Basketball can be a lot more than a sport.
It can be a teaching lesson between a coach and a player; it can be a uniting force between two distinct cultures; and it can be a tool for addressing issues of social justice such as poverty and racism.
The Full Court Peace Club, the newest club at Ridgefield High School, hopes the game can be all three and more, modeling itself after the organization that bears the same name and has earned international attention since its inception in Belfast, Northern Ireland, in 2007.
The club, which has 15-plus students participating, received approval from the Board of Education on Nov. 12.
The club’s founders propose partnering with underserved youth in Stamford to enchance athletic facilities there and connect over a shared love for basketball.
Similar to other clubs in the area — Weston has a chapter that has partnered with youth in Bridgeport, RHS’s Full Court Peace Club will maintain the organization’s global vision that serves all populations, regardless of race, religion or socioeconomic status.
The group also will look to unite, strengthen and educate communities, such as Stamford, through the creation of youth basketball teams and basketball systems.
One of the club members, Akshay Parikh, worked with the organization this summer and helped raise over $2,000 through participants sponsorship and pledges during the first-ever Free Throws for Full Court Peace event that took place in town.