Tag Archives: PPI-NI

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 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 30, 2012 · 6:02 pm

The Peace Players International Fellowship

International Fellow (PPI-NI) Meghan Houlihan with Spring Jam 2012 champions the Liberty and team coach Ashling Hughes.

Since 2001, PPI has recruited 75 outstanding post-collegiate scholar-athletes to serve two year terms with its programs. PPI Fellows share their basketball expertise, serve as mentors and role models, and act as neutral facilitators for PPI coaches and participants. Fellows also benefit from an exceptional educational and professional experience abroad and are at the forefront of a worldwide movement to use sport as a vehicle for social change.

After completing their fellowships, PPI alumni have gone on to pursue careers in fields including finance, sports management, social entrepreneurship, and international development. They have attended graduate schools including the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, Columbia University Business School, Tuft’s Fletcher School of Diplomacy, and the McDonough School of Business at Georgetown University. Others have gone on to work for organizations like Laureus Sport for Good Foundation, ELEVATE New Orleans, MEET (Middle East Education Through Technology), and DuPlays (Social Sports in Dubai).

Adam Hirsch (PPI-CY ’12) completed his Fellowship this spring.

As part of his graduate degree, alumnus Harry Morra (NI ’08) is leading a research project at Lehigh University to evaluate the impact Fellows and Program Directors have had on PPI, as well as how Fellows’ international experiences have helped them grow as individuals. With this formal evaluation, PPI hopes to secure ongoing funding for the Fellows program.

Stay tuned for stories from PPI alumni who share how peace-building through sport has affected them professionally and personally.

Read alumnus Adam Hirsch’s reflection on his two and a half years in Cyprus here.

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by | July 20, 2012 · 3:09 pm

Belfast Interface Games a Hit

The Interface Olympics combine Ireland’s three most popular sports: rugby, football and Gaelic football

With the Belfast Interface Games underway, the results of the program have already been overwhelmingly positive. The event, which combines Ireland’s three most popular sports– rugby, football, and Gaelic football– gives children from different backgrounds the opportunity to try new sports and meet new people.

A story featured on the front page of Friday’s Belfast Telegraph details the program, including the process by which participants learned new sports while simultaneously making new friends:

Coach Amy Murphy (16) said: “This is about promoting diversity through sport.

“When the children started you could see the odd one here and there not wanting to participate just because they had never tried the sport before. But, when they did, they loved it.

“And, you have Catholic kids and Protestant kids who are the best of friends because they are on the same team and not a bad word is ever said.

To read the full Telegraph article, click here.

This project is supported under the Belfast PEACE III Plan by the European Union’s “European Regional Development Fund” through the PEACE III Programme.

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by | July 18, 2012 · 2:21 pm

PeacePlayers Rocks the Whiterock Summer Scheme!

The past couple of weeks, PPI-NI coaches have been helping out at the Whiterock Community Centre Summer Scheme in the Falls Road area of West Belfast. PPI-NI staff members Joanne Fitzpatrick, Rory O’Neil as well as interns Kate Ray and Patrick Harley have been running basketball drills, fun games, and matches for the Whiterock kids. PPI-NI has been working with the community centre for numerous years and its members are no stranger to PeacePlayers. Kids affiliated with Whiterock this past year participated in our Primary School Twinning Program at St. Kevin’s Primary School, in our Senior Cross-Community League in North Belfast as well as our Advanced Leadership Program residentials. It’s amazing to think that just a small group of kids at a local community centre in Belfast are represented in every single PPI-NI program that we offer. In addition, several of the older members of the community centre are Junior Coaches with PeacePlayers who will be helping out at next week’s West Belfast Interface Games camp at St. John’s Gaelic Athletic Club. Tune in next week for more highlights of that exciting initiative.

Enjoy this video showcasing some of the skills that the Whiterock kids possess (both on…and off the court).

Thanks for having us back this year Whiterock!!!

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by | June 26, 2012 · 12:08 pm

PPI-NI Welcomes Summer Intern, Kate Ray

New intern Kate Ray (far left, looking at the camera) begins her first week at PPI NI.

This week we are happy to welcome a new intern to PeacePlayers Northern Ireland: Kate Ray.  Below is Kate’s introduction and a description of her initial feelings about being a new member of the PPI family.

Hi Everyone!

My name is Kate Ray and I am from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I am currently studying Political Science, International Relations, and Global Security at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. I just completed a semester abroad in Haifa, Israel at the University of Haifa studying Peace and Conflict Resolution. I’m so excited to be joining Peace Players-NI for the next two months as I observe and learn from the way they carry out their inspirational work.

I first began working with the concept of peace education after my first year of high school when I participated in the Ulster Project Milwaukee. The Ulster Project is an international exchange program that works to promote peace and reconciliation between Northern Irish Catholic and Protestant youth. Since that experience I have had a deep connection with Northern Ireland as well as peace education.

I’m truly fascinated by the work that Peace Players-NI does, and the way that they incorporate sports into the peace building experience. Never before had I thought that basketball could be the catalyst of bridging two divided communities. This past week I was able to participate in a twinning event and was so pleasantly surprised by the enthusiasm, warmth, and welcoming that I received from the kids. It was wonderful to watch them work together as a team, regardless of religion or family background, towards a common goal of making their team the best it could be.

I was also able to join a residential this past weekend and work with girls who have graduated the Peace Players program and are looking to be coaches. I learned so much from them as we worked through community relations activities. I was inspired by their dedication to the program and eagerness to stay involved throughout the years.

I am thrilled to be observing Peace Players-NI in their work this summer. I have been here only a week, and I already feel at home. Within this past week I’ve learned so much about the conflict, the city of Belfast, and the teachings that this organization does. It has already been such a learning experience for me, and I cannot wait to continue learning for the next two months.

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by | July 13, 2011 · 7:42 am

PPI-NI North Belfast Schools Collaborate at Game of Three Halves

On Wednesday, July 6th, 2011, PeacePlayers International-Northern Ireland partnered with the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA), the Irish Football Association (IFA) and Ulster Rugby for the North Belfast Game of Three Halves at Ballysillian Leisure Centre.

Pupils from PPI-NI's North Belfast School playing gaelic football, soccer and rugby.

This event gave young people from both of the major traditions in North Belfast the opportunity to participate in the three most popular sports in Northern Ireland, some of which they may or may not have played before. All of the participating organizations and PPI-NI designed the event to create a safe and inclusive environment for the young people to play Gaelic Football, Soccer and Rugby, as well as participate in PPI-NI teambuilding and community relations activities.

Leadership Development Program Coordinator, Darryl Petticrew, led the participants in two community relations discussions. The first was Thoughts Passing and Perfect Teammate Qualities. The second CR discussion, Perfect Teammate Qualities(as shown in the above picture), asked the participants what their ideal qualities of a soccer player, rugby player, gaelic player and a basketball player would be.

Leadership Development Programme Coordinator Darryl Petticrew led PPI-NI's Community Relations discussion, Perfect Teammate Qualities.

Participants had to discuss which was more important if they were friendly or tall, a good-shooter or a good teammate or whether religion played an important role. The North Belfast children posed some interesting questions and learned a lot from each other.

Game of Three Halves participants were joined by some local celebrities on the day, including US Consul General, Kamala S. Lakhdhi, who took some time to meet some of the children and the coaches of the three sports. One of the North Belfast pupils had a profound question to ask the US Consul General: “Do you eat hamburgers?”. The answer was extremely important as it was a debated point during the First Thoughts discussion, as many of the participants supported the stereotype of “ALL American’s eat hamburgers”.

Game of Three Halves participants pictures with US Consul General, Kamala S. Lakhdhi.

The day was rounded up with a presentation ceremony for the winners of the Spirit and Hustle Awards, compered (hosted) by PPI-NI Chairman and Irish rugby legend, Trevor Ringland. The awards were presented by local sports personalities from Cliftonville FC, Ulster Rugby and Antrim GAA.

The unique dynamic served as a celebration of sport in Northern Ireland and helped develop positive relations between all of the young people involved, most of whom participate in PPI-NI’s Twinning Program.

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by | July 6, 2011 · 4:01 am

Carr’s Glen Primary School Makes Donation to PPI-NI

In June, Carr’s Glen Primary School made a very generous donation of £545 to PPI-NI . Carr’s Glen’s Principal, Derek Harkness, announced the school’s selection of PPI-NI as their chosen charity after the launch of PPI-NI’s documentary film, Two Steps at a Time, which starred one of their peers, Ronny McAuley.

The school raised the money through their summer fair, which included a balloon launch, cake sale, bungee races and, of course, a basketball station. Funds were also raised through a collection at their recent school production of Oliver, which drew huge crowds on both nights of the performance.

 

Long-term PPI-NI participants Jessica, Ellen and Aaron present Coach Training and Engagement Coordinator, Joanne Fitzpatrick, with the check for £545.
 

Last week, the PPI-NI staff was invited to the grade seven graduation at Carr’s Glen to accept the check, which was presented by three of the students from the graduating class. This marked the end of their seven years in primary school, as well as three years of participation in PPI-NI’s twinning program.

A huge thank you to all staff, parents and children for this very kind donation.

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by | February 3, 2010 · 3:49 pm

Living with Diversity

Earlier, PeacePlayers International – Northern Ireland Coordinator Darryl Petticrew described how he became involved in PeacePlayers International, and what the program means to him. Today, Darryl explains what he learned while getting certified to teach a course to the PPI – NI Leadership Development Team.

Darryl with a member of the PPI-NI LDP team. Darryl's "Living with Diversity" course will enable him to share its lessons with the LDP.

Over the past four months I have been participating in a course called Living with Diversity. It is an Open College Network (OCN) Level 3 course offered by YMCA Ireland. The objective of the course is to focus on issues around diversity and how to deliver community relations sessions while taking this into account. The participants ranged from youth workers and integrated school teachers to Police officers. I was by far the youngest person in the course, and surrounded by a wealth of experience in other participants.

Darryl leading a discussion session...

I picked up new skills and increased awareness, but for me the most meaningful learning was the experience of the course. It hit some very hard issues and raised great points for discussion. As well as discussion, the course offered two panels for questioning and answering sessions. One panel consisted of political representatives from the major parties in Northern Ireland.  Before this session I had no interest in politics at all; however my eyes were opened to what seems like a lack of real leadership and representation of the population in the politics of this country. The voting percentage of the last election was under 50% – a reflection of the little faith we in Northern Ireland have in our politicians. This further reinforces the importance of the work organisations like PeacePlayers is doing.

...and practice activities.

The second panel gave us opportunities to speak with the Historical Enquiries Team, the WAVE Trauma Centre (which supports those who have lost loved ones due to political violence in Northern Ireland), and Pat Magee, an ex-paramilitary. This was an amazing opportunity to listen to people who have been directly affected by the troubles in Northern Ireland.

Living with Diversity has opened my eyes in many different ways and I have built some amazing relationships. A very significant thing for me was the opportunity to speak with Police Service Northern Ireland (PSNI) officers. The police in Northern Ireland are constantly under pressure and in many cases disliked. However, I was able to see the human side to the PSNI and look beyond the uniform and totally transform my perception.

The training has also provided me with the chance to deliver an OCN accredited course for PeacePlayers. For our up and coming Leadership Development Programme residential I will be delivering a level 2 Reconciliation and Peace Peer course over three weekends.

The PPI-NI Leadership Development Team at a Residential in January 2008 (Darryl is in blue at the left).

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by | January 27, 2010 · 11:47 am

Gareth Harper Is in “The Hot Seat”

Gareth Harper, getting ready to start his second year at the point for PPI-NI.

Gareth Harper, Managing Director of PPI-NI, is coming into his second year on the team. Today, we decided to give everyone the chance to get to know him a little bit better. Gareth Harper, welcome to “The Hot Seat.”

Where are you from originally?
I am originally from Newcastle, County Down.

When did you first realize there was an “us” and a “them” in Northern Ireland?
I first began to realize there was a divide when I joined the Cubs at 6 or 7. I joined a troop with a Protestant background and used to lay the wreath at the town cenotaph on Rememberence Day. I understood the significance of the ceremony, but at the time was totally aware of the perception which some may have had with regard to the “token catholic” taking part in a service often misconstrued to be a British or Protestant only ceremony. I also remember having to swear allegiance to God and the Queen as part of a scout promise, as well as learning to fold up the Union Jack. I didn’t have any issues with it at the time, but I remember other people from my area putting up a fuss.

Gareth showing off a PPI-NI event to Patricia Lewsley, the NI Commissioner for Children and Young People.

What was your proudest accomplishment growing up?
I’d have to say it’s a tie between getting into Queens University at eighteen and passing my driving test.

What have been your proudest accomplishments in your adult life?
Graduating university and getting my first job with the Rural Community Network (RCN) in 1998 was very important. Getting my MBA while at RCN was another major accomplishment that I am proud of. Personally, getting married and raising two daughters makes it all worthwhile.

Why did PPI-NI appeal to you at first?
The simplicity and power of the message was what struck me first. “Children who can play together can live together” is such a simple mission, but also makes perfect sense. I was attracted to the people around the organization, the passion, the energy, and the “can do” attitude.

Over your first year, what has been a highlight for you at PPI-NI?
A key highlight for me is being secured in the short term and becoming increasingly locally financially autonomous. As the first local MD, it has been a busy year, but I feel PPI-NI is where it needs to be.

What has been a challenge?
The biggest challenge is articulating very clearly what PPI is about to people we work with. It’s about convincing people first and foremost that we are a peace-building organization and maximizing that potential. I think people are beginning to acknowledge that. Evidence of that is in our strategic planning, alliances with other sporting organizations and local government, and our funders’ investments. If [funders] thought they were subsidizing just sport they wouldn’t touch us.

Helping to organize a teambuilding activity at the 2009 Jingle Ball.

Why do you think sport in general is such a powerful tool in bringing young people together?
I think whenever you give a kid a ball, racket, or a jersey and engage them in sport, they leave the baggage behind them. They see people as teammates and put difference aside. Sport is by its nature competitive, but I believe that leads to the people around sport having a very can-do attitude. People in sport I approach about PPI generally are positive and excited about our mission.

How are you as a basketball player?
Pass.

Can you describe the “PeacePlayers model”?
In Northern Ireland we try to impact three key age ranges. In primary schools, we work with children aged 8- 11 for a twenty-week intervention. Those kids then attend community centres that their schools feed into. We try and engage these young people at the 11-15 age bracket in our Community Centre League. Upon that, they can graduate into our Leadership Development Programme once they hit seventeen.

In all our programmes our goal is to engage beyond pure contact. It’s about beginning to establish relationships through sport and then to support the children to have conversations about prejudice, strereotypes, racism, etc. By supporting those conversations we begin to challenge and break barriers down. In the Northern Ireland context, I think PPI is unique because a lot of the other sports activity in Northern Ireland appears to be contact only. Our work is about not stopping there, but about how we can further those relationships.

Raising awareness (and recruiting new members) at the Belfast City Hall.

If you could have dinner with one person who inspires you, who would it be?
I always thought it would be nice to sit down with Mo Mowlam (former NI Secretary of State) and discuss her involvement in the peace process that led to the 1998 Good Friday Agreement. She got so frustrated one time she took off her hairpiece and said “Let’s just get on with it.”

In ten years, where do you hope to see Northern Ireland?
I would like to see us having some system of proper politics and a real sense of having come through something and looking towards the future. A real government operating that supports integration across the board with things like sport and education. I’d like to see the end of having two of everything, like leisure centres where only children from certain communities can play. I’d love to get to a point where there wasn’t a need for an organization like PPI-NI to be here anymore.

Sweet to the beat?
Abosulutely.

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