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March 5, 2009
Like any athletic competition, Ultimate Frisbee is governed by rules — what constitutes a point, when to substitute a player, how to initiate action.
Yet it’s what the sport lacks that makes it unique: referees.
“There’s instant conflict resolution on the field,” says David Barkan, a former competitive Ultimate player and one of three directors of the Ultimate Peace project. “It’s a noncontact, nonviolent sport that builds accountability and responsibility.”
So can throwing a plastic disc to teammates engaged in a game hold the key to fostering peace between Israelis and Palestinians? Perhaps.
“If there’s going to be change in the Middle East,” says Barkan, “they have to work out the little arguments before the bigger ones.”
In April, 20 of Ultimate Frisbee’s top players will head to Israel for Ultimate Peace in the Middle East, a five-day event bringing together disadvantaged youths from Israeli and Palestinian communities for clinics, scrimmages, and tournaments in Tel Aviv.
Additionally, there will be workshops and a tournament for adults, professional exhibitions, and social events.
On the final day, Ultimate coaches will go into the children’s communities to meet their teachers, families, and athletic leaders. They will distribute Ultimate Frisbee manuals in Hebrew and Arabic in an effort to build on the lessons learned at the clinics and tournaments.
“I picked coaches whom I considered to be great players and volunteers,” says Barkan. “They’re unique, charismatic, fun, great role models. I’m hoping we can connect with the participants.”
Ultimate Peace, which uses the rules and philosophies of Ultimate Frisbee as tools for understanding different social and cultural backgrounds, is partnering with the Peres Center for Peace, a nonprofit organization founded by Israeli President Shimon Peres. The Peres Center will bring the most important element of the game: the players.
“It is the team sports [that] offer the most in terms of creating a sense of togetherness and a new identity for Palestinians and Israelis,” says Gal Peleg, director of sports with the Peres Center. “Such sports teach the youngsters that they can communicate with each other on the field and, hopefully, with proper guidance they can reflect those lessons also in their daily lives.”
Kids from the Twinned Peace Sport Schools project, which engages youth in a weekly schedule of sports training and peace education at the Peres Center, will be bused in for the community event. Each of the 150 participants will receive an official jersey and pair of shorts. “The swag gets the kids in,” Barkan says.
“We’re there to focus on fun, not to talk politics. The kids live in a tough place with a lot of bad things happening. We want them to have fun in their lives and Ultimate should be a part of it.”
Right now, Barkan, who has lived in both Haifa and Jerusalem, is looking to raise about $35,000 to produce the event and is actively seeking donors, partners, and sponsors. Every aspect of Ultimate Peace in the Middle East is free for the participants.
Ultimate Frisbee has been a constant in Barkan’s life. He’s played competitively for different teams, including the Matza Balls, which brought together the best Jewish Ultimate players in the country.
In 2005, the Matza Balls were invited to play in an Ultimate tournament in Israel. While there, team members led instructional workshops for Israeli kids and adults. This time around, Ultimate Peace directors and coaches wanted to include Palestinians in the peace-building activities.
“My dream is for there to be Ultimate teams coming out of this region in the future,” Barkan says. “That would be fantastic.”
For more information about Ultimate Peace in the Middle East, visit www.ultimatepeace.org.
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