PLAY FOR PEACE
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Mission Statement
For almost 25 years, our organization has been working towards the mission of bringing together children, youth and organizations from communities in conflict, using cooperative play to create laughter, compassion and peace. Through the power of play, in that space before dialogue, we bridge divides between groups. Laughing together diminishes fear of each other - and fear is one of the most basic ingredients for intolerance, racism and violence. The method of cooperative play takes away the pressure of winning and losing and focuses on the process of play and group formation, instead of the result. At Play for Peace, everybody is invited and, everyone wins. Play for Peace is currently active in over 60 communities that suffer from conflict in 22 different countries. Our Global Learning Community consists of 64 certified trainers, 1812 trained youth leaders, 180 mentors and 52 partner organizations.
About This Cause
Play for Peace is a community of people who are, right now, creating a more peaceful world. In fact, one of the most exciting things about Play for Peace is that at any time of day or night Play for Peace is happening somewhere in the world. Children, youth, and adults, even in communities in conflict, are choosing compassion and practicing peace, and they are learning to do this through the joy of play. Few things can provide a common link between people like laughter and play. Through cooperative play, we have a universal and non-threatening platform around which people can come together and learn. Play creates a gateway to moments when differences dissolve, fear melts away, and we see what connects us rather than what divides us. At Play for Peace we believe; Everyone can be an architect, builder, and leader for peace. Every community can create and sustain peace. Play is one of the most innovative catalysts for peace in the world today. If Play for Peace is happening around the world, it is through one of our two activities; Play for Peace Training Workshops or Practice Peace Sessions, which are supported by our members, including our Certified Trainers, Play for Peace Club and Mentors, and our Partners for Peace. Together these programs encourage people to shift from a place of isolation, fear, and violence to a place of inspiration, collaboration, and connection. Entire communities begin to unlearn previously held biases and take action together. It is playful action that inspires people from different cultures to reach across barriers and boundaries. In the realm of play, pure creativity exists and transformation occurs. From this place of transformation, communities have the foundation to generate new avenues for building peace. The Play for Peace methods are based on theoretical frameworks such as system theory and play theory, and have been subject to research projects regarding its positive impact on communities that face conflict and divides. Our method consists in intensively training youth in different aspects of leadership, facilitation of cooperative games and activities and project management. The youth leaders usually meet weekly to plan and practice their peace education activities. They create safe spaces for children and community members of different religious, cultural and ethnic background to meet and play together in Practice Peace Sessions, creating bonds and friendships that often last a lifetime. The activities do not just have a positive impact on the children that benefit from them, but also leads to a shift in the youth towards more confidence in themselves, and the desire to be successful, which peace is a necessary condition for (Gass et al. 2016). In Hyderabad, India it was possible through Play for Peace activities to significantly reduce school dropouts that were a direct consequence of violence and discrimination towards members of different social castes. In Palencia, Guatemala, the major confirms that “because of the presence of Play for Peace there is less violence caused by youth gang members, because the youth is engaged in meaningful activities that enables them to be in charge of making a positive change in the community.” A case study research conducted by Michael Gass from the University of New Hampshire (Gass et al., 2016), confirmed the effectiveness of the Play for Peace violence prevention model and shows the integrated process of participants moving through action and reflection from the individual cycle to the group cycle, to finally the community cycle, where they become a leader in Play for Peace in community activities. Play for Peace decided in 2016 to put strategic emphasis on strengthening our programs in the United States, the country where our organization was founded. We believe, that with our expertise of almost 20 years in peace building and violence prevention in the United States and around the Globe, and your support, we can transform communities through empowering young people to taking on leadership roles in their communities. Play for Peace counts on a broad network of certified trainers, partner organizations and Play for Peace clubs who are already working in communities e.g. in Chicago or Los Angeles, and we are ready to scale up our efforts where they are most needed - in communities divided by conflict. We are right now looking for supporters who will help us scale our efforts globally. The goal of the PFP clubs is to change young lives, educate children, and transform neighborhoods. The first goal is to change the lives of youth through leadership training and the development of cohesive working teams. In learning to work together, youth gain confidence in their skills and live more responsible, positive, and fulfilling lives. The second goal is to educate younger peers by planning, organizing, and facilitating cooperative play. These activities teach children about respect, tolerance, problem solving, communication and teamwork. The third goal is for youth to lead collaborative, peace-focused activities with adult and community organizations. This creates opportunities for youth leaders to promote peace in their communities. The story of Play for Peace begins in 1996 when Michael Terrien, a corporate trainer from Chicago, was invited to lead healing retreat for survivors and families who had lost loved ones in the Oklahoma City bombing earlier that year. While planning the session with co-facilitator, Faith Evans, Faith asked “Michael, what is the highest purpose of play? Michael replied “peace”. Faith went on to share how she had just had a dream in which she saw a big red ball bouncing through the Balkans toward Jerusalem. Michael felt the power behind this idea. He invited Craig Dobkin, also a corporate trainer and outdoors educator, to join him in making this dream into reality. Just a few months earlier, Michael and Craig had been working together with a corporate group when Craig fell setting up rappels and was seriously injured. They united in a new journey together bringing Play for Peace to the world. While the red bouncing ball began as a metaphor, it has become a reality and our mission of bringing together children, youth and organizations from communities in conflict, using cooperative play, to create laughter, compassion and peace is happening now all over the globe. Even though Play for Peace is now present in many different countries with clubs, programs and volunteers, the pillar programs that continue on today began in the United States, Israel, Guatemala and India led by our guiding beliefs. In 1999, Play for Peace youth and adults from the United States, Guatemala, India, the Middle East gathered in South Africa for the World Parliament of Religions and became key to bringing together the thousands of attendees from all over the world. Today Play for Peace clubs are active in the United States, Guatemala, Costa Rica, Greece, Israel, Italy, Mexico, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Senegal, South Africa, South Sudan, India, and Vietnam. We would greatly appreciate if you could consider supporting our work. We are happy to answer any questions you may have, please reach out to us via email, phone or contact form on the website.