PPI-CY expects to have 11 teams running across Cyprus in 2011-12
PPI-CY did some shuffling of teams over the summer, parting ways with some teams that had outgrown the program. That is why this summer, PPI-CY Fellows and new Coordinator, Athanasios, went out to the villages to recruit new children. We began just outside of Cyprus’s capital of Nicosia, in an area full of rural Greek-Cypriot villages. These villages are home to thousands of young children who do not have access to quality basketball training.
Girls from a school in Dali laugh during a taster session in September
We started by contacting the schools’ headmasters, and arranging ‘taster sessions’ where we hold a special hour practice for 100 kids to give them a taste of what PeacePlayers is all about. Normally the taster sessions involve high-energy drills such as dribbling relays and defensive foot fires. And we always like to incorporate some fun games, like dribble to the cone and show us your favorite dance move. Check out this video from a taster session performed in Peristerona last year:
After a taster session is done, we then locate a qualified local coach to begin setting up regular basketball practices for 12-15 kids twice a week. Those practices are visited by the Fellows and Coordinator to help the coach get started. Over the last month, we have set up teams in Dali, Agia Varvara, and Kiti, all rural villages with a total population of around 12,000.
International Fellow, Gunnar, and Coordinator, Athanasios, lead the kids through some defensive drills
At the same time, we have started a new team in the Turkish-Cypriot village of Akdogan (Lysi) on the north side of Cyprus. The team in Akdogan will be coached by 5 year PPI-CY coach, Bahar Mevlit, who recently got a new job as a PE teacher in the school there. In addition, we are also looking to open two new teams in the Turkish-Cypriot community of Nicosia, and in Kyrenia.
As we enter the 2011-12 year, everyone here is excited to work with some fresh faces.
While we are sad to move away from our long time teams in Agros and Famagusta, we will continue to work with the kids with from those sites, bringing them to our tournaments, and inviting them to partake in our Leadership Development Program for kids 16-18 years old.
Make sure to join our Facebook Group to see new videos and photos from our new teams!
