Category Archives: Networking

May 23, 2016 · 4:33 pm

Kodaikanal International School Alumni Acknowledged for Community Service in India

Earlier in the year, I traveled almost 24 hours door to door from Andover, Massachusetts to Peermade, Kerala, India to see my maternal grandparents who were not keeping good health and (and have since March 2016 stabilized their health in old age and God-willing will continue to do so). As mentioned in an earlier blog post, it was an opportunity to spend time with family members and reconnect with positive childhood memories.

Near the Main Gate at Kodaikanal International School visit in 2016.

Near the Main Gate at Kodaikanal International School visit in 2016. Photo Credit: M. John

My Keralite cousins organized a trip to visit Kodaikanal International School, one of two international schools I attended as a boy. Thanks to Yvonne Dovlo, Alumni Officer and KIS alumni who work to support Khelshala, a registered charity in Chandigarh, India – we were featured in 7 Roads: The Kodai Alumni Magazine – something I never imagined would happen when I was student more than 20 years ago.

Cover of Kodai Alumni Magazine referencing Khelshala Project.

Cover of Kodai Alumni Magazine referencing Khelshala Project.

During my visit to KIS it was great to reconnect with staff, teachers and alumni who I had shared time with when I was a student there. These sorts of visits are “good for the soul” as my uncle – Tawheed Hazarika, likes to remind me. My cousins and I were lucky to get a personal tour of the school and eat lunch in the dining hall thanks to one of the new teachers.

Attending Sunday Service at Kodai School.

Attending Sunday Service at Margaret Eddy Memorial Chapel at Kodaikanal International School in 2016. Photo credit: M. John

KIS prides itself on multiculturalism and tolerance of all faiths and backgrounds which is expressed in the school’s motto of “unity in diversity.” On the whole, I was delighted to see the campus so well maintained with many improvements too. It was also great to briefly meet Corey Stixrud, Principal of KIS and to know that the school is continually striving for and meeting the educational needs of the next generation of Indian and international students.

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Filed under Community Development, Education, Networking, Philanthropy, Stakeholder Engagement, Uncategorized, Youth Development, Youth Sport

May 17, 2016 · 4:31 pm

Listening to a Young Olympian Set Goals For Rio 2016

I’ve been spending a lot of the time in Memorial Hall Library in Andover, MA contemplating, transitioning and hopefully preparing for the next step(s) for what the future may hold. Libraries are interesting spaces for self-discovery if one is at a crossroads.

Ruben Sanca, a Cape Verdean Olympian distance runner gave a talk at Memorial Hall Library to a diverse audience of New England residents. He spoke about his London 2012 Olympics experience and other highlights from his running career as well as his training regime while working full-time at University of Massachusetts Lowell. He generously answered questions from the audience ranging from running shoes, injuries and recovery.

Ruben Sanca, a Cape Verdean Olympian speaking at Memorial Hall Library.

Ruben Sanca, a Cape Verdean Olympian speaking at Memorial Hall Library.

It was reassuring to hear Ruben give advice to parents of young athletes on how every athlete is different and the importance of having fun. His positive developmental message to the audience was to enable young athletes to develop an interest in sport through an organic process. As a qualified coach, I was pleased with Ruben’s view that parents should enable young athletes to continue if they derive enjoyment from their participation.

Overall, it was an educational experience to attend the Memorial Hall Library event and meet an Olympian who is waiting to find out if his wild-card entry to the 2016 Olympics in Rio will be granted. Thank you to the staff and volunteers at Memorial Hall Library for organizing programs and events of interest.

 

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Filed under Capacity Buidling, Coaching, Community Development, Education, Networking, Olympic, Youth Development

January 7, 2016 · 5:02 pm

Thank You for Being Part of the Journey…

My attempts at blogging have taken many forms with its origins in East Africa and then transformation in the prep schools of New England all tied together with the thread of sport.

In the spirit of the game of squash, I have chosen to mix up the last point by sharing with you my vacation photo from October 2015. This by no means is a political or social commentary but rather a bit of fun. My previous blog post was a little preachy as it was intended for a younger audience, but the photo below hopefully lets it lighten the mood.

Thank you and God Bless America!

Thank you and God Bless America!

Once again, thank you for being part of this journey with me across the globe. In the meantime,  I will take a break to search for things to explore and write about in some shape or form. Until then, I encourage you to comment or communicate with me on productive thoughts and/or suggestions. Thanks for reading!

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Filed under Community Development, Education, Foreign Policy, Leisure, Networking, Recreation

September 9, 2015 · 3:03 pm

What Can Sport for Development and Peace Learn from the Arts?: Lessons from Angkor’s Children in Cambodia

On Gandhi Jayanti, a national holiday in India to celebrate the birth of Mahatma Gandhi, my parents and I were invited to attend a filming at the Bright Lights Film Series at Emerson College courtesy of Dr. Sughra Raza, a family friend in Boston and editor of 3 Quarks Daily, an interdisciplinary filter blog.

Lauren Shaw, a Professor at Emerson’s Department of Visual and Media Arts produced Angkor’s Children through a culmination of several years of work with her Kickstarter campaign.

As a Founding Member and Secretary of Khelshala, it was an inspiring and humbling experience to meet Sreypov and Phunam, two of the Angkor children featured in the film as well as social entrepreneurs from the Cambodian Living Arts and Phare Cambodian Circus who worked for decades to mobilize the Cambodian diaspora in the United States and elsewhere to empower the next generation in Cambodia.

Sreypov of Angkor’s Children and me at Paramount Theater, Boston, MA.

Sreypov of Angkor’s Children and me at Paramount Theater, Boston, MA.

What can Khelshala and others learn from those working to promote peace, development and human rights through the creative sector?

  • Sacrifice – the founders, artists and community members all had to give up something in their lives for the greater common good.
  • Commitment – staying true in the long term to their social justice cause was not expected, but came from within.
  • Community – an ecosystem of individuals and organizations nurtured the organizers to mobilize the diaspora.
  • Funding – sports and the arts are often first to be cut in public education.
  • Inter-generational dialogue – exchanges across generations in sport and music can keep traditions alive.

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Filed under Capacity Buidling, Community Development, Education, Gender, International Development, Leadership, Networking, Philanthropy, Psycho-Social Support, Rehabilitation, Uncategorized, Volunteering

September 1, 2015 · 2:48 pm

Marking a Milestone for Khelshala

On 9th August, 2014, Khelshala celebrated its 5th anniversary in Chandigarh, India. Unfortunately I was unable to attend the event, but was celebrating in spirit with colleagues. Since I was not in Chandigarh to report on what took place, the India-based team are putting together a post-event synopsis.

Once again credit goes to Coach Bajwa and the Khelshala team for reaching this milestone. While there is still a long way to go, there continues to be significant achievements made by the Khelshala children as well as the program itself. For those interested in the details, these can be found in the Khelshala newsletter(s).

While I am thrilled to be part of Khelshala, this is a good time for self-reflection for one’s own journey. I have used this summer to review, assess and plan for further career development. After speaking with various career counselors about the field of social enterprise, I am reminded by a friend’s comment that “it would be good to do something that pays.”

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Filed under Capacity Buidling, Coaching, Community Development, Corporate Social Responsibility, Education, Gender, Leadership, Networking, Peace Building, Philanthropy, Poverty, Private Public Partnerships, Psycho-Social Support, Stakeholder Engagement, Uncategorized, Volunteering

August 31, 2015 · 3:40 pm

Appreciating SquashBusters and the Future of Urban Squash

Thanks to Tom Hodgson, a veteran teacher of philosophy and coach at Phillips Academy Andover (also a friend and squash colleague), he invited me to the SquashBusters Lawrence end-of-year celebration at Brooks School. SquashBusters Lawrence students, parents, staff, coaches and volunteers had fun with free-play, eating a pot-luck dinner and recognizing outstanding performers for the 2013-14 year.

SquashBusters Lawrence Staff recognizing students for 2013-14 achievements.

SquashBusters Lawrence Staff recognizing students for 2013-14 achievements.

As an admirer and follower of SquashBusters, it was great to be in the company of Greg Zaff, CEO and Founder and his team to share developments about Khelshala in India as well as Kidsquash in Cambridge, MA. Given the National Urban Squash and Education Association’s international outreach to countries such as Colombia, South Africa and India (including Khelshala) – there is a lot of potential in terms of grant making, student-exchanges and North-South as well as South-South collaboration.

Though squash is not yet an Olympic sport, programs such as SquashBusters and the like  – when done right with capable staff and adequate resources – produce balanced, active and socially responsible citizens. Surely this is a win-win for all stakeholders!

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Filed under Capacity Buidling, Coaching, Community Development, Corporate Social Responsibility, Education, International Development, Networking, Psycho-Social Support, Recreation, Squash, Uncategorized, Volunteering, Youth Development, Youth Sport

July 30, 2015 · 1:15 pm

Thanking Well Wishers and Donors for Khelshala Service Trip

The Youtube video link below is a big thank you to all who donated and provided encouragement for my summer in India. I may have forgotten to thank someone so, please forgive me if I missed you.

My hope is that by sharing this Youtube video it will educate, inspire and motivate others who feel moved to get involved or make a contribution to this initiative.

Keep Squashing!

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Filed under Capacity Buidling, Coaching, Community Development, Corporate Social Responsibility, Education, International Development, Leadership, Networking, Peace Building, Philanthropy, Poverty, Private Public Partnerships, Psycho-Social Support, Squash, Stakeholder Engagement, Volunteering, Youth Development, Youth Sport

July 29, 2015 · 9:47 am

Learning through Coach Observation at England Squash & Racketball

Coaches often find themselves teaching the way they were taught. This can have positive and negative consequences for athletes. Continual professional development is necessary for finding new approaches, methodologies and techniques of teaching a sport.

National Squash Center in the United Kingdom.

National Squash Center in the United Kingdom.

I reached out to Chris Lengthorn, Head Coach of the Manchester Squash Academy at the National Squash Center in the UK, to learn more about their junior development program by being both a participant and observer. As a participant, I assisted Chris in facilitating 7 junior beginners who were working on volleys, drops, drives and footwork.  Chris was very thorough in his introduction, demonstration and explanation. However as an observer, I noticed that the beginning students were more driven to play the 7 advanced players to see how far they could go against the best players in the Academy.

It was also enlightening to observe how Chris switched gears to teach advanced players on the concept of playing the ball in front of them. After a group discussion on the pros and cons of adjusting one’s body and racquet position to play the ball in front, Chris was able to highlight a nuance that allows for greater offensive play and efficiency of movement. Overall, I am thankful for Chris and the Manchester Squash Academy for the opportunity to learn more about squash in its country of birth.

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Filed under Coaching, Education, Gender, Leisure, Networking, Professional Development, Recreation, Stakeholder Engagement, Youth Development, Youth Sport

July 14, 2015 · 10:28 am

Celebrating India’s Independence with Khelshala

To celebrate India’s 66th Independence Day, fifteen Khelshala children along with Satinder Bajwa, Founder & Trustee of Khelshala, Rajshekhar, Legal Advisor and myself were graciously invited by Ms. Kavita Das, Principal of St. John’s High School in Chandigarh to mark the occasion.

Khelshala students, Mr. Bajwa, Founder & Trustee of Khelshala, Rajshekhar, Legal Advisor, Ms. Kavita Das, Principal, Ms. Rashi Sethi, Teacher and myself.

Khelshala students, Mr. Bajwa, Founder & Trustee of Khelshala, Rajshekhar, Legal Advisor, Ms. Kavita Das, Principal, Ms. Rashi Sethi, Teacher and myself.

The ceremony began with the school’s junior cadets marching us to the flagpole where upon Mr. Bajwa hoisted the Indian flag. Thereafter, St. John’s School students put on array of music, dances and treats. Pooja, one of our Khelshala students proudly spoke to an audience of 250 students, staff and parents about the significance of the day followed by Mr. Bajwa who reminded students that, “if you do good things, good things happen.” St. John’s School students’ skits and dances highlighted India’s multitude of cultures, languages and rich heritage of India while emphasizing the importance of gender equity, social tolerance and inclusion.

Personally, it was moving to connect with my “Indian-ness,” and be reminded that it is a part of me that I cannot forget.  Having been fortunate to have studied, lived and worked in multiple countries, I believe we should move beyond patriotism and celebrate our common values and humanity in an increasingly interconnected world.

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Filed under Capacity Buidling, Coaching, Education, Foreign Policy, International Development, Leadership, Networking, Peace Building, Private Public Partnerships, Psycho-Social Support, Squash, Stakeholder Engagement, Volunteering, Youth Development, Youth Sport

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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