Social Inclusion Through Golf.
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>View discussions about this entry Country: Brazil
Organization: Associação Golfe Público de Japeri
Sport: Other
Year the initative began (yyyy) 2006
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Project URL: http://www.japerigolfe.com.br
Positioning in the Mosaic of solutions
What is your signature innovation, your new idea, in one sentence? We are giving an entire community of under-privileged children hope, while teaching some very important values through golf: honesty, integrity, sportsmanship and team spirit.
Describe your innovation. What makes your idea unique and different than others doing work in the field? The Japeri Golf School is open to juniors between the ages of 8 and 16, who must be attending school. The instructors maintain regular communication with the schools to ensure that the children are attending and getting good grades. All equipment is provided and regular attendance is necessary. At this point we have 82 children enrolled in the golf school.
The impact of this first public golf course in Brazil is significant due to the fact that it is being developed around a very poor area, where golf was a game that few had ever heard of. It has opened up golf to a whole new world of very receptive young people, who do not have any other options of sport or leisure close to home. They have embraced the game with great enjoyment and take their lessons very seriously. We are showing them that they are allowed to have fun despite the abject poverty that they have been brought up in. I believe we are keeping alot of children off the streets and out of trouble with this sport. What are the existing barriers, the biggest problem, your innovation is hoping to address/change? There are very few public golf facilities in Brazil. Japeri Golf is the first public 9 hole golf course in the Rio de Janeiro area, with the first free golf school. We hope that others will follow our initiative and open up this sport to other communities.
Poverty is the rule in Japeri so with the golf school we are showing these children and their families that they are allowed to hope for a better life. Delivery Model: How do you implement your innovation and apply it to the challenge/problem you are addressing? The municipality of Japeri gave us the land and sponsorship was raised amongst local and multi-national corporations to build the golf course and driving range. There are no other sports grounds in the area which results in too many applicants for the Golf School, so we stress the necessity for the children to attend school in order to be able to continue in the golf program.
How do you plan to grow your innovation? We need constant sponsorship to be able to continue with our project. Local and multinational corporations continue to help. For 2008 we already have contracts with some companies, which guarantees our expenses for the year. Further sponsorship would mean we could take in more children, and subsequently help out their families.
Provide one sentence describing your impact/intended impact. We are teaching important social values, such as respect, team spirit, sportsmanship and integrity through our golf school.
What impact has your innovation had to date/or what is your intended impact? Exactly who are the beneficiaries? We have 82 children enrolled in the golf school and enjoying their first ever organized sport. They take 3 hour group lessons twice a week, with all equipment provided as well as uniforms and a snack. (photos attached) In order to participate in the golf school, all the children are required to attend grammar school and must maintain good grades. The Instructors keep in close contact with the schools in order to confirm attendance. The better young golfers are taken to matches and competitions all over Brazil, with all expenses paid.
We have monthly competitions with prizes for the winners and runners-up, which are attended by many relatives and friends of the young players. We have had very good results in our first year, with Anderson Nunes finishing 2007 in first place in his age category (under 11s) in the Brazilian Junior National Rankings. All the children receive clothes and a food basket each month. Our next step is dental treatment for all the children.
Please list any other measures reflective of the impact of your innovation? Some of the children of Japeri are being sponsored by the wealthier families of Rio. One sponsor has re-built Anderson's house, (photo attached) with running water, electricity, 3 bedrooms etc. At 11 years of age he has achieved more for his family than anyone before!
With on-going financing we could guarantee a better life for many children and their families, as well as keeping them in school and thus far away from drugs and crime. What are the main barriers to creating or achieving your impact? The main barrier is always financial. We would like to open up the golf school to many more juniors, but we do not have the financial resources to hire more instructors or buy more equipment.
How is your initiative financed (or how do you expect your initiative will be financed)? Our financing comes from donations from multinational corporations with a social consciousness, as well as from private individuals.
If known, provide information on your finances and organization. The annual budget is approximately US$100,000. This has been generated from donations on a regular basis from multi-national corporations as well as from the R&A (Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews.)
We have 12 full-time employees, and 6-8 volunteers. What is the potential demand for your innovation? The demand is endless. We could create golf schools all over Brazil which would cater to hundreds of children who do not have any options for organized sport. This is not a dream, this project is a reality and can grow with the help of others. SPORT FOR A BETTER WORLD is happening in Japeri and is helping these children to see the world and its problems and to avoid drugs, crime etc. in order to make a better life for their families.
What are the main barriers to financial sustainability? Lack of revenue is always the main barrier, however with social awareness growing in Brazil we do not feel that it will be a problem to continue to raise sponsorship.
What is the origin of this innovation? Tell us your story. I was the President of the Rio de Janeiro Golf Federation when the mayor of Japeri came to me wanting us to build a golf course on his land. Japeri is the poorest municipality in the state of Rio de Janeiro. It is a dormitory town, with no jobs or industry, no soccer fields or public parks or swimming pools. The mayor wanted a sport for the elite which would create jobs for his people. The golf course was built between 2002 and 2005, and then the locals started to congregate at the golf club out of interest. We started giving lessons to some of the children, and then realised how seriously they took their lessons and how pleased they felt when they hit a good shot. They would go home laughing and telling golf stories and would come the next day with a friend who also wanted to take part. At this point we started the Golf School on an organized basis with 3 full time Instructors and one assistant.
We are in the local newspapers and TV on a regular basis, due to this supposed "sport of the elite" being opened up in a very poor rural comunity. Please provide a personal bio. Note this may be used in Changemakers marketing material. Mother of 2, Grandmother of 1. Amateur golfer and very good organizer.
President of the Rio de Janeiro Golf Federation for 7 years (just started my 8th). Captain of the Brazilian Golf teams at many international events. Women's Chair of the International Golf Federation from 2000 to 2006. And at this moment adoptive mother of 82 very poor children in Japeri. Contact Information:
Victoria Whyte
President Associação Golfe Público de Japeri (Non-profit association) vickywhyte@uol.com.br Av. Olegario Maciel 451 sala 308 Barra da Tiuca, 22621-200 Rio de Janeiro Brazil Brazil Tel: 5521 8111 5717 or 5521 2495 5003 Fax: 5521 2492 2664 Website: www.japerigolfe.com.br or www.fgerj.com.br Discussions about this entry |
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