PeacePlayers 2023 Impact Report 5 18 (5) - Flipbook - Page 52
— GLOBAL SITES: UNITED STATES —
CATCHING UP WITH ONYEKA AND ALESHA
We talked to Onyeka Arah, a PeacePlayers alumna and current board
member, as well as with PeacePlayers Brooklyn Director Alesha
Smith about the vital role basketball has played in their lives and the
transformative power it holds for the young people of PeacePlayers U.S.
CAN YOU TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOURSELF?
Onyeka: I am a first generation Nigerian American, born and raised in Silver Spring, Maryland.
Currently, I am a Junior at the University of Maryland, studying sociology and public policy with a
focus on nonprofit leadership and social innovation. I grew up playing basketball, first and foremost.
I actually participated in the first [PeacePlayers] United States Leadership Development Program.
We were coached in basketball and leadership skills, and ended up culminating that experience
with a trip to the Middle East. So traveling to the Middle East, and just finding out how global this
movement is, and how sport can change people’s lives, that’s really what brought me to where I am
today. More recently, I was a youth development coach and then an Up2Us coach [at PeacePlayers
Baltimore], and then from there I did the PeacePlayers Fellowship. And now I’m a PeacePlayers U.S.
Board Member.
Alesha: Although I have a very Southern accent, I was actually born in Brooklyn, but I was raised
in Athens, Georgia. I grew up in a basketball family and I played basketball my entire life. When
it finally came time to put my sneakers up for good, I decided that I wanted to go into a career
dedicated to empowering people.
When I was later introduced to PeacePlayers, I totally fell in love. Beyond just putting kids on a
basketball court, they were teaching those conflict resolution skills, teaching those peacebuilding
skills, teaching those leadership skills. It was clear that the work was bigger than just basketball so
it was a no-brainer saying “yes” to the Director role. I have spent almost a decade working in the
NYC nonprofit sector and I am proud to say that my work is dedicated to the intersection of sport
and social change. At PeacePlayers I am able to combine my love for social justice, my love for
community, and my love for basketball into this one thing.
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