December 22 - Holiday Party at Kfar Yasif
Chanukah, Christmas and Idel Adcha were celebrated together at one festive partyin Kfar Yasif on December 22nd. 200 parents, friends and guests arrived to watch students from the local Budo for Peace dojo give an Aikido demonstration, followed by the ceremonialpresentation of newlyacquiredbelts. The festive evening ended withspeeches by Danny Hakim, founder of Budo for Peace, and the Mayor of Kfar Yasif. Theexcitement of the eveningwas highlighted by the arrival ofConsuls from the Australian, Japanese, and Ghanaian Embassies.
December 15 - El HaLev Delegation visit in Abu Kuidar
BFP's dojo in Abu Kuidar hosted15 female martial arts instructors from abroad,along withIsraeli members of the El HaLev organization for ajointsession presenting their martial arts skills. El HaLev is an Israeli non-profit organization working to empower women and reduce violence through martial arts and self defense training. Several members of Budokan Martial Arts and Fitness Program, a MASA program for 18-25 year old Jewish participants from around the world, also took part in the excitingdesert encounter.
December 10 -Chanukah Party in Kiryat Gat
Under the direction of Sensei Emanuel, the 9-12 year students in Budo for Peace's new dojo in Kiryat Gat presented theirnew skills at a festive holiday partyfor family and friends. The party took place at Neve Hanna Boarding School.
November 13 - BFP Demonstration for One-to-One Delegation in Timna Park
A delegation from One-to-One Foundation, one of Budo for Peace's longstanding partners in the UK, cametovisit Israel and enjoyed a one-of-a-kind presentation inthe middle of the desert. Twelve students from BFP's Abu Kuidar dojo travelled southward to Timna Park (near Eilat) to give a karate demonstration while surrounded entirely by sun, sand and beautiful mountaintops. The delegation was impressed by the abilities of Abu Kuidar's 9-12 year old martial artists, and the students had an opportunity to personally thank their sponsors.
May 5-6 - BFP End of Year Event at Kfar HaYarok
Over 210 children and parents from dojos throughout Israel participated in a two-day nation-wide Budo for Peace Camp at Kfar HaYarok. The children were split into 8 groups of 20, each comprised of members fromvarious BFP dojos and communities. Each group was co-facilitated by one Arab and one Jewish Sempai, who worked together in solving linguistic and social barriers, leading the childrenthrough interactive activities, role playing games and martial arts training sessions.
The event was a huge success. Parents and children enjoyed themselves, while staff was thrilled to see the Budo for Peace vision in action. The Sempais reveled in the fruits of their labors after many months of planning the event's programming. Budo for Peace staff and management were all very proud of what this group was able to achieve together after a year of Sempais Training Seminars.
