Below is an email circulating within the Ultimate community that is
promoting a great ultimate related Peace Organization started by David
Barkan. Several good friends and amazing ultimate players are going
to Israel this April to promote ultimate and peace. I've seen this
email circulate on several listserves, but not this one, so I thought
I'd pass it on. The organization is looking for financial support,
but even if you're budget is really tight right now, consider passing
the information along and becomming a fan on facebook.


http://www.facebook.com/UltimatePeace


Hope everyone is well!!


ml

Julie



Hello,

I am writing about a very serious issue. Many places around the globe
are at war with each other and it never seems to end. Well, a fellow
Ultimate player has decided to do something about it -

David Barkan has led and played on The Jam (1979-1980: SF South Bay),
Hostages (1980-84: Boston), East Bay Firestorm (1988-91: Oakland),
Double Happiness (1992-1995: San Francisco), and Matza Balls (1995-
present: SF Bay Area).

Last year David co-founded the Ultimate Peace organization whose
mission is to bring youth in war torn areas around the globe together
through Ultimate, and for their first project is working with the
Peres Center for Peace in Israel. They are traveling to the area in
April 2009 and will lead a youth Ultimate training and leadership
program with hundreds of disadvantaged youth from Palestinian and
Jewish communities from the West Bank and within Israel who would
likely otherwise see the other only as an enemy. The American coaches
will convene a clinic and tournament with all the kids and their
respective coaches in Tel Aviv, then travel to the various
communities and continue the work locally. The goal is to let these
young people play Ultimate with each other and learn they can all get
along. SOTG is an important factor.

This will be a "first of its kind" and with David's experience from
his Matza Balls team trip to Israel in 2005, he has the potential to
sow the seeds of peace. If you have 5 minutes, this Peres Center for
Peace video is amazing and makes it very easy to imagine how perfect
Ultimate could be to promote understanding. If you love sport, this
is a must see video:
http://www.youtube. com/watch? v=IEGyHhZavYU

Personal donations are needed now to pay for the following:
* Equip each youth with full uniforms, including 2 jerseys, one
pair of shorts,
hat, and professional disc.
* Support local teachers/coaches to continue teaching Ultimate with
official
Ultimate Peace coaching manuals in Arabic and Hebrew.
* Help transport and house the volunteer coaches from the USA.
* Support the production of the event-
insurance/licensing /site/medical/ food.
* Send participants back home with gear (Ultimate field sets, discs
for the
community, dvds).

Please check out this amazing project and consider a donation. This
could be the best investment any of us make in 2009. You can learn
more and make a donation from their website:
http://www.ultimate peace.org

Many thanks and Happy and Healthy New Year,
Joe

P.S. Please forward this to everyone you think appropriate.
We need to reach the entire Ultimate community as quickly as
possible... and even non-Ultimate friends and family.