Peace through Sport

Peace through Sport, a virtual exchange program, unites American and Lebanese Students

Peace through Sport is an exciting program that offers the opportunity for young people in the United States and Lebanon to connect virtually while learning communication, problem-solving, and leadership skills. In addition to participating in fun activities and hearing from sports leaders, all participating students will create a project to benefit their communities during the eight-week session!

Are you ready to learn how to become an effective leader?

Are you interested in having a positive impact on your local community and the world?

Are you passionate about sports and global connection?

If you answered YES to these questions, then we invite you to apply to participate in the Peace through Sport program, a virtual exchange program uniting American and Lebanese youth to promote social cohesion, foster civic engagement, and showcase U.S. values through the lens of sport. MLI is implementing Peace through Sport in partnership with Anera, a non-profit organization working for sustainable, long-term health, education, and economic development in Lebanon and other countries in the Middle East.

The Peace through Sport program is generously funded by the U.S. Government.

Are you the right candidate? Participating Peace through Sport students will:

Commit 1-2 hours per week during the eight-week program
Participate in 4 virtual calls (every other Saturday at 9:00am – 1 hour in length)
Focus on group games and discussion during weeks 1-3
Focus on learning about the community and implementing a service project to benefit the community during weeks 4-8

Participating Peace through Sport teachers will:

Commit 1-2 hours per week during the eight-week program
Receive the Peace through Sport curriculum and activities as well as support from MLI staff
Participate in 4 virtual calls (every other Saturday at 9:00am – 1 hour in length)
Run activities and facilitate group discussions (meeting times flexible to work with teacher schedule) during weeks 1-3
Facilitate learning about community and implementation of service learning project (MLI staff support available) during weeks 4-8
Teachers may receive compensation for their program

If you are a U.S.-based high school student or teacher interested in participating, we invite you to apply in accordance with the following schedule:

Session 1 | October-November 2021 | Thank you for participating!

Session 2 | January-February 2022 | Thank you for participating!

Session 3 | April-May 2022 | Thank you for participating!

Session 4 | July-August 2022 | Thank you for participating!

Session 5 | October-November 2022 | Thank you for participating!

Session 6 | January-February 2023 | Thank you for participating!

Session 7 | April-May 2023 | Thank you for participating!

Session 8 | July-August 2023 | Thank you for participating!

Stay tuned: MLI hopes to start a new cycle of Peace Through Sport in the coming school year!

Interested in participating in a future cycle of Peach Through Sport? Click the button below to contact MLI's Education Programs Director, Anne Wooleyhand.

Learn More

Iman, Lebanese student

The students will feel healthier and stronger through their participation, and they will gain knowledge, tools, and experience to bring about positive changes to their communities.

Lydia, American student

It’s a great way to inform and educate others – a great program that is doing great work.

Karen, Lebanese student

In Peace through Sport, we learned how to work in groups and share our ideas. We had fun and we met many new people, especially the American students, and we learned about their communities.

Peace through Sport is a two-year program which will bring together 400 Lebanese youth and 200 American counterparts to participate in eight stand-alone virtual exchange rounds with eight weeks per round. The curriculum will focus on positive leadership, civic engagement, healthy lifestyles, and life skills through sports. Students will study social issues within their communities, and implement service-learning projects to tackle local problems. Participating teachers will receive in-depth training to effectively guide their students through the curriculum. Throughout the program, U.S. and Lebanese students will meet virtually to develop friendships, learn about each other’s countries and cultures, and share their projects.

The virtual exchange program uses sports as a unifying motivation for student engagement as participants identify values to enable them to play an active role in bringing positive change to their communities. Through the lens of sport, the program will use interactive games to promote effective communication, problem solving, and respect for others. American sports figures will serve as guest speakers on virtual calls to further highlight the U.S. values of civic participation, volunteerism, and community engagement. Program participants will gain an improved understanding of other cultures, empowerment to become civically engaged, and skills & knowledge to bring positive change to their communities.

Please reach out to us at info@marshall-legacy.org if you have any questions!