Mike, a former Fellow in the Middle East, draws up a play.
Ellen, a current Fellow in Northern Ireland, giving a young PeacePlayer a lift.
“From the Field” is primarily the work of a particular group within PeacePlayers International, the “PeacePlayers International Fellows,” a group of young scholar-athletes that volunteer with PPI all around the world. Most of the time, what you read here is written by a Fellow, and when it isn’t, they’ve usually gone out and done the leg work to recruit an alternate contributor. But the Fellows’ importance to PPI goes far beyond a few hundred words and some pretty pictures each week – they form a key element in the partnership at the heart of PPI’s methodology.
The primary implementers of programs in all our sites are local coach-mentors drawn from the communities they serve, who report to, and receive ongoing professional training from, a diverse team of local managers, continually cultivating local capacity and expertise. To support these local leaders, PPI recruits and trains the Fellows – outstanding post-collegiate young adults, most often from the United States, who volunteer with PPI programs abroad for two-year terms. The Fellows are in the field to assist and support local staffs – serving as neutral facilitators, adding in-house basketball expertise, bringing an exotic element of excitement and fun, and lending a hand across all functional areas. This unique collaboration between young adults and community leaders abroad underlies all of PPI’s locally tailored, sustainable basketball and peacebuilding programs.
Tim (right), a Fellow in South Africa, with S'bo Vilakazi (center), PPI - SA's Managing Director, and Ryan Douwie (left), PPI - SA's Operations Manager.
Fellows typically come to PPI with a Bachelor’s degree and either a graduate degree or a few years of professional experience. Their background is diverse – right now PPI has Fellows with backgrounds in business, finance, sports, Middle East studies, nonprofit administration and more – but they’re all leaders, professionals, and devoted workers for peace. Previous Fellows have gone on to work for the NBA, the United Nations, and Division I NCAA basketball programs, or attend graduate schools like Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business and Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, just to name a few.
So to our current crop of Fellows – Tim, Claire, Ellen, Will, Julie, Rory, Gunnar, and Adam – thank you so much for your work! To our previous Fellows – too numerous to name here – know that your work is appreciated and extended continually by your successors. And if you think you might be a future Fellow, visit our website to learn more.
Teams from North Nicosia and the English School in Cyprus, with their Fellows, Rory (top row, far right), Gunnar (top row, far left), and Adam (bottom row, with basketball).
