PeacePlayers – Northern Ireland

Our Goal is improved relations between the historically divided community of Northern Ireland.
Our Vision is of inspired and confident children and young people building positive relationships and
promote sustainable peace in Northern Ireland.

Our Mission is to use sport, in particular the game of basketball, to create opportunities for young
leaders to promote respect and mutual understanding between the historically divided community of
Northern Ireland.

The Good Friday Agreement may have eliminated the physical boundaries and acute violence of the
Troubles, but at its core, Northern Ireland remains a starkly divided society. Divided often by
neighbourhood, sports affiliation, political beliefs, religious affinity, schools and more – we are still trying to
find out what it means to live together in peace.

Background:
For the past 20 years, PeacePlayers has shown that peace is possible. We’ve cultivated a community of
25,000 youth from diverse groups, giving them the skills and the confidence to act as leaders and change
agents in their schools and neighbourhoods.

PeacePlayers uses basketball to build lasting friendships among young people from communities with
histories of conflict, teaches them the dynamics of conflict and how to overcome it, and most importantly,
how to share this knowledge with others.