|
SOCCER FOR PEACE
|
Text and photograph: Lydia Aisenberg
Enabling children of regions in conflict to unite on a soccer pitch is the goal of a number of world-wide organizations.
Given the violent events of the last few weeks in the region one can hardly imagine almost 100 Israeli Arab and Jewish kids spending a week improving their soccer skills together and forming new friendships – but that is exactly what these youngsters did and were rightly proud of their success in booting conflict off their particular sporting block.
A new guy in the Israeli sport conflict resolution arena last year, Soccer For Peace brought together 40 Jewish and Arab kids for a pilot co-existence through sport camp held at Givat Haviva in the summer.
At that time Scottish born Edinburgh University Arabic and Philosophy graduate Leo Williams was an intern at Givat Haviva. Prior to taking up the internship, Leo attended a Givat Haviva seminar organized by the International Department for a group of British students on the Birthright program.
During his internship Leo successfully directed the week long Soccer For Peace camp before taking up an offer from the British Council to teach English in Tunisia.
This month Leo returned to Israel directing the second SFP camp but this year the number of kids jointly aiming to net a goal for co-existence has grown to an astounding ninety-nine!
"We have high hopes for an even larger number to be involved next year," explained Leo, standing on the playing fields of the Wingate Institute, the more than hot and sticky young players being put through the paces of teamwork by a squad of Hebrew and Arabic speaking coaches and councilors.
Wearing different color Soccer For Peace shirts, the young players were divided up on 3 soccer fields surrounded by the sand dunes of the Mediterranean shore. Practicing alongside them on the fourth adjacent soccer field are players of the Israel national junior side.
A team of experienced facilitators from the Givat Haviva Jewish-Arab Centre for Peace, led by Shachar Yanai, took responsibility for the off the field educational components of the project, which involve specialized games, theatre and art workshops.
|
|
The American based Israeli born founder and director of Soccer For Peace, businessman Ori Winitzer says that his project was born out of the rage and frustration that has colored the Middle East for so long and he, an American-Israeli, felt compelled to stand against it.
A long time supporter of Hapoel Haifa, Ori Winitzer decided to harness the binding power of the world's most popular game choosing soccer as a vehicle for peace as all sides involved in the Middle East conflict shared a passion for the sport.
Due to the success of the pilot program the connection between Winitzer, Williams and Yanai – albeit each based in a different country – came in to a league of its own with Leo Williams becoming Regional Manager of Soccer for Peace whilst Shachar Yanai further developed innovative ways of bringing the kids together off the soccer playing field and in to the obstacle riddled arena of dialogue between kids born to conflict.
"Sport, though common and loved, is insufficient in healing centuries of strife but is an excellent first step when allowing children of traditionally warring groups to sit in a room together and be guided through peace-building exercises and conversations," said Leo, who is also these days the director of the Meadowbank Community Football Club in Scotland, and holds down a 'full time job' administrating the Scotland-Malawi Partnership.
Following last years pilot project, the New York based Ori Winitzer kept in touch with Leo when he returned to Edinburgh to work with the Meadowbank project and a shiduch made in Israel now also benefits folks on Scottish turf as well.
|
|
"The Meadowbank Community Football Club – the MCFC – was founded in 2003 to increase social and racial integration ikn Edinburgh and provides traditionally marginalized Edinburgh communities with regular access to football training and equipment," explained Leo above the whistle blowing and calling of instructions upon the playing fields of Wingate.
"We primarily work with refugees, asylum seekers, the homeless, disadvantaged youth and ex-offenders between the ages of 14-40," he added.
Back at Wingate, the brigade of 10-12 year olds standing in a circle are told to run to the right. Some chose the wrong direction and bump in to their neighbor and peals of laughter cross the field.
When instruction is given to run to the left, one rather small fellow isn't quite sure which way to turn. A much taller boy with a grin almost as wide as the goal, gives him a gentle shove in the right direction. The small boy is Jewish, the taller boy an Arab. A few minutes later, during break time – I see the Arab boy giving the Jewish kid some tips on how to remember which way is left, which way is right.
Those two boys are definitely heading in the right direction, blowing the whistle for co-operation, showing a red card to conflict and possibly dreaming together to return to the playing fields of Wingate in a few years time, practicing on the other side of the fence training to represent their country – together.
|
|
Last Update:
|
|
|
|
|
|
