Israel

CRICKET WITHOUT BORDERS PROJECT

The aim of the project in Israel is to use a shortened version of the cricket game called ‘Street 20’ to develop positive, long term links between groups of young people from a range of ethnic, religious and social backgrounds who may have limited or no positive interaction with each other.

Stage 1 – Launched in April 2009

Under the guidance of Cricket for Change (C4C) coaches, the ICA’s ‘Cricket Without Borders’ programme was launched in April 2009 and is now flourishing in the south of Israel. This project has created strong working relationships with a wide range of Arab groups across the south of the country and as a result there are now over 200 young people in Beer Sheva and the surrounding Bedouin communities playing cricket regularly with Jewish youngsters.

Stage 1 of this 4 stage programme took place in April 2009 and was so successful that it recently won a UNICEF/USAID/ICC worldwide award for ‘Best Spirit of Cricket’ initiative.  

This initial trip was widely covered by BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC World News, The Guardian Newspaper and Michael Atherton in The Times Newspaper

Stage 2 – September 2010

C4C has been asked by its partners on the ground in Israel to help spread this established and highly successful project to the East Jerusalem in stage 2. The training element of the East Jerusalem programme will take place between September 16 to 19. The young people from Jerusalem will then link up with the young people already playing in other parts of the country.

Stage 3 – In the West Bank - early 2011



'Breaking Down Barriers' in Israel  - April 2009