Kfar Blum Kibbutz, Israel

October 15th-17th

From October 15th through 17th, approximately 45 PeacePlayers International – Middle East Palestinian and Israeli participants and coaches traveled to the northern Israeli kibbutz of Kfar Blum for two days of intensive training workshops. The weekend marked a key step in their own development as peer-mentors and local leaders, but it also marked a milestone for PeacePlayers International as a whole – the first full-scale implementation of PeacePlayers International's new peacebuilding toolkit and curriculum, developed in partnership with the Arbinger Institute and the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation.

The curriculum teaches conflict resolution through basketball by integrating a "conflict transformation” philosophy developed by the Arbinger Institute with a unique set of on-the-court lessons and drills. The philosophy revolves around the concept of “the Box,” a term for a state of being which prevents individuals from seeing others as people with feelings and needs equal to their own. “In the box,” an individual can feel angry and resentful, perpetuating cycles of blame and anger. “Out of the box,” an individual can see other perspectives and new solutions, leaving them capable of approaching conflicts proactively– be they personal, religious or political.

But getting “out of the box” once inside can be a very difficult task. So PPI’s curriculum teaches children ways to avoid getting trapped to begin with, both on the basketball court and in life. The children at the retreat practiced exercises like “The Box Drill,” which uses different ways of playing defense to illustrate how life feels “inside” versus “outside” the box. (To learn more about the curriculum, click here.)

By the end of the weekend, the children were able to play an entire “out of the box” basketball game, during which they saw everyone – teammates as well as opponents, referees and coaches – as people. They could move beyond incidents that used to cause controversy, like hard fouls or bad calls, instead focusing on ways they can act responsibly and help their teams. The children will return to their teams as examples for their peers, modeling positive “out of the box” attitudes and behavior, and the coaches will return practiced in teaching the new curriculum to others. (Click here to learn more about the children's experience at the retreat).

The continued transmission of the curriculum downstream – from Arbinger and PPI – ME’s leadership, to its coaches, to its youngest participants, who can then progress to become coaches and leaders themselves – is the key to PeacePlayers International’s plans for long-term sustainability, both empowering local communities to creatively face their own internal conflicts and allowing the dispersion of the curriculum among other organizations and practitioners.

Significantly, this retreat marked the first time that PPI – ME conducted intensive training without the help of its consultant from the Arbinger Institute, Dr. Chad Ford, and, though Dr. Ford was missed by all, several coaches and staff members involved commented that it was one of the program’s most successful events to date.

Along with its suite of tools for monitoring and evaluation, this facet of the curriculum and toolkit – its transferability – represents one PeacePlayers International’s proudest accomplishments to date. Though 45 coaches and participants traveled to Kfar Blum, PeacePlayers International expects the work accomplished there to impact many, many more.