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1- Twinned Peace Sports Schools Program.

Sport is a powerful tool for bringing people from different backgrounds together, providing a common platform for contact and interaction. In particular, Football, Basketball and Cricket – two very popular sports among both Palestinians and Israelis – have the power to unite youth from different sides of the divide, as Palestinians and Israelis play football and basketball according to the same rules, and even idolize the same sport stars.

Catering to boys aged 6 to 13, and girls aged 9 to 13, this extracurricular after-school program imparts the values of peace and mutual understanding, encourages acceptance of cultural differences, and breaks down negative stereotypes. Additional objectives include improving sports skills, coordination and agility; promoting excellence in competition; fostering confidence, leadership skills, sportsmanship and responsibility; and improving academic abilities and encouraging high scholastic performance.

The program includes four integral components:

(1) Sport Training.

(2) Peace Education Activities.

(3) An Auxiliary Educational Support Program.

(4) Joint Palestinian-Israeli Sporting and Social Activities.

The Palestinian and Israeli youth meet separately within their respective communities approximately 3-4 times weekly to participate in the first three components of the program. The groups then come together approximately once every three weeks for joint Palestinian-Israeli sporting and social activities. Additional activities are held throughout the year, including the annual Mini World Cup Tournament, summer camps, celebrations for the International Day of Peace, distribution of Back-To-School Kits, and end-of-year parties.

The program, which was launched in 2002 with a mere 70 participants on each side, currently reaches some 1,600 Palestinian and Israeli youth from disadvantaged and peripheral communities, and touches the lives of thousands more secondary and indirect beneficiaries.

With a view to broadening the circle of beneficiaries, parents are encouraged to become involved in the program, through meetings and communal events. In this vein, a joint Palestinian-Israeli Family Day is held annually, whereby members of participating communities are invited to take part in mixed social and sporting activities.

2- Language Bridges Program.

For the success of the project all participants learn basic Arabic or Hebrew in the Inter-Language Learning program.  This component is practical and uses vocabulary from the world of sport.  The children also learn about each other's cultures, religions, and traditions.

3- Apprentice Coaches Program.

This year for the first time, graduates of the Twinned Peace Sport Schools Program have enrolled in a special program of their own - the Twinned Peace Apprentice Coaches Program.

Each 'Apprentice Coach' will, whilst learning new sport training skills, also participate in this new program dedicated to connecting all apprentice coaches and engaging them in more sophisticated coexistence activities.

These 15-18 year olds are volunteering in their communities: ambassadors for the project's ideas - ambassadors for peace.

4- Training and Development Program for Coaches.

Alquds association for democracy and dialogue runs training and development seminars and holds joint meetings for Israeli and Palestinian coaches from the “Twinned Peace Sport Schools” program. The coaches meet regularly, with the sessions including instruction aimed at enhancing the capacities and abilities of the coaches, as well as social activities which encourage greater cooperation amongst them. In this way, the meetings help the coaches to maintain contact and to ensure that parallel programs are being implemented on the Palestinian and the Israeli side.

5- Peace Team Outreach Program: Delegations Abroad.

Various mixed Palestinian-Israeli youth delegations have had the opportunity to play together in exciting tournaments around the globe.

Playing abroad in teams comprised of Palestinian and Israeli youth gives the participants the opportunity to experience more intense interaction, as the youth travel, lodge and eat together throughout the duration of their visit.

The delegations serve as an inspirational opportunity to demonstrate how Israelis and Palestinians can overcome conflict and hostility and build positive and cooperative relations.

6- Mini World Cup Program.

The annual Mini-World Cup tournament, comprised of months of preliminary rounds and an exciting day of finals, is an excellent opportunity for the young participants from the "Twinned Peace Sport Schools" program to apply and display the skills which they have acquired through the program. Competing in mixed Palestinian-Israeli teams, under the banner of different national teams, the youngsters play against children of the same age from other Palestinian and Israeli communities.

Mid-way through the year, participants from the “Twinned Peace Sport Schools” program are divided into teams comprising Palestinians and Israelis. They compete in tournaments across three divisions, with separate tournaments held for 6 to 8 year olds, 9 to 10 year olds, and 11 to 13 year olds. The participants participate in the preliminary rounds of the tournament, with the top teams in each age division coming together for an exciting day of final matches. Diplomatic staff and other special guests are invited to attend the Mini-World Cup Final, cheering on their teams, and encouraging the youth.