April 12, 2016
US Sports Camps Supports Ultimate Peace for Third Year with Nike Hat Donation for Campers and Staff
(PRWEB) April 14, 2016 – US Sports Camps donates 450 Nike hats to support the efforts of Ultimate Peace, a non-profit who hosts an annual ultimate frisbee summer camp and other programs for youth in the Middle East.
For the last three years, US Sports Camps, the official operators of Nike Sports Camps, has been a sponsor of Ultimate Peace (UP). Since their sponsorship of UP began in 2013, US Sports Camps has provided almost 1,500 Nike hats for UP campers and staff who are exposed to the intense Middle East sun while they play ultimate for several hours a day at camp.
Founded by Dr. David Barkan, Linda Sidorsky and Dori Yaniv in the spring of 2008, Ultimate Peace is a non-profit organization that brings together youth from Palestinian, Arab Israeli, and Israeli Jewish communities to learn, play, and unite through playing the sport of Ultimate Frisbee. The sport of Ultimate Frisbee emphasizes teamwork, personal responsibility, and leadership, which is why it's been so effective at bringing together youth who would otherwise never meet due to the regional conflict. The UP vision is that youth from diverse social and cultural backgrounds around the world will build new understandings, share meaningful experiences, and develop lasting relationships in the UP program.
Camp UP is the culmination of the Ultimate Peace year-round program. The week-long sessions provide a special opportunity for hundreds of youth from diverse communities to come together in a joyous action-packed overnight camp. Through this intensive immersion experience, barriers are broken down and these vital bonds are created through a shared experience of practice, competition, fun, and connection.
Camp UP ran its first program in 2010 and now heads into its 7th consecutive season in 2016, and will serve over 200 youth. Each season there are two camps; a Summer Camp (for youth new to UP) and a Training Camp (for returning campers advancing in the UP program). The 2016 camps will take place in Ashkelon, Israel with expert instruction will be provided from some of the best players and coaches in the world. The Camp UP program also focuses on community-building through diverse recreational and sports activities, relationship-building through team development, cross-cultural sharing and appreciation, highlighting the five core values of Ultimate Peace, as well as lots of fun social activities.
"It's been a pleasure and honor for us to support Ultimate Peace for the last three years,” said US Sports Camps CEO Charlie Hoeveler. "While many people have given up or lost hope in rectifying the situation in the Middle East, UP continues to put on these camps and programs that are truly breaking down barriers and creating a better world for all of us.”
Beyond Camp UP, 500 youth are now playing Ultimate year round while immersed in dynamic educational UP programming. The 3-year youth leadership program has been training new cohorts of 20 multicultural teens for 5 years. Due to the cultural divide, many of the youth in these programs who would never otherwise meet. Yet through camp, they become close friends and often get together outside of the program framework and consider one another family.
More information about Ultimate Peace can be found online at www.ultimatepeace.org.
About US Sports Camps, Inc.
US Sports Camps (USSC), headquartered in San Rafael, California, is America’s largest sports camp network and the licensed operator of Nike Sports Camps. The company has offered summer camps since 1975 with the same mission that defines it today: to shape a lifelong enjoyment of athletics through high-quality sports education and skill enhancement. Players, coaches, parents and others interested in Nike Ultimate Camps and US Sports Camps can visit the company’s website at www.USSportsCamps.com.