iStock/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — Israel Tennis Centers is bringing athletes to Florida to participate in exhibition play, introducing its young tennis players to different parts of the world.
The athletes will play in Florida from February 27 to March 15 as the foundation looks to give their youths an opportunity to compete against international competition in a new environment.
Israel Tennis Centers does not teach tennis skills for the sole purpose of making young athletes better competitors. Rather, the not-for-profit organization uses the sport as a tool to develop life skills with the goal of promoting world peace.
Jacqueline Glodstein, the Executive Vice President of Global Development of the Israel Tennis Centers, recently spoke with ABC News about the foundation’s mission and its new girls’ empowerment initiative.
“All the children [we] work with are somewhat marginalized in society… and the Israel Tennis Centers gives the children of Israel equal opportunity to learn skills that develop character, and to pursue and realize their dreams and goals,” she says.
Glodstein tells ABC News in order to teach kids how to live “successful lives,” the foundation instills specific skills and values such as quick decision-making, strategic thinking, and resilience. She explains that tennis is the perfect sport to teach their kids those life lessons: when they are on the court, they have to “make decisions on their own… think through how you’re going to handle your shot… and recover and move forward” after mistakes.
Israel Tennis Centers wants the children to employ the life skills to enhance their daily lives, and as a broader goal, promote world peace. Glodstein explains, “We’re actually laying the groundwork to build a better future in Israel and the region and maybe even building peace from the ground up through our foundation.’
While in Florida, the foundation will introduce its athletes to another part of the world as it looks to promote interest in and acceptance of different countries and cultures.
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