I cannot believe that I arrived over 4 weeks ago!  I feel like I returned to the Emerald Isle in a dead sprint, but I would not have had it any other way.

When I arrived to Europa Bus Station at 8am, I was directly sent to North Belfast to partake in the second half of a 4-day B.I.G. camp- the Game of Three Halves.  I had lived in Belfast before, so I was somewhat aware of what PeacePlayers was like and had an inkling of what coming here would entail.  I mean I had refereed at Jingle Ball and attended a coaches training but seeing basketball alongside other popular sports as a tool to unite kids from all parts of the city, is something else.  It was incredible to watch these kids so easily leave their divisions off the field/ court and just have fun together.  It seemed so natural despite their history.  And yet I knew it was off the backs of all the current and previous NI staff, who have strived for almost two decades to alter the face of community relations here.  I am beyond humbled to be part of the team as an International Fellow at PeacePlayers Northern Ireland.

A few of the coaches and young people recognised me from my volunteering last year, while other kids were beyond thrilled to simply guess what part of the city I would be working in.  To explain, PeacePlayers – NI works in East, North, South, and West Belfast, as well as outside Belfast city lines.  We strategically hold programmes within each side of the city before encouraging all sides to come together for one big event.  This not only allows the participants within each side to unite as a team out of pure vicinity, but also helps bridge divisions that are rampant within smaller communities.  Plus friendships are typically easier to build if you share a neighbourhood.  Despite learning that I would not be working in North Belfast nor a collegiate athlete in basketball, I was treated no differently; as if I was born a street away rather than 4800+ miles away.  Having these young people so quickly accept me and want to chat solely based off knowing I was the ‘new fellow’, is the simplest way to explain how the PeacePlayers family functions: with wide arms and full of joy.