OTISFIELD, MAINE | For the second year in a row, basketball stars from the National Basketball Association (NBA) will hold a clinic, Play for Peace, at the Seeds of Peace Camp in Otisfield, Maine.
Players attending include Brent Barry, Carlos Boozer, Jarron Collins, Jason Collins, T.J. Ford, and Brian Scalabrine. The players will be welcomed on July 30-31 at the Seeds of Peace Camp by Israeli, Palestinian, Egyptian, Jordanian, Tunisian and Qatari youth participating in the Camp’s second session and learning the critical skills necessary for peacemaking and reconciliation.
Beyond teaching basketball fundamentals, the Play for Peace clinic will help these Middle East teens understand the value of teamwork and cooperation, as enemies become teammates on the basketball court. Play for Peace was organized by Arn Tellem, President and CEO of SFX Basketball group, agent for the players, and Seeds of Peace Board Member.
“This visit is not only a learning experience for the campers but also a learning experience for these NBA players. It is important for the players to do their part to promote coexistence and understanding and relate this experience to many of the issues they confront in daily life in the NBA—particularly the issue of race,” commented Tellem.
NBA stars include Brent Barry of the Seattle Supersonics, Carlos Boozer of the Cleveland Cavaliers, T.J. Ford, top pick of the Milwaukee Bucks, Jarron Collins of the Utah Jazz, and Jason Collins and Brian Scalabrine of the New Jersey Nets. Don Casey, former coach of the New Jersey Nets and Los Angeles Clippers who has led similar clinics in Bosnia, Haiti, and Ecuador, will help coach the clinic. The players will work with the campers on basketball fundamentals, teamwork drills, and will hold a variety of contests.
“Sports, and in particular, basketball, is a very important part in the camp experience,” said Tim Wilson, Camp Director at Seeds of Peace. “On the court, teenagers are forced to confront the hatred that makes them hesitate to pass the ball to their Israeli or Palestinian teammate. They have to learn to work together, and trust the person whom they’ve been taught is the enemy, if they want to succeed. The visit of NBA players will be an important and exciting way to learn these lessons.”
This is the second year for the Seeds of Peace Play for Peace clinic. Last year, Barry, Boozer, and Casey attended along with B.J. Armstrong (Chicago Bulls), Mike Dunleavy Jr. (Golden State Warriors) and Antawn Jamison (Golden State Warriors).
Said Barry of last year’s experience, “It was amazing for me to see how resilient and committed these kids are to peace and breaking the cycles of violence. It makes me believe that there is hope.”
Following Play for Peace, Seeds of Peace will be involved in another major sporting event acting as the beneficiary in the 6th Peoples Beach to Beacon 10K along the Maine coast on August 2.
Since 1993, Seeds of Peace has graduated over 2,000 teenagers representing 22 nations from its internationally recognized conflict-resolution and coexistence program. Through the Camp in Maine and at its Center for Coexistence in Jerusalem, participants develop empathy, respect, communication/negotiation skills, confidence, and hope—the building blocks for peaceful coexistence. A jointly published newspaper, list-serve, educational conferences and seminars provide year-round follow-up programming. The Seeds of Peace Camp is located at 183 Powhatan Road in Otisfield, Maine.