PEACEPLAYERS INTERNATIONAL

The legacy of the conflict in Northern Ireland (known as the ‘Troubles’) still overshadows relations between Protestants and Catholics. Despite the existence of a decades-old peace agreement, divisions between the two groups continue to permeate practically every facet of life, including the areas in which they live in, the sports they play and the schools' children and young people attend. Additionally, 22 years after the signing of the Good Friday Agreement, 93% percent of Northern Ireland’s youth still attend segregated schools.
PeacePlayers Northern Ireland (PP-NI) is a locally-led and independently registered charity that was established in 2002 to provide a rare opportunity for Catholic and Protestant youth to form friendships and advocate for reconciliation and shared society. PP-NI helps 2,000 youth each year challenge religious divisions, prejudice, and racism through sport.

Almost 30 years after the end of Apartheid, a system of institutional racial segregation instituted by the white minority, South Africa still feels its effects: Racial divides, tensions and inequities limit resources and opportunities for the majority of citizens, leading to resentment, anger and even violence. Inequity and lack of opportunities are also rooted in other challenges, such as gender-based violence, HIV/AIDS and teenage pregnancy.
PeacePlayers South Africa (PP-SA) is a locally-led independently registered charity that was established in 2001 to offer vital athletic, educational and social opportunities to South Africa’s youth. PP-SA unites youth from diverse and divided communities, through sustained sports-based programming led by committed local coaches and grounded in leadership development and conflict transformation.

In the small Mediterranean island of Cyprus, a UN Buffer Zone put into place after the 1974 inter-ethnic war still physically divides Greek-Cypriot and Turkish-Cypriot communities. Established in 2006, PeacePlayers Cyprus is a locally-led and independently registered charity that is the only youth sports organization uniting Greek-Cypriot and Turkish-Cypriot youth throughout the year. Thanks to PeacePlayers, youth from both sides of the island play, learn, and build meaningful friendships, replacing generations of mistrust with a future of peace and unity. PP-CY reaches 250 participants per year, and to date has transformed the lives of 4,000 young people from 15 communities on both sides of the island.

Systemic racism in America has engendered racial inequities and divisions in every facet of life: housing, education, health and involvement in the criminal justice system. Due to this inequity, children of color are denied opportunities to excel and thrive.
PeacePlayers United States (PP-US) is a locally-led and independently registered charity that uses basketball to create a movement of youth leaders who are coming together across racial divides to advocate together for a more equitable future. PP-US is currently active in five cities across the country: Baltimore, Brooklyn, Los Angeles, Chicago and Detroit, and has reached 45 community partners and impacted 2,000 youth since 2017.

With nearly two decades of experience implementing high-impact sports for social change programs around the globe, PeacePlayers has developed impactful and proven methods for using sports as a tool for social change, to empower young people, and help communities overcome cycles of conflict and alienation. With a seed investment from Laureus Sports for Good Foundation, PeacePlayers created the Sport for Peace Innovation Network (SPIN) in order to share the methods and resources it has developed using sports to bridge divides and cultivate leaders in diverse cultures and contexts around the world. Services include assistance in curriculum development, monitoring and evaluation and program design. In addition to serving as a vital income-generating initiative, SPIN also helps PeacePlayers expand its reach to a large number of external organizations that will aid in furthering our mission.

Through SPIN, PeacePlayers has built the capacity of sports for social change organizations in Ireland, Northern Ireland, Morocco, Bulgaria, Chicago and Kansas City (USA), Brazil, Argentina, Rwanda, South Africa, Switzerland, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Uganda, Hong Kong and Yemen.