vulnerable. Some of the views expressed were a bit uncomfortable, so we talked through that. I can’t speak for anyone else, but after the activity ended, I felt closer to everyone who had participated and I’m quite certain it was memorable for all the kids involved.

From top to bottom, PPI-NI staff at a recent Christmas dinner gathering: Gareth Harper, Chris Schumerth, Joanne Fitzpatrick, Darryl Petticrew, Tony McGaharan.

From top to bottom, PPI-NI staff at a recent Christmas dinner gathering: Gareth Harper, Chris Schumerth, Joanne Fitzpatrick, Darryl Petticrew, Tony McGaharan.

3. Working with the PPI-NI staff. When you spend a lot of time with people, you get to know them. Their strengths, their quirks, their passions, and their differences. I have learned that Joanne Fitzpatrick develops long-term, positive relationships with the schools we work with. That Darryl Petticrew is brilliant with kids. That Tony McGaharan possesses an endless energy. That Megan Lynch is one of the most organized people I know, and the office is better off for it. That Gareth Harper is incredibly clever at raising the funds it takes to sustain a charity in Belfast.

As a team, we certainly have our own diversities of skillset, religion, political conviction, and life experience, but the obvious commonalties that we share are commitments to kids, basketball, and peace-building. We all want a better future for Northern Ireland, so we continue to learn how to leverage our differences in ways that make the team better.

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by | December 12, 2012 · 12:48 pm

PPI – NI Holds 10th Annual Jingle Ball Tournament

The 2012 Jingle Ball Tournament in Belfast

PPI children posing for the camera at the 2012 Jingle Ball Tournament in Belfast

For the 10th year in a row, PeacePlayers International – Northern Ireland hosted 182 children from the Belfast and Lurgan areas at the annual Jingle Ball tournament. PPI-NI’s tournaments are a celebration of the work the children have done together all year. Children from 25 different schools shared buses to Stranmillis College in South Belfast. The sports hall was buzzing with what seemed like a million different coloured t-shirts. The DJ got the beats going and the warm-up started, PPI-NI’s infamous dance-off. Every child and every volunteer hit the “dance-court” and showed us their moves, at this point most of the children still closely hooked to those that they knew. Once every child had a pair of rosy cheeks, we sent them off to find their coach and their team for the day. At this point coaches began their icebreakers and hundreds of favourite flavours of ice cream were unveiled. On their way to their first game, you could tell the coaches had done a great job of introducing the children, who in some cases only knew one other person on their team, from their twinned school. High fives, piggybacks and cartwheels were being shared already.

Kids playing in the Jingle Ball Tournament

182 children from 25 different schools attended the tournament

As the games got underway it became apparent that this was a very competitive tournament, each child was completely focused whether it was on getting the ball up the court, catching every rebound or simply creating the best cheer for their team. After a day where each team competed in matches, team-building activities and even a game of Jingle Ball Jeopardy it was time to announce the winners. International Fellow Chris Schumerth along with long-term participant Pearse McAuley lead their team to the final to receive the gold medal in the boys tournament. Meanwhile local coaches Michaela Thompson and Naomi Mullan, along with some help from Project Coordinator Joanne’s mother, Patricia Fitzpatrick, lead their girls to the final where they win by one point in the final seconds.

Kids playing

The tournament celebrates the children’s  spirit and hustle, as well as winning

Special guests Joe Lockhart and Jim Lambright, US board members, who made fantastic coaches on the day were kind enough to present the medals and trophies to the winners. We then announced the winners of the Spirit and Hustle awards. The Hustle award is for those players who worked hard continuously throughout the day and never gave up. The Spirit award is for those players who are the true team player, giving high fives after each basket and game, cheering their team mates and shaking hands with the other team. The winners of the Hustle awards were Ben McCone and Rebecca Madden while CJ Sullivan and Rachel Patterson won the Spirit award. Rachel won the spirit award last year at Jingle Ball and within PPI-NI has the nick-name “screamer”, renown for her bright red face as she cheers at the top of her lungs for her team. Our other very special guest Brendan Touhey, PPI’s Executive Director, gave the final word and brought everyone in for a giant “hand-in”, this was a fantastic end to the day.

Given the current widespread violence and rioting across the greater Belfast area, it was a great achievement to have so many children and volunteers present on the day. A huge “thank you” to our volunteers, staff, children and parents for making Jingle Ball 2012 such a success, each and everyone of you showing the way Northern Ireland should be celebrating Christmas, together!

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by | December 5, 2012 · 1:25 pm

PPI-NI participants express themselves through words and art

PeacePlayers participants are artists, too!

PeacePlayers participants are artists, too!

This week, we hear from PPI – NI International Fellow Megan Lynch:

As the autumn semester comes to a close here at PeacePlayers International – Northern Ireland, we are completing our Twinnings Program for our primary six participants (age 9-10). After spending the last eight weeks getting to know each other, our programming is wrapping up in time for our holiday Jingle Ball Tournament this Saturday.

A P6 pupil's learning diary.

A P6 pupil’s learning diary.

Each week our participants learn new basketball skills, do teambuilding activities and participate in community relation’s discussions. At the start of the program, we go to each class and talk about what they hope to get out of the program. Sometimes the kids aren’t quite sure what to expect, writing down in their “learning diaries” emotions like: happy, sad, nervous, not bothered. While many of the kids are usually pretty excited to do PeacePlayers, some are nervous and not quite sure how it will go. Regardless of their initial worries, our participants usually come away with positive feedback for us after enjoying the opportunity to meet new friends and learn how to play basketball.

Over the weekend, I was tasked with reviewing the learning diaries from my first twinning lead. After each session, our participants reflect with words and drawings about the experience. At the end of the eight weeks we collect them and award a special prize to the pupil that has done the best job of completing and decorating. It may just be that I’m a novice at this, but I found it difficult to pick one of twenty something participants that I have learned so much from this semester.  While I will have to make the much-anticipated decision this week, I am honored to have had the opportunity to get to know such amazing kids at our twinning programs this year!

Special shout out to my teams: the Dancing Chocolate Monkeys (from St. Clare’s and Carr’s Glenn) and the Peace Ninjas (from Holy Cross Girls’ and Wheatfield)!

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by | November 28, 2012 · 1:34 pm

Thanksgiving 2012: Thankful for the Fellows

This week, Senior Project Coordinator Tony McGaharan reflects on his cultural exchange with International Fellows in the PeacePlayers International – Northern Ireland (PPI-NI) program: 

PPI-NI has evolved significantly since it started way back in 2002. At the outset, we operated under the assumption that bringing children together through sport would strengthen the fledgling peace established through the Good Friday Agreement in 1998. There was much work to be done and we were eager to hit the ground running.

However, as we went along we realized the importance of addressing and valuing diversity to our goals. Today, we have a curriculum that covers topics such as identity, respect for others, and diversity.  We share the common understanding that diversity and the traditions that make up our identity are important. In fact, traditions often are the source of our fondest memories of family and friends.

PPI-NI team plus guests at Thanksgiving 2012.

While many things have changed since we first started in Northern Ireland, one thing that has remained constant is the much-appreciated time and commitment from our American Fellows. These young Americans, many of whom are recent college graduates and young professionals, pack up for cloudy Northern Ireland to bring their skills, passion, and energy to our organization.

Throughout my time with PPI-NI, the Fellows I have met have displayed a variety of interests, experiences, and beliefs. However, I think it is fair to say there were at least two things that all of these Americans had in common and cared deeply about:

1)   Bringing young people together from both sides of the divide in Northern Ireland through sport, and,

2)   Thanksgiving dinner!

Two of my favorite memories of working with the PPI-NI team are centered around the latter. In 2006, the PPI-NI team gathered together for some authentic American casserole dishes and a giant turkey in celebration of a wonderful American tradition: Thanksgiving. I remember sharing laughs with former International Fellows Jenny Callan, Ryan Douwie, Amy Nolan, Kelly Lyons and talking hoops with Noam Fishman, RaMell Ross, and Adam Dickman.

L-R: Tony McGaharan, Ryan Douwie, Noam Fishman, Craig Lustman, Adam Dickman, RaMell Ross, Jenny Callan, Mickey Campbell

Last week, the PPI-NI team celebrated this honored tradition yet again. Our current Fellow, Megan Lynch, coordinated the meal with everyone else contributing his or her favorite dish. At the start of the meal, we each shared what we were most thankful for including the meal, each other and the work we do. After the first response, someone said instinctively “let’s give him two claps” which produced a few grins and laughter as everyone followed suit.

As PPI-NI continues to grow and change we remain grateful to our American family: the headquarters in D.C. and our Fellows who join us in the field. We are so thankful to have Megan and Chris Schumerth here with us in Northern Ireland and not just because they make a tasty turkey dinner (although that certainly helps!).

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by | November 20, 2012 · 5:16 pm

PPI-NI Says Goodbye and Hello

Ken Logue, right, served on PPI-NI’s board for three years. We will miss his expertise and commitment.

PeacePlayers International – Northern Ireland (PPI-NI) is sad to see one its valued board members, Ken Logue, say goodbye. Ken, who has served our cause for three years, retired this month from his post as the Programme Executive for The Atlantic Philanthropies and now plans to move back to his homeland in Scotland.

In addition to his extensive work at The Atlantic Philanthropies, Ken’s athletic, academic, and professional achievements are quite impressive. He holds a PhD in Scottish History from the University of Edinburgh where he also played in a basketball club. Ken also directed the Workers’ Educational Association in Edinburgh, the Northern Ireland Council on Alcohol in Belfast, and has been involved in a number of voluntary sector organisations. These are just a few reasons why he has been such a good fit for PPI-NI.

Alan McNally PPI-NI’s newest board member.

While we are sad to see Ken leave, we are also happy to announce that friend of the program, Alan McNally, will be taking Ken’s place on the board. Alan developed a working relationship with PPI-NI as the Design Director at Page Setup. A chartered designer, he has been involved in the design and delivery of many high profile campaigns for both the public and private sectors and spent many years overseas working for major design and advertising agencies, including Mojo in Australia. A keen sportsman, Alan fought for Ireland’s main karate team, throughout the golden years of karate (late 1980s up to 1994) and was one of the youngest fighters to represent Ireland at full international level gaining over 14 full international caps.  He was also awarded one of the highest grades in Ireland at that time by the legendary Tatsuo Suzuki.

We would like to thank Ken for his service, and we wish him well in retirement. We trust that Alan will fill his shoes well.

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