GAM3 streetbasketball
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>View discussions about this entry Country: Denmark
Organization: GAM3
Sport: Basketball
Year the initative began (yyyy) 2002
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Project URL: http://www.GAM3.dk
Positioning in the Mosaic of solutions
What is your signature innovation, your new idea, in one sentence? Empower youth and prevent conflict and marginalization by creating cross-cultural ties across divides through weekly street basketball practices and street cultural events.
Describe your innovation. What makes your idea unique and different than others doing work in the field? GAM3 organizes weekly street basketball practices in urban neighborhoods in Denmark, Lebanon and Egypt. The practices are based on specially developed basketball drills which empower the players while having fun. Apart from the element of basketball, street culture is a trademark of GAM3's activities, and the coolness, identity, and unity from street culture are used to attract the target group. The most important element from street culture is the element of respect and recognition based on one's skills, not who you are or where you are from. On the basketball court the participants are respected based on their ability to play and move with the ball. In addition, street cultural values are anti-authoritative and teach the participants to be critical and reflective.
What are the existing barriers, the biggest problem, your innovation is hoping to address/change? By bringing young people of different religious, ethnic, and social backgrounds together in regular basketball practices and street cultural events the vision is to create cross-cultural ties, and hereby prevent conflict and marginalization. GAM3's basketball drills are developed to empower the participants and hereby give them skills to be used in other aspects of their life.
Delivery Model: How do you implement your innovation and apply it to the challenge/problem you are addressing? GAM3 organizes weekly street basketball practices in Denmark, Lebanon, and Egypt. Moreover, street cultural events will be arranged with basketball tournaments, dance, and hip hop.
How do you plan to grow your innovation? Increase the number of GAM3-Zones with weekly practices, and make a geographical expansion to other urban housing areas in the Egypt and Lebanon, and to other countries in the region. This is done by applying for further funding to the project.
Provide one sentence describing your impact/intended impact. Creating cross cultural ties and prevent conflict and marginalization through empowering sports activities.
What impact has your innovation had to date/or what is your intended impact? Exactly who are the beneficiaries? GAM3 has since 2002 arranged activities for more than 23.000 young people between 12 - 18 years. GAM3's strategy is based on the 'Sport for All' philosophy and the aim is to ensure that the underprivileged get better access to physical activities. Moreover the aim is to show girls that they can participate on equal terms with boys, and thereby the activities can strengthen the girls and make them more liberated and independent as individuals.
Please list any other measures reflective of the impact of your innovation? N/A
What are the main barriers to creating or achieving your impact? Lack of funds, no access to sports facilities, and worsening of the political situation in Lebanon.
How is your initiative financed (or how do you expect your initiative will be financed)? GAM3's Danish activities are financed by public funding and private sponsors. The activities in the Middle East are funded by the Danish-Egyptian Dialog Institute under the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. For the time being we are awaiting answers from other funds.
If known, provide information on your finances and organization. GAM3 consists of four full-time employees, two part-time employees, 60 coaches and instructors, and 80 volunteers.
What is the potential demand for your innovation? Participation by young people in the basketball practices and at the street cultural events, and more funding/sponsorships.
What are the main barriers to financial sustainability? The activities are based on short-term project funding, and are moreover dependent on the political context and support for the activities.
What is the origin of this innovation? Tell us your story. GAM3 began as an idea of three young Danes who thought an alternative sporting activity was needed for young people who does not use the traditional sporting clubs in Denmark. In 2002 GAM3 organized the first practice sessions in 6 housing development projects in Denmark. GAM3 is now planning to have 22 GAM3 Zones with weekly practices in basketball and dance in Denmark in 2008.
After six successfull years in Denmark, GAM3 decided to expand the activities to the Middle East. In 2007 GAM3 carried out a pilot project in Cairo and Beirut, where weekly practices were arranged with a total of 2.174 participant show-ups during 37 practice sessions. A new project, the Middle East Street Basketball Project is now in the planning phase, and consists of weekly basketball practices and street cultural events in Beirut and Cairo in 2008-2009. Moreover, an exchange between GAM3-players in Denmark and the Middle East is planned to take place in 2009. Please provide a personal bio. Note this may be used in Changemakers marketing material. This field has not been completed
Contact Information:
Anne Kahl
Project Manager GAM3 (NGO) anne@GAM3.dk Refshalevej 110 1432 Copenhagen K Denmark Tel: +45 70208323 Fax: +45 32966669 Website: www.GAM3.dk Discussions about this entry |
Hey Y'all ...
Check out the new GAM3 Mixtape Video with clips from streetlife in Denmark. This years big tournament will be staged August 9th in Copenhagen with participation from RocStar who won last years Entertainers Basketball Classic (EBC) in Rucker Park, NYC.
One Love.
This is a great project, I play basketball and have been coaching since I was able to (about 5 years ago) and as a player/coach projects like this one I find inspiring especially that they use their experience from Denmark and go to Lebanon or Egypt and try to develop and provide oppotunities there. Meanwhile they still have to adapt to the situation and way of life there too which may in turn also develop their own coaching etc...
I think this project is both inspiring and extreemly rewarding for all the parties involved!
I am currently living in Denmark (one year experience) untill June 2008 and would love to come and meet or learn more about the project or maybe event help out if I can in some way... I will go on the website and get in contact with someone.
But all the best with the project!
Thanks for the post. Let us know if you have any good ideas for new countries we can start up in. Maybe we need to travel with you after June 2008 ;)
I applaud your efforts to create a fun enviroment where children of all backgrounds can participate. In a worsening political situation in Lebanon, your organization stands out and creates bonds between the unbonded. The best way to do that is, indeed, through sport. Human cultures will always differ and will always conflict and the only way to fight that is to show children at a young age that it is ok to differ. The children need to see that no person is any less of a human then they are themselves. And, I believe your program does this well by broadcasting a common passion between the groups and creating an oppurtunity to make friends instead of enemies.