For the first time, PPI, the
Laureus Sport for Good Foundation and the
Arbinger Institute teamed up with the
Kansas City Police Athletic League (KCPAL) to help bridge divides between police and the communities they serve. The KCPAL program started as a community-oriented policing project in 1994, offering youth the opportunity to interact with police officers in a positive setting while participating in cultural, mentoring and sports activities. In a 2-day launch event, PPI flew to Kansas City to train police officers in PPI's Conflict Resolution through Sport Curriculum, and lead a basketball clinic for Kansas City youth. One officer said, "PPI showed me that you can bring any walk of life together, find a common ground, and if there is something you can work to accomplish together you can forget about why there was conflict in the first place." PPI and KCPAL will continue to work together throughout the year to bridge divides and change perceptions for both police officers and the youth they serve.
Earlier this month, PeacePlayers hosted 50 young women for a day of basketball and learning at the beautiful
University of KwaZulu Natal – Howard College Campus. The event not only allowed participants to play on an indoor court (a rare treat in Durban), but to tour the campus and participate in an empowerment seminar led by Nokuthula “Noks” Mnguni of
Zoe Life. Events like these represent an important part of PPI's Leadership Development Program curriculum as we aim to expose participants to different “next steps” after high school.
More than 150 Greek-Cypriot and Turkish-Cypriot youth, coaches and volunteers came together to take part in PPI's annual 3 on 3 Spring Basketball Tournament. During the tournament, Greek-Cypriots and Turkish-Cypriots competed together on mixed teams, reinforcing friendships old and new. Youth involved in the Leadership Development Program - many members of PPI for several years - assisted coaches, volunteers and our younger participants, and several of the participant's families also joined, promoting an overall sense of community for everyone involved.
North Miami Beach-born Rebecca Ross has been playing professional basketball in Israel's first division league since she was 18-years-old. While Rebecca has been coaching youth basketball for a while, this was her first year with PeacePlayers. "Before I started working with PeacePlayers I never really knew any Arabs personally, even though I saw them all the time and lived with them, I never had a conversation with an Arab. I was basically taught to “hate” the Arabs, due to the environment I was raised in... PeacePlayers has made a huge impact on me personally, due to the extreme right wing background I came from. It basically changed my whole point of view, not only towards the Arabs specifically but in general towards human beings."
