Play for Peace in Lebanon

Finding My Voice: Arpie’s Journey with the Play for Peace Team

The facilitator asked the team who would like to share their story, which we planned to post to inspire others with what is happening. From the entire girls’ team, the first to step up and share was Arpie. This surprised us all, as Arpie is usually quiet and reserved. But then she shared the following:

‘I am Arpie, a Lebanese Armenian. I’ve learned many things from the team—how to cooperate, stand by each other, and support one another. Before joining the Play for Peace team, I didn’t enjoy socialising. I was introverted and only had Armenian friends from my school. After joining the team, I began working on my social life and making plans with my teammates. Through the team, I met many people, which helped me become more involved and integrated into the community. I found myself talking and discussing things with others, which improved my communication skills. Of course, my futsal skills also improved.

I felt the love from those around me, especially my teammates. I discovered my potential and recognised my weaknesses, and I chose to work on them. This team is not just any regular team; the players are not just my teammates—they are my second family. I look forward to many more fun times together and to building even stronger bonds.

I consider myself lucky to have joined because it helped me overcome my fear of talking to others. When I joined, everyone welcomed me with open arms, and we started going out together and visiting each other. This experience pushed me to challenge myself and improve my place in society. Now, all my closest friends are from Play for Peace, and I’ve also made friends at university who are Lebanese Arabs. (As an Armenian, there is a distinction between Lebanese Armenians and Lebanese Arabs.)

The Play for Peace team has shown me that there are still real, true people in this world whose love is precious.’

At the end, when we thanked Arpie and told her how amazed and encouraged we were, she said, ‘I want everyone to know about this because it made a huge difference in my life, and I want that for others too.’