Category Archives: Gender

June 16, 2015 · 3:13 pm

Launching the Khelshala Computer Learning Center

Another objective during my service trip was to set up the Khelshala Computer Learning Center. I am pleased to report today that 10 Khelshala students under the guidance of Ms. Rajvinder, the new Khelshala computer teacher have now joined the digital age. During their first class, the students learned elementary computing concepts.

This achievement was largely due to the synergistic teamwork between Khelshala and the State Bank of India. Thanks to a grant from the State Bank of India, Khelshala was able to purchase 5 desktops and 3 laptops. Moreover, Satinder Bajwa’s (Founder and Trustree of Khelshala) visionary leadership made the project happen.

First Class of students at the Khelshala Computer Learning Center donated by State Bank of India.

First Class of students at the Khelshala Computer Learning Center donated by State Bank of India.

Prem Chander, the Khelshala squash coach who was originally trained as an electrician, did all the wiring of electrical sockets in the Center, while my role was to provide support with anything that needed to get done. Among other things, this ranged from painting the Center, supervising delivery of equipment, designing signage and interviewing computer teachers.

Personally, this was a very satisfying project to work on given my prior professional experiences in applying information and communications technologies to the challenges of sustainable development. To have played a small part in the country of my origin was equally gratifying. The lesson learned from this experience is that one should not discard one’s early professional experiences as they can help inform future ones. Cheers to learning and growth!

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Filed under Capacity Buidling, Community Development, Corporate Social Responsibility, Education, Gender, International Development, Leadership, Networking, Philanthropy, Volunteering, Youth Development

June 10, 2015 · 4:29 pm

Reflecting and Teaching About Life Through Sport

One of my objectives during my time at Khelshala is to provide direct teaching, coaching and mentoring to the children. As such during the academic component of the day, the Tutors and I facilitate a 15-minute reflection exercise 3 times a week. The rationale behind doing these exercises is to enable the children as well as the Tutors to feel greater ownership for Khelshala and themselves.

We just completed our third week of these exercises with a few initial positive results. At first, the students were reluctant to share their thoughts openly in a group setting on why Khelshala is important, how the program helps and what they can do to improve their experiences.

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After feedback from the staff, we decided to capture their attention by incorporating physical and vocal inter-play. Much to our surprise, during the second week Anand, one of the younger and quieter boys spontaneously led the entire group in a Hindi song while the rest of the group were waving their hands in the air from side to side! It was a great moment in confidence building for Anand and the group.

Upon further feedback from the Director of Academics we decided to use my workbook “What Squash Can Teach You,” to focus on practicing English by reading in front of the group and facilitating a reflective question and answer session. Without sounding too biased I am impressed by the children’s ability to interpret and comprehend what squash means to them. Personally, it is very rewarding to hear and see the students absorb life skills through sport.

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Filed under Capacity Buidling, Coaching, Education, Gender, Leadership, Peace Building, Psycho-Social Support, Volunteering, Youth Development, Youth Sport

May 21, 2015 · 2:07 pm

Khelshala Finding Strength at AISEC Event in Rock Garden, Chandigarh

Today I had the pleasure of chaperoning 22 underprivileged children from Khelshala to attend the 2013 Balakaladkaar, an event organized by AISEC’s Chandigarh chapter for 975 underprivileged children from various local non-governmental organizations.

Today I had the pleasure of chaperoning 22 underprivileged children from Khelshala to attend the 2013 Balakaladkaar, an event organized by AISEC’s Chandigarh chapter for 975 underprivileged children from various local non-governmental organizations.

Khelshala Children at AISEC’s 2013 Balakaladkaar at the Rock Garden in Chandigarh

Khelshala Children at AISEC’s 2013 Balakaladkaar at the Rock Garden in Chandigarh

Khelshala competed in dance and art competitions facilitated by the AISEC organizing committee. Moreover, the event was held at the Rock Garden in Chandigarh where children were provided transportation and lunch. There were prizes given out for the best dance performance and artwork. Though Khelshala did not receive any prizes, the children applauded the winners and demonstrated good sportsmanship off the court.

Overall, it was an educational opportunity for the Khelshala children to interact with peer groups, test their skills, develop cross-cultural understanding by interacting with AISECers from 15 countries and have fun in a safe environment! Many thanks to the AISEC Chandigarh Organizing Committee and sponsors.

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Filed under Capacity Buidling, Coaching, Community Development, Corporate Social Responsibility, Education, Gender, Leisure, Networking, Philanthropy, Psycho-Social Support, Recreation, Stakeholder Engagement, Youth Development

January 21, 2015 · 8:49 pm

Kidsquash Completes 8th Season with Smiles

Since the 2004 pilot of Kidsquash, we marked the completion of the 8th Kidsquash season with ten students from the Greater Boston community. They played in a friendly round robin under the supervision of Laura Gemmell, a Harvard senior and 4-time All-American on the women’s varsity squash team, Octavio Chiesa, a volunteer peer coach and myself.

Beginner junior squash players make progress at Kidsquash.

Beginner junior squash players make progress at Kidsquash.

From October 2012 to March 2013, Kidsquash students gathered for Saturday morning recreational squash clinics. Thanks to donations from the Harvard Athletics Department, we were able to recognize 4 students who are newcomers to the sport with Harvard squash apparel. These students were – Megan Yoh (Best Female Player), Seamus Buckley (Most Improved Player), Will Gladstone (Most Valuable Player) and Samuel Esquivel (Sportsmanship Award).

Many thanks to Luke Hammond, Lead Coach for Kidsquash , Mike Way, Head Squash Coach at Harvard and Coach Bajwa, Founder of Kidsquash for their guidance and support of the program. Also, thank you to Kidsquash parents and sponsors for making it a great season!

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Filed under Coaching, Community Development, Education, Gender, Leadership, Recreation, Squash, Volunteering, Youth Development, Youth Sport

January 9, 2015 · 7:17 pm

Bringing Change Through Private-Public Partnerships

Just over 10 years ago, I embarked on a journey to Africa to serve as a United Nations Volunteer in Uganda to help strengthen and expand the Cisco Networking Academy Program across secondary schools, technical colleges and universities with an emphasis on gender equity and workforce development. I shot some of the footage from Uganda for the video below that was shown at the 2003 Africa Forum in Dakar, Senegal.

Fast forward 10 years later the explosion of social media and computer networking is continuing to rapidly bring about economic and social change in developing countries. While I am yet to return to Uganda to see the long term impact of the Cisco Least Developed Countries Initiative, I am grateful to Ugandan and non-Ugandan volunteers, colleagues and friends for sharing a pivotal growth experience. Moreover, the lessons that the emerging sport for development and peace sector can learn is that private-public partnerships can spur innovation.

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Filed under Capacity Buidling, Community Development, Corporate Social Responsibility, Education, Foreign Policy, Gender, International Development, Leadership, Networking, Philanthropy, Poverty, Private Public Partnerships, Public Policy, Stakeholder Engagement, Volunteering, Youth Development

January 8, 2015 · 6:41 pm

Building Social Capital Through Squash

Keeping in tradition with last year’s friendly match between the Concord Academy girls varsity squash team and a faculty-staff team, I organized another opportunity for the CA community to foster healthy adult-student relationships, get a work out and have fun.

Introductions at 2013 Concord Academy Girls Varsity Squash vs. Faculty-Staff Team. Photo credit: Ben Stumpf

Introductions at 2013 Concord Academy Girls Varsity Squash vs. Faculty-Staff Team. Photo credit: Ben Stumpf

This year’s match comprised of 14 members of the girls varsity squash team and 7 adults from various departments, including Modern and Classical Languages, Admissions and Athletics. The format included 14 head to head matches with some faculty matches playing twice to complete the roster.

The CA girls team narrowly missed defeating the faculty team by an overall score of 7-6. However, the girls team showed their tenacity by outplaying the faculty in a 5 vs. 5 match of “Offense/Defense,” a team-oriented game that challenges players to win points decisively while demonstrating patience.

Many thanks to the CA adults for making time in their schedules to support CA squash. Overall, the matches were a positive team-building experience for both CA students and adults, alike

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Filed under Coaching, Community Development, Education, Gender, Networking, Recreation, Squash, Stakeholder Engagement, Youth Development

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

December 5, 2014 · 10:06 pm

Coaching Winning and Losing Teams Simultaneously

Allow me to begin with a preface that this blog has been revised to take into consideration the reader’s interests as well a desire to balance my privacy. This is my third attempt at blogging. Earlier iterations were in the public domain and were experimental in nature.

Some of the blog posts you will read are from earlier editions and hence the later publishing date.The nature of the posts are themselves at times reports of events, reflections of thoughts and actions or lessons for oneself and others to carry forward in the field of sport for development and peace.

During the 2011-12 squash season, the boys varsity squash team at Concord Academy was undefeated, while the girls varsity were 1-11. As the Head Coach, who directs the squash programs at Concord, it was a good lesson in moving beyond winning and losing.

Surely, no one likes to lose. However, when you run practices day in and day out with student-athletes who are, for the most part, intrinsically motivated and striving for self-improvement, it takes the sting out of losing. In an increasingly competitive world, results do matter. However, more importantly, I hope students take the life lessons with them.

Concord Academy Girls Varsity at 2012 New England Championships at Pomfret School, CT

Concord Academy Girls Varsity at 2012 New England Championships at Pomfret School, CT

Above is a photo of the girls varsity team at the New England Girls C Division Squash Championships, where the top 3 CA players finished either second or third in their flights. All three of these girls were upperclassmen who I have enjoyed watching grow on and off the court. Overall, I am proud of the CA squash teams for winning with grace and losing with dignity.

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Filed under Capacity Buidling, Coaching, Education, Gender, Leadership, Squash, Youth Development, Youth Sport