PeacePlayers 2023 Impact Report 5 18 (5) - Flipbook - Page 54
— GLOBAL SITES: UNITED STATES —
I never saw this
path for myself, but
basketball brought
me here.
PEACEPLAYERS
HELPED BRING
ME HERE.
So, it’s going to be
amazing to see
where all the young
PeacePlayers go, and
all the doors that
open up for them,
largely because they
participated in our
program.
-Onyeka
SO WHEN A YOUNG PERSON COMES TO YOUR PROGRAM IN BROOKLYN, WHAT DO
YOU THINK THEY’RE LOOKING FOR?
Onyeka: Some of the kids come because they love
basketball. Also, many parents need somewhere
to keep their kids after school, and
we provide free programming and
we also feed the kids after programming.
The parents know, ‘This is a safe place for my child
to be until I get off of work.’ But many of the kids,
and specifically the girls, I’ve noticed, they come for
friendship. They come for social interaction. They
come for fun. Not everyone really wants to be a
competitive basketball player. Not everyone is super
interested or even fully understands the leadership
aspect, or the conflict resolution aspect. But everyone
does know what it feels like to have friends, and to
have coaches who look out for you and will listen to
you.
Alesha: Often, kids come in thinking that PeacePlayers is just your typical basketball team. They are
ready to lace up and play basketball, but are pleasantly surprised that they get much more than that
from us. We provide young people with a safe place to be themselves, trained coach mentors that
support them, leadership and career development, and life changing opportunities to take part in
global trips and exchanges. They may come into our program knowing no one, but having joined us,
they are not only members of a youth movement but members of a true family.
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