Peace and reconciliation through Rugby in Israel

Project Report | Mar 16, 2020
March Update

By Rory Hamilton | Marketing & Communications Officer

We are hoping to visit this project soon as we are approaching the end of our three year funding.

We were hoping for Charlie Line to join the visit as part of his tour of Atlas projects, although complications arose with passports which meant that the visit did not happen.

From the visit we will hope to gain first hand insight in how our All Schools programme has been delivered and the impact it has made on the children in Israel.

As with many new rugby projects, we use "tags" rather than "tackles," allowing any child between the age of 6-12 years to experience rugby without fear of physical contact or the need for prior technical or physical knowledge and skills.

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Dec 19, 2019
December 2019 Update

By Rory Hamilton | Atlas Foundation Marketing & Comms Officer

Atlas has been going from strength to strength recently, and we are beginning to on board many more projects, with recent additions in Kenya (South Coast Pirates), Cambodia (fund for Kampuchea Balopp) and the Philippines (supporting the Pot Bellied Pigs with their youth development).

The next year is gearing up to be a big one, with our Annual Trek taking place in Kenya providing the kids in the Kibera slum with a mobile classroom - a bus which will be fitted out with hi-tech screens and equipment to encourage learning and supports the deprived children who come along to play rugby.

We are also seeing the support of the rugby community really make a difference, as people from across the globe have helped raise almost £300,000 for the Nicholson Memorial Fund which is now targeted to raise £500,000. This money will go towards supporting projects similar to the Jungle Crows in India and Sri Lanka. The legacy this will create is being formed as 'Atlas Asia' with many friends in Singapore and Hong Kong, plus the amazing projects we already support in South Asia and South East Asia, there is an amazing Atlas family network across the world beginning to build.

We also have special guest visitor, Charlie Line travelling his way from Memphis, Tennessee, all the way to the Philippines, via half a dozen projects in between, collecting stories, taking pictures, interviewing kids and coachs as well as helping out on the ground with our programmes and their active work with our kids.

This leads us nicely onto our project in Israel, which althoguh Charlie wont be visiting, we are hoping to stop by ourselves to take a look at the progress made so far, as the project enters its 3rd year of funding.

We'd like to thank anyone and everyone who has supported an Atlas project or fund in some way over the last year. As these reports show, every penny counts and truly makes a difference to thousands of kids across the world.

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Sep 19, 2019
Sept 2019 Update

By Rory Hamilton | Atlas Foundation Marketing & Comms Officer

From last report:

"Rugby in Israel is not a well known sport, but the focus of this project on peace and reconciliation has made it noteworthy beyond the pitch. Atlas is working with a number of private donors to bring rugby to schools in mixed communities. The values of rugby, with fierce opposition on the pitch, but strong fellowship off the pitch, is an important tool to break down traditional mistrust between different religious and racial groups in the country.

This project started early in 2018 and is now working in four cities across Israel, with twelve schools regularly, and bringing in a further 32 for festivals. These include Jews, Druze, Arabs and Christians; local people and refugees. The early signs are good, and we look forward to our first impact assessment to understand how best to serve the cause of peace in this country.

As with many new rugby projects we use Tags rather than tackles, allowing any child between the ages of 6-12 to experience Rugby without fear of physical contact and without the need for prior technical or physical knowledge or skills.

Our work is currently in Pardes Hana, Tel Mond, Tel Aviv, Ayelet Hasahar, Haifa, Modiin and Rehovot."

For only £1,000 per year, we can add in another school and a further 100 children to the programme.

Our previous Israel Embassy event led to a new team coming together in the USA, led by notably philanthropic individuals with close links to the UK, USA and Jewish communities, thus making a formidable team to lead 'Atlas USA' forward and support further programmes in North and South America as well as projects like this in Israel. We are already planning our first fundraising event and 'inaugration' in New York next February.

For our last impact assessment, our All Schools project in Israel, headed up by the Israeli Rugby Union, managed to help 2800 children in the whole year. Eight hundred (28%) of these kids were helped on a regular basis (i.e. worked with once a week or more). They reported working with 45 schools across the country. We have sent out for an impact assessment for the year 2018-19 and look forward to seeing the results soon.

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