Impact Report - 2025 DRAFT-2 - Flipbook - Page 4
DEAR FRIENDS,
There are moments in this work that stay with you. One of those moments this year came
from our PeacePlayers Middle East U14 All-Stars, a team of Palestinian and Israeli girls
who continue to choose each other, despite a reality that often pushes them not to. At the
start of the game, it was clear they were not welcome. As the only integrated team in the
league, at a time when trauma and prejudice have led to greater opposition for coexistence efforts, this unfriendly reception was not uncommon. At this particular game,
taunts echoed across the gym, and by halftime Lin, a young Palestinian player, was in tears
after being targeted throughout the first half. Then something remarkable happened.
Ofri, an Israeli teammate, stepped into the huddle and said, “We are together. No matter
what happens, we have each other.” When they returned to the court, she stayed at Lin’s
side. The All-Stars went on to win, but what mattered most was the strength they found in
each other, and the proof that connection can outlast hostility.
This past year, we saw that spirit of courage and connection across all our global sites. A
University of Minnesota study revealed how profoundly PeacePlayers coaches in the U.S.
shape young lives. In South Africa, external evaluations showed that youth are motivated to
stand up for people of different racial backgrounds, even when it feels difficult. In Northern
Ireland, the vast majority of participants reported more positive attitudes toward those from
different religious traditions, and were forming real friendships across divides. Across every
region, the message is the same. When young people feel supported and seen, they
choose connection over division.
It was also a year of new beginnings. In Detroit, the Friendship Games brought together
100 young people from around the world, many traveling for the first time and stepping
into leadership roles they never imagined for themselves.
We are building on that momentum. Our new Virtual Learning Hub allows a young person
in Belfast to learn alongside someone in Johannesburg, Los Angeles, or Jerusalem,
expanding the reach of our curriculum, building new relationships, and strengthening our
global community of young leaders. We also launched the PeacePlayers Online Store as a
sustainable engine for storytelling and long-term organizational resilience.
In this report, you will meet young people like Ofri and Lin who have made the brave
choice to connect rather than divide. They are the reason we continue to believe that, even
in the hardest moments, peace is still possible. Thank you for standing with us. Thank you
for believing that young people can lead us somewhere better. Together, we will build a
world where connection is the most powerful play.
3
WITH GRATITUDE AND HOPE,
PEACEPLAYERS
