The Ultimate Goal

We have talked about the sport of ultimate frisbee before (Ahmedabad Ultimate in India) and came across another example of a very simple, straightforward activity can be a valuable resource in addressing a seemingly very complicated issue.

At Change.org, Michael Jones has written about the organization Ultimate Peace.  From Michael’s article,

“Seeing the sport as an opportunity to facilitate collaboration, sportsmanship, and nonviolence between both Israel and Palestine, David and Dori joined with Linda to launch “Ultimate Peace,” as well as what became known as “Ultimate Peace in the Middle East,” a series of camps put on by “Ultimate Peace” where Israeli and Palestinian children come together to learn about the sport of Ultimate, and play some spirited matches.

“Ultimate Peace has a clear vision for the future: Israeli and Palestinian youth  playing side by side, forging new connections, developing a deeper understanding of one another, and bonding through the shared athletic experience of playing one of the fastest growing sports in the world, Ultimate Frisbee,” the folks behind “Ultimate Peace” write. “Ultimate Peace aims to promote peace in the Middle East, one game at a time.””

The situation in the Middle East seems intractable. Maybe because many of the strategies in addressing the problem have either not been sincere, have not taken the other side’s interest into consideration, or because we are dealing with the wrong audience. The conflict in the region is generations old. Maybe we need to look at a generations-long strategy. One part of that may be to bring young people together in an environment of friendship, respect, teamwork and healthy competition. Sounds like sports to me.

Again, you can read Michael’s piece at Change.org and learn more about Ultimate Peace by clicking here.