Category Archives: Community Development

December 28, 2014 · 2:16 am

Witnessing Sport and Development Unfold Before One’s Eyes

My travels in India would not be complete without paying a visit to Khelshala, a sport-based youth development program founded and led by Coach Bajwa, my former college squash coach, colleague and dear friend. Khelshala celebrated its third year anniversary on August 13th, 2012 as covered by the Indian Express with the opening of a new tennis program on a 4-acre facility in Village Majra, a rural area near Chandigarh.

Khelshala Tennis program in Village Majra

Khelshala Tennis program in Village Majra

This was my 3rd visit in 4 years to Chandigarh and can say with confidence I have seen first-hand how Coach Bajwa has transformed Khelshala and the community through sport. The photo above was taken during a visit to the Majra facility where 100 village children from low-income families were learning tennis for the first time. Furthermore, it has been 3 years since the squash, academics and yoga activities have been taking place at Village Attawa and the results are beginning to show.

Khelshala is a non-governmental organization (NGO) and a registered charity that relies on the goodwill of donors, volunteers and friends. As a founding member of Khelshala, I am proud to be associated with the organization and plan to continue to assist remotely until a future trip materializes. Overall, my 3-day visit to Khelshala was short on time, but long on inspiration.

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Filed under Capacity Buidling, Coaching, Community Development, Education, International Development, Leadership, Philanthropy, Planning, Squash, Volunteering, Youth Development, Youth Sport

December 26, 2014 · 3:52 pm

Bridging East and West Through Sport

During my travels in India, I made time to visit Kodaikanal International School (KIS), my former boarding school in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. I attended Kodai, approximately 20 years ago and enjoyed my time as a student living and learning in such a vibrant community.  Below is a recent photo taken at the renovated squash courts.

 KIS_Squash Courts

Even though I technically did not graduate from Kodai, I was grateful for the KIS Alumni Association for featuring my professional squash coaching activities in the United States and India in their latest newsletter. This can be read here at KISAA Newsletter 2012 Issue 1.

Upon returning to visit, I found the school had maintained its character of providing a global education with an Indian flavor. I met with former teachers, staff and alumni who helped me reflect upon the intricacies of personal and professional growth. Overall, my visit to Kodai was a pleasant confluence of the past and present.

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Filed under Coaching, Community Development, Education, Leadership, Networking, Professional Development, Squash, Stakeholder Engagement, Youth Development

December 12, 2014 · 4:32 pm

Blending Service and Sport in the City of Joy

Thanks to my second cousin Daniel Ghaznavi, owner of Taam, an upcoming restaurant in Kolkata, I was able to spend an action packed week of service and sport in Kolkata.

Eager to build on last summer’s volunteering experiences, I chose to spend 3 half-days volunteering at Mother Teresa’s Missionaries of Charity where volunteers from many nationalities, including Indians, registered at “Mother House” to be assigned to sites around the city. My volunteer site was Prem Dan, a residential facility for elderly, abandoned and neglected men and women.

Another reason I was keen to visit Kolkata was because it is home to one of the oldest private squash clubs in the world – the Calcutta Racket Club. Thanks to the members and Head Squash Pro, I was able to conduct a junior clinic for 30 beginners for 2 hours with the help of 2 local instructors. After sharing tips on technique and drills, I also conducted a 3 hour clinic at the Tollygunge Club, a private club with 4 glass-back squash courts for 10 juniors and adults.

Visit to Calcutta Racket Club

Visit to Calcutta Racket Club

Looking back, it was a privilege to be able to volunteer and teach squash in what is understandably the “City of Joy.”

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Filed under Coaching, Community Development, Education, Networking, Philanthropy, Poverty, Squash, Volunteering, Youth Development

December 11, 2014 · 11:14 pm

Visiting Maria’s Public School in Guwahati, Assam

Thanks to my aunt Nellie Ahmed Tanweer, Managing Trustee of Maria’s Public School, an elite pre-K to 12th grade educational institution in Guwahati, Assam I was invited to spend a few days at the school interacting with students, alumni and administrators. My first visit to the school was in 1999 and so I was keen to see the school’s progress.

Following the chief guest and other esteemed educators, I was asked to give brief remarks during the 12th graduation ceremony, where I spoke about the importance of sport and community service. Thereafter, I visited the school again where I spent a morning facilitating questions and answers in 9th and 10th grade classes, touring the new campus and brainstorming with teachers and coaches.

Q&A with Maria Public School Students in Guwahati, Assam.

Q&A with Maria Public School Students in Guwahati, Assam.

Despite the differences in infrastructure with Concord Academy in terms of relatively ill-equipped classrooms, lack of playing fields and limited information technology, there was no shortage of curiosity and enthusiasm on the part of the teachers and students at Maria’s Public School. Perhaps in the future, more student or teacher exchanges between the two schools would make for an enriching educational experience for both school communities.

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Filed under Community Development, Education, Leadership, Networking, Professional Development, Stakeholder Engagement, Youth Development, Youth Sport

December 8, 2014 · 11:26 pm

Change the Game Conference: Sport System re-Design

As the Director of Kidsquash, I was fortunate to attend a thoughtful, inspiring and engaging conference called Change the Game on how to improve outcomes in sport-based youth development programs.  Stepping back from the world of squash and learning best practices from other sport programs helped to rethink how to better serve the Kidsquash community.

re_Design

To use the language of “sport system re-design,” is new but changes to sports by way of playing area, equipment, structure, rules or roles has a long history as learned by the above historical milestones, created by conference organizers. Even in high school squash- a minor sport – re-design has happened in terms of Point-A-Rally scoring to 11 points as opposed to the British scoring of 9 points. There is debate in the squash community as to whether this has been a step in the right direction.

As per the stories of conference speakers, winning people over to the re-Design involves a multitude of strategies and requires patience. Overall, I came away from the conference with a toolkit to take time to bounce ideas off other practitioners in the field of sport-based youth development as well as reflect on Kidsquash’s strengths, weaknesses and outcomes. Hopefully this process will fuel additional action to get the re-Design of Kidsquash “just right.”

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Filed under Capacity Buidling, Coaching, Community Development, Conferences, Education, Grant Making, Leadership, Networking, Squash, Stakeholder Engagement, Youth Development, Youth Sport

December 7, 2014 · 3:19 pm

Honoring the Game

I have been overwhelmed with emails from around the world and so pardon this slow blog entry. I am grateful, humbled and honored by the United States Olympic Committee’s recognition as the 2011 Developmental Coach of the Year for coaching student-athletes at Concord Academy while simultaneously serving as Director of Kidsquash, a community squash program situated at Harvard University.

On the day I received news of the USOC recognition, I attended a Massachusetts Squash event at Dover Squash and Fitness in Natick, Massachusetts where I was fortunate to reunite with Jahangir Khan, (a legendary squash champion from Pakistan who dominated the sport in the 1980s) and thank him for inspiring me 23 years ago to want to play the sport during an exhibition match against Chris Dittmar in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Engrossed by the long, lively and exciting exchanges between Jahangir and Chris, definitely made an impression on me at a young age, but I never expected it would lead to a national recognition for coaching at Kidsquash and Concord Academy.

Jahangir Khan and I after his exhibition match at Arabian Homes in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. 1989.

Jahangir Khan and I after his exhibition match at Arabian Homes in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. 1989.

Jahangir Khan and I at Dover Squash and Fitness in Natick, Massachusetts, April 2012.

Jahangir Khan and I at Dover Squash and Fitness in Natick, Massachusetts, April 2012.

The award is a testament to the bright, inquisitive and imaginative student-athletes at Concord Academy as well as the aspiring squash players who participate in the Kidsquash program. Both groups have challenged me to find new ways of teaching and growing the sport of squash. I would like to reach out to thank fellow coaches, faculty, staff, students, parents, alumni and members of the Greater Boston community who have all contributed to the USOC’s recognition. In particular, I would like to give my deepest thanks to my family members, in particular my parents, and friends for their support. Also, my mentor and colleague – Coach Bajwa deserves a special thanks for believing in me. I hope this recognition demonstrates the values of teamwork, fair play and opportunity for all.

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Filed under Coaching, Community Development, Corporate Social Responsibility, Education, Leadership, Networking, Olympic, Philanthropy, Private Public Partnerships, Stakeholder Engagement, Volunteering, Youth Development, Youth Sport

December 6, 2014 · 4:56 pm

Advancing the Field of Sport for Development and Peace

Thanks to my International Sport for Development and Peace Association colleagues Sarah Hillyer (Georgetown University) and Eli Wolff (Brown University), I was able to attend the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education and Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD) Symposium titled “Sport for Development and Peace: Initiatives, Challenges, and Pathways Forward.” To view the presentations click here.

The field of sport for development and peace is still relatively young and aiming to achieve legitimacy from the mainstream international development community. Nonetheless, it was welcoming to see AAPHERD host this event. Furthermore, many of the academics involved in this field are scholar-activists, working on the cutting-edge of research and practice both in the United States and around the world. In listening to the presentations, I was reminded by the quote from cultural anthropologist – Margaret Mead, who stated “never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world.“

As with most conferences, one must find ways to take away the information that will add value to the organizations in which one serves. As a coach who works with young people, the three big “take-aways” were: designing positive sport-based experiences, the importance of pedagogy and leveraging support networks. Each of these requires skill, patience and coordination that can be developed over time. In short, to advance this field more awareness is necessary starting with coaches, teachers, administrators and parents.

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Filed under Capacity Buidling, Coaching, Community Development, Conferences, Conflict Resolution, Education, Foreign Policy, Gender, HIV AIDS, Homelessness, International Development, Literature Review, Networking, Peace Building, Professional Development, Psycho-Social Support, Public Policy