Jarabacoa Baseball Project
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>View discussions about this entry Country: Dominican Republic
Organization: Students International, Domincan Republic
Sport: Baseball
Year the initative began (yyyy) 2000
Project URL: http://www.stint.com
Positioning in the Mosaic of solutions
What is your signature innovation, your new idea, in one sentence? To provide a free and safe place for youth in rural Dominican Republic to conduct sport practices, competitions, camps, and recreational activities.
Describe your innovation. What makes your idea unique and different than others doing work in the field? Dominicans are avid baseball fans. Most boys dream of one day playing professionally in the U.S. like their own national heroes. However, the population we work with in a rural area of the Dominican Republic are very impoverished and lack basic equipment, much less a field and coaching. We provide a free, safe place for these boys to play ball, and they receive the resources they need to grow as ball players. Learning the discipline of the sport of baseball, they also learn life skills such as teamwork, self-discipline, and respect. We also work to build relationships with the players’ parents as Students International can provide resources that help them with the health (including medical and dental), education, and spiritual development of their families.
What are the existing barriers, the biggest problem, your innovation is hoping to address/change? We are trying to address the cycle of poverty that exists in this community. Boys from this area tend to drop out of school at a young age without the hope of a career, or any other goals, and they veer towards a life of addictions and depression within their poor environment.
Delivery Model: How do you implement your innovation and apply it to the challenge/problem you are addressing? We offer a simple sports club where all the youth within the poor community are invited, but we primarily focus on baseball as that is where their interests lie. We provide periodic training sessions in baseball, soccer, track and field and give the youngsters opportunities for camps, competitions, and excursions. We include talks about character development and its effects in our surroundings; and with the parents’ involvement we integrate spiritual training through Bible readings and meditations. In this way, entire families are provided with an opportunity to improve their lives in the areas of self-discipline, teamwork, and hope through sports.
How do you plan to grow your innovation? We wish to apply this model to other rural communities. We are training more community leaders to motivate through sports. We would like to build educational community centers to not only improve our coaching and mentoring, but provide a place for the youth to play and congregate safely.
Provide one sentence describing your impact/intended impact. Transforming our communities by providing many resources for the poor, primarily through offering sports activities for the youth.
What impact has your innovation had to date/or what is your intended impact? Exactly who are the beneficiaries? Many of our youth have understood the importance of physical activity. Some have decided to grow in their character, self-discipline, and spiritual formation, and as a result they have left some vices behind. This has helped in the transformation of their families and the cycles of poverty and depression surrounding them.
Please list any other measures reflective of the impact of your innovation? Because we have a holistic approach and look out for the interests of the youth and their families we have stronger interpersonal relationships with all involved. Also, we can combine this approach with both medical and dental outreaches.
What are the main barriers to creating or achieving your impact? Lack of resources for the youth in this neighborhood. They are caught in a cycle of poor education as well as lack of opportunities. This creates frustration and low self-esteem.
How is your initiative financed (or how do you expect your initiative will be financed)? By donations from people who wish to help and by local fundraising activities (raffles, food stands).
If known, provide information on your finances and organization. This field has not been completed
What is the potential demand for your innovation? Personnel as we wish to involve directly at least 300 people from the community for each project/center/ministry site.
What are the main barriers to financial sustainability? The main barrier would be not receiving financial contributions any longer.
What is the origin of this innovation? Tell us your story. In the year 2000, we started in a community called Piedra Blanca (White Stone). At first, we were playing baseball only with the kids. We were encouraging them to stay in school, and we were teaching about character formation. The program continued growing and suddenly we found ourselves working at different locations as we saw doors being opened.
Please provide a personal bio. Note this may be used in Changemakers marketing material. My name is Raul Diaz. I am from the Dominican Republic. I am 29 years-old. I have a military background. When I was part of the Dominican Air Force, I always had a strong desire to help people through a holistic approach. Shortly after, I came across Students International, a non-profit working through community development. Due to my love for sports and my desire to see transformation in the lives of the poor, this fits.
Contact Information:
Raul Diaz
Sports Site Director Students International, Domincan Republic (NGO nonprofit) Discussions about this entry |
I am agree with autor!!! Thanks!
avodart
As you say, Raul, the Dominican has produced many great ballplayers who have come to the States, and I'm sure you're right in that baseball remains the sport of choice for many young boys in your country. Students International appears to be helping young Dominicans better both their ball-playing and life-living skills.
Do you have to help your youngsters appreciate that, realistically, not very many of them will actually make it to the major leagues? All of the skills that you teach them are sure to be useful no matter where their adult lives take them. Still, a constant challenge for every youth sports program is to help its young athletes find a measure of success for themselves that doesn't necessarily involve their playing sports professionally.
Steve Byars
Marshall School of Business
University of Southern California