In the summer of 2006, amidst the hostilities on the Israel-Lebanon border, and the suffering endured by both populations, the Peres Center launched the Palestinian-Israeli "Summer Camps for Sport and Coexistence", holding three cycles for youth from the "Twinned Peace Sport Schools" program in July and August. The three week-long camps engaged 180 youth aged 10 to 12 years in programs of sporting and cultural activities.

 

The children – from the Palestinian communities of Jericho, Aqbat Jaber Refugee Camp, Jaba, Ein Rafa, and Beit Safafa and the Israeli communities of Yeruham, Kiriyat Gat and Be'er Tuvya – enjoyed the Palestinian-Israeli environment, competing in mixed teams in football and basketball matches, visiting the Science Museum in Jerusalem, and making artwork during "Coexistence" – an artistic educational workshop facilitated by the Peres Center with the Museum on the Seam. Each one week camp culminated in a special event for the Palestinian and Israeli children and their families, which included activities in mixed groups and the awarding of medals of excellence to the children.

 

The Peres Center's 2006 "Summer Camps for Sport and Coexistence" were sponsored by the Francois-Xavier Bagnoud Association.

 

 

In July and August 2007, the Peres Center held additional cycles of summer camps for Palestinian and Israeli youth. Thethree week-long sessions catered to a total of 360 children from numerous Palestinian and Israeli communities, including Beit Safafa, Kiriyat Gat, Jericho, Ein Rafa, Abu Tor, Yeruham, Kiriyat Malachi and Kiriyat Ekron.

 

Throughout the summer, the youth engaged in various recreational, sporting, artistic and educational activities, including Peace Education games, educational excursions to the Science Museum, artistic workshops, film evenings, horse-back riding, trips to an amusement park and excursions to the Science Museum.

 

Toward the end of each session, parents and family members were invited to take part ina social event, allowing an opportunity for the families of the youngsters to meet and interact. One such event resulted in a huge turnout of 200 family members, who all came to demonstrate their support of such peacebuilding programs.

 

By the end of the summer, the youth had succeeded in developing warm friendships with one another, and these unique relationships will continue to flourish and grow during the 2007-2008 year of "Twinned Peace Sport Schools" activities.

 

The Peres Center's 2007 "Summer Camps for Sport and Coexistence" were sponsored by the Francois-Xavier Bagnoud Association.

 

 

In July 2008, two special week-long summer camps were held – "Summer Camps for Sport and Peace", sponsored by the Region of Tuscany and implemented in cooperation with the Palestinian Dialogue Center. Catering to 120 boys and girls from Gaza and Sderot, the children enjoyed coexistence workshops, sport instruction, excursions and other recreational activities. Significantly, this summer camp marked the first timesince 2002 that Palestinian children from the Gaza Strip participated in the Peres Center's sport activities, and thereby represented a unique platform for such youngsters to meet and build friendships. In recent years, the communities of Gaza and Sderot have been the most heavily affected by the ongoing conflict, and as such, the program provided an invaluable and much-needed opportunity for these youngsters to experience values of coexistence, positive dialogue and respect for the "other side".

In addition, a week-long summer camp was held for 60 Palestinian and Israeli boys from Kiryat Gat, Tulkarem, Ramallah, and East Jerusalem. Sponsored by Irish Aid, supported by Irish Foreign Minister Micheál Martin and implemented in cooperation with Palestinian partner the Al-Quds Association for Democracy and Dialogue, the "Football Village for Hope" offered recreational, educational and peacebuilding activities to the young participants, including football training, art seminars, coexistence workshops and a meeting with the players of Israeli football club Maccabi Haifa. Furthermore, the young campers enjoyed the chance to train with professional staff from the Football Association of Ireland and were honored to meet former captain of the legendary Argentinean football team and former coach Daniel Passarella, as well as Irish Ambassador to Israel H.E. Michael Forbes.

 

 

In July 2009, 120 underprivileged Palestinian and Israeli children took part in this year’s first two sessions of the Peres Center Summer Camps for Sport and Coexistence. The Palestinian children were from communities in Gaza and Ramalla and the Israeli children live in the communities of Sderot, Kiryat Gat and Yeruham. Mr. Toschi of the Region of Tuscany, who played a pivotal role in initiating the project, made an inspirational visit to the camp. The camp took place on Kibbutz Gal-On, and included a wide range of fun activities such as sports, swimming, Darbukka drumming, frisbee, a visit to the science museum in Jerusalem, and a trip to an amusement park. In a special art and peace education workshop, the children had the opportunity to share their thoughts and feelings about coexistence between Israelis and Palestinians. The initiative was partnered with the Palestinian Dialogue Center and was made possible through the generous support of the Region of Tuscany.

Some of the comments received from the Israeli and Palestinian children:

 

 

In August 2009, over 100 underprivileged Palestinian and Israeli children came together for the second annual Football Village of Hope camp, which fosters mutual understanding, builds lasting friendships, and creates a new generation of youth advocates for peace. The camp is run jointly by the Peres Center Sport Department and the Palestinian organization, the Al-Quds Association for Democracy and Dialogue. The children played, learned, and lived together, enjoying football, swimming and other sports, educational and cultural activities, and peace education workshops. In addition to their Israeli and Palestinian coaches, the children were joined by professionals from the Football Association of Ireland. They visited the training ground of Israel’s Premier League champions Maccabi Haifa, and met the players. Football Village of Hope is organized with the help of Milo Corcoran, former President of the Football Association of Ireland and current Chairman of the FAI's International Committee and by Ophir Zardok, former manager of Drogheda United FC. The camp is generously funded by the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs, through the Irish Aid program and is supported by Minister Michéal Martin and his predecessor, Minister Dermot Ahern. A reflection from Anwar, the head Palestinian Coach: “This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the kids to meet ‘the other side’ and to work together on the common goal of a better future."

 

 

In August 2009, 13 children from the Twinned Peace Basketball Schools project travelled to Spain to participate in the Youth Campus Basketball Camp, which was jointly sponsored by Casa Sefarad-Israel and the Basketball Foundation for Culture and Society. The children were from the Israeli community of Kiryat Gat and the Arab-Israeli community of Ein Rafa. They were joined by a delegation of 15 Spanish child cancer survivors, organized by the Fundacion Cesare Scariolo. In addition to their intense schedule of basketball and fitness training the children enjoyed a visit to see the national basketball team practice and an opportunity to play in a streetball tournament. World basketball champions Pau and Marc Gasol, Rudy Fernández, Calderón, Garbajosa, Ricky Rubio, and Felipe Reyes, took part in their daily basketball training sessions and shared in the promotion of multiculturalism and integration through sport.