The Lady Vols Host Iraqi Girls Basketball Camp

I'm sure this story got more publicity down in Tennessee and maybe across the U.S. but I didn't hear about it until a friend forwarded me the link. Just a great positive story about using basketball to empower young people and to help rebuild a nation. It all started last year when University Tennessee doctoral candidate Sarah Hillyer went to Iraq as part of the Sport 4 Peace initiative to put on a basketball clinic for Iraqi girls. Pat Summitt and the Lady Vols got involved sending basketballs and the 2 groups had video exchanges:


It's incredibly inspiring to see these courageous young women stand up for themselves despite all the obstacles they have had to face in their lives. What struck me the most was when the girl talked about how they just want peace and a regular life, she said: "is that too much to ask for??" That hit me hard because I think that living here in North America, we sometimes (OK all the time) take for granted our freedom and civil liberties, we just assume that peace and stability are a given and that our government will always function normally.

For this year, they expanded the relationship and a group of Iraqi girls flew to the U.S. to spend a week at Pat Summitt's basketball camp this past June. I can't embed the video, but you can see it here.