Publication |
2011.
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Summary/Abstract |
The Sport Department at the Peres Center for Peace. together with its Palestinian partner organization the Al-Quds Association For Democracy and Dialogue, uses football (soccer) to create dialogue between girls and boys from lsrael and the Occupied Territories , enhancing peace-building '-efforts and strengthening their individual and social skills. In this way, young men and women are able to become vocal proponents for peace 'rather than powerless bystanders. The Twinned Peace Sport Schools for _Girls program - - which was established in 2006 after identifying the need for a separate girls' program -- annually bene?ts 100 girls between the 'ges ofnine and I5 from the surrounding Palestinian communities oFBei1 afafa, Beit Sahour. Jericho and Ein Rafa, and the underprivileged (mostly servative and right-wing) lsraeli communities ofKiryat Gat, Merchavim, eruham. liin Karem and Kibbutz Sde Yoav. This unique girls' program if _ s to accommodate religious and cultural considerations on both sides, ttract more girls and women to sports, promote gender equity and create ique opportunity for the participants to get to know "the other side." it project, while being sensitive to cultural needs, is still ditional ideas ofthe role ofgirls and women in society At the Peres Center for Peace, we believe that sports have the capacity Ztranscend factional con?icts and bring disparate groups together. Our s projects cut across pre-existing ties based on Israeli or Palestinian tonality and create new group identity
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