PEACE and SPORT go together – Anatomy of Peace training in Cyprus

Belfast, Northern Ireland, 22 July 2010 –PeacePlayers International – Northern Ireland (PPI-NI) Managing Director Gareth Harper will be travelling to Cyprus this week to attend an international peace-through-sport training conference aptly titled: “The Anatomy of Peace.” The conference will be led by trainers from the Arbinger Institute and will bring together 40 participants from the United States, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, South Africa, the Middle East, Bulgaria, Morocco and Cyprus.

Mr. Harper said, ‘this will be the first time that representatives from each of the PeacePlayers sites will be in the same place at the same time. This face-to-face contact will provide an invaluable opportunity to network and share our personal international expertise and experiences.’

Participants will comprise staff from PeacePlayers International in Washington DC, Northern Ireland, the Middle East, South Africa and Cyprus, along with certified Anatomy of Peace trainer, Chad Ford, and representatives from three other organizations that use sport to effect social change: the Moroccan Association of Sister Cities International, the Primary School of Saints Cyril and Methodius (in Bulgaria), and Insaka–Ireland (Sport Against Racism).

The 2010 PeacePlayers International Anatomy of Peace training will focus on ways to coach basketball while incorporating principals that promote peace and understanding.

The project is funded by the Anna Lindh Foundation and the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation.

About PeacePlayers International: PeacePlayers International (PPI) is an innovative nonprofit organization that uses the game of basketball to unite, educate and inspire young people in divided communities. Founded in 2000 by Brendan and Sean Tuohey on the premise that children who play together can learn how to live together, PeacePlayers International currently operates programs in South Africa, Northern Ireland, Israel and the West Bank, and Cyprus that have collectively reached over 45,000 young people. For more information, please visit www.peaceplayersintl.org.