Ultimate Peace

Ultimate Peace builds bridges of friendship, trust, and leadership between Israeli Arab, Israeli Jewish and Palestinian youth through Ultimate Frisbee. With year-round programs in the West Bank and Israel, Ultimate Peace engages 500 youth from 20 communities. Programs include an innovative overnight summer camp where young people divided by conflict experience a full immersion in UP’s “Oasis of Peace.”

At Camp UP, hundreds of kids from diverse communities come together to live, play, eat, and get to know each other personally. Spending intensive quality time with “the other” helps to cement these fragile yet vital bonds that pave the way for peace. Ultimate Peace also runs a “Leader in Training” program, which accepts 24 participants annually. These students, who hail from the West Bank and Israel, participate in a 3-year intensive training process, where they learn vital leadership skills, form deep cross-cultural bonds, and prepare themselves to initiate change as an adult.

Ultimate is a powerful sport for this type of work. There are no referees in Ultimate, so players must learn to self-officiate, developing conflict resolution skills on the field and off.

Ultimate Peace has received international attention for its groundbreaking work, including accolades from the UN. Running on just half a million dollars a year, they have a long waiting list of young people eager to participate in its programs.  One of the key ingredients in the success  of UP is a philosophy that focuses on relationships, not politics:

“Developing understanding, caring, and appreciation for one another is our primary goal. Dialogue on the tougher issues they face every day takes place only once those relationships have the critical foundation of mutual trust and respect upon which to build. This takes time, but the results are potent.”

Learn more about Ultimate Peace and how you can support its efforts here.