Barefoot/SOS Club
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>View discussions about this entry Country: Brazil
Organization: Instituto Joaquim Cruz
Sport: Running
Year the initative began (yyyy) 1989
Positioning in the Mosaic of solutions
What is your signature innovation, your new idea, in one sentence? Prioritize human resources and actions already in place.
Describe your innovation. What makes your idea unique and different than others doing work in the field? To discover community leaders already working with athletic/running practices. These leaders have strong knowledge of their local realities and have already discovered the paths to carry out their actions, with knowledge of the groups and geographic locations, where and how to act. What they lack is an infrastructure that will provide support for them to improve and expand their work, and adjust it to the needs of sponsors and donors, as well as administrative support in rendering accounts, both financial and social. The actions begin with the youths reached by the leaders, within a progressive benefit system, wherein with each step or lapse of time, the youths receive supplementary nutrition, uniforms, participation in events and begin to take in values found in sports, such as sociability, respect, rules etc. As for the leaders, they are introduced to opportunities to increase knowledge, regarding sports specifically as well as legislation and social conduct procedures.
What are the existing barriers, the biggest problem, your innovation is hoping to address/change? Cultural change. To change the way of thinking that has been in place for decades: that a paternalistic approach is best. This mentality is fueled by politicians and government as well as religions.
Delivery Model: How do you implement your innovation and apply it to the challenge/problem you are addressing? By discovering local leaders that work with athletic/running practices and share the philosophy of the Instituto, in which ethical behavior and sports values are the guidelines. Then we present the way we work, with the progressive benefit system, informing about the processes involved, from fundraising to donor relations to improving operational procedures in the project’s development. We are concerned with sharing the different steps that form an organization, so that all collaborators perceive themselves to be a part of the institution.
How do you plan to grow your innovation? The methodology developed by Instituto Joaquim Cruz is made available, from administrative to operational aspects, to people and organizations that seek us out. We understand that the more we share information, the more we learn and then we can increase the number of organizations that share our way of impacting the world and contributing to overall improvement. In 2007 we have already received 08 organizations or people interested in working in the third sector, and shared with them the required information. Another way is to share our procedures and history with organizations that already work in the third sector and in this instance we had the pleasure of exchanging with over 15 organizations in 2007. We delivered a lecture at a college by invitation. We also tell our story on the IJC website.
Provide one sentence describing your impact/intended impact. Believing in the possibility of improving the quality of life for our target audience.
What impact has your innovation had to date/or what is your intended impact? Exactly who are the beneficiaries? The most perceivable impact is improvement in scholarly performance, in social behavior and in building the youths’ physical bodies.
Please list any other measures reflective of the impact of your innovation? Lectures on STDs/AIDS. Lecture on drug use. Lecture on access to higher education.
Almost all of the youths successfully completed their school year after entering the project. What are the main barriers to creating or achieving your impact? Limitation of financial resources and of a methodology that can more precisely measure the results of our actions.
How is your initiative financed (or how do you expect your initiative will be financed)? Our sources of funds are in two pillars: first, service-rendering and second, sponsorship.
If known, provide information on your finances and organization. Service-rendering: R$ 156.000,00
Sponsorship: R$ 162.000,00 In-kind donations: R$ 9.000,00 Donations: R$ 2.000,00 • Receita anual. R: R$ 329.000,00 • Número da equipe: R: full time: 06 part time: 02 volunteers: 06 What is the potential demand for your innovation? We are currently able to double the number of beneficiaries. This is a matter of resources to expand and or serve the existing latent demand.
What are the main barriers to financial sustainability? The uncertainties in the markets of sponsorship and service rendering, since the motor in this system is based on media return and not on the results in behavioral changes registered in the needy populations
What is the origin of this innovation? Tell us your story. In 1989, Joaquim Cruz began an initiative to help a friend: Jânio Bezerra, from Águas Lindas in Goiás, which consisted of sending him spreadsheets so that he could deliver the training sessions to the youths of that region. Later on, they realized the need to supply these youths with a proper pair of tennis shoes, given the youths’ need and the intensity of the training. Cruz began to bring semi-new pairs of tennis shoes in his luggage, which he then distributed to the athletes that were dedicating themselves on a daily basis. This went on for a decade, with the only change being in the amount of shoes brought in each trip.
In 1999, Cruz was invited to take part in a street competition in Maranhão. He asked the organizers for funds to acquire pairs of tennis shoes that would be distributed to the event’s participants. He brought a large suitcase that was not allowed entry into Brazil, because the shoes were allegedly new and had a commercial purpose. Once the misunderstanding was cleared up, Cruz was asked if this episode would prevent his initiative of bringing more tennis shoes. He replied no, and added a decision: “Next time I’ll bring twice as many and will found the Clube dos DescalSOS (Barefoot/SOS Club)”. And so it happened. In January 2003, the Instituto Joaquim Cruz (IJC) was established – the social arm, or rather leg, of an Olympic champion, with the purpose of structuring and systematizing the actions and benefits of the Clube dos DescalSOS/Caixa and participate in building a fairer society, inspired by the history of a poor boy from Taguatinga who came across an opportunity to change his reality through sports. IJC seeks to partner with community leaders who are already performing work with athletic/running practices, thus enabling it to expand and systematize the benefits offered Please provide a personal bio. Note this may be used in Changemakers marketing material. Olympic champion in 800 meters (athletics) in Los Angeles 1984 and Olympic runner-up in Seoul in 1998.
Contact Information:
Ricardo Vidal de Oliveira
This field has not been completed Instituto Joaquim Cruz (This field has not been completed) Discussions about this entry |
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You may not appreciate the comparison, Ricardo, because it draws on an institution that you deem paternalistic, but after reading your description of the Barefoot/SOS Club, I couldn't help but think of the Christian religious orders who engage in their ministries while barefoot, as this is thought to induce a proper sense of humility. Also, ancient Spartans, though fully clothed and armored in every other way, trained and fought in bare feet. My point is that the Club is in good company.
More to the point, you and Instituto Joaquim Cruz are doing great work in attempting to raise up local leaders and empower them to provide instruction to youth though athletics, especially running. Paternalism is never an effective means to teach health awareness and other important life lessons, and your approach is the wiser one. Much success to you.
By the way, who provides your athletes' shoes these days?
Steve Byars
Marshall School of Business
University of Southern California
Dear Steve
Barefoot Club, and most social projects in Brazil, have to fight against paternalism, because my country has had a history of paternalism since its conception. So, our goal is to contribute to change this mentality, inducing local leaders that work with track and field to help kids, giving the kids an opportunity to change their reality thru sports. We introduce a progressive system of benefits, which means that as long they continue in the project, the more benefits they get. The first benefit is food to restore energy in each section of exercise. Then, a t-shirt, tennis shoes, sports and cultural events, and presentations about AIDS, drugs and access to college. We think that with this perspective they understand that they have to work to earn the benefits, and we have time to input the values of sports and citizenship in their minds, such as discipline and respect.
Once you are in Brazil, come to visit us and share your knowledge and
experience with us.
Thanks for contact us,
Ricardo Vidal de oliveira
PS: Nike gives us the tennis shoes
Ricardo Vidal de Oliveira
Dir. Executivo
61- 3328.7309 8134.0663
www.ijcdf.org