Category Archives: Networking

December 18, 2014 · 11:10 pm

Exploring Frontiers of Social Enterprise in Bangalore

I am writing from Bangalore, India where I recently visited Sneha Care Home, a “home away from home” for HIV infected children. Sneha Care Home is a part of the Sneha Charitable Trust, an initiative by the Brothers and Priests of the Roman Catholic Order of St. Camillus who are collectively known as Camillians. Today’s International Red Cross originates from the work of Camillians.

The purpose of the visit was to listen, observe and exchange ideas between Sneha Care Home staff, volunteers and students. Over the course of four days, I was fortunate to gain valuable classroom teaching experience with children between the ages of 6 to 13; observe extracurricular activities such as student clubs; introduce new physical education elements emphasizing dynamic stretching and exchange ideas with Brothers, Priests and staff.

Sneha Care Home orphans Playing Sports

Sneha Care Home orphans Playing Sports

At the end of my stay, I met with Father Mathew Perumpil, Director of the Sneha Care Home who just returned from a visit to the USA. He spoke at length of macro and micro issues and we brainstormed together about ways in which Sneha Care Home may have a wider impact in addressing HIV AIDS at the state, national and international levels. Overall, it was a very inspiring visit and again challenged me to find ways of connecting the dots with my experiences in the field of social enterprise.

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Filed under Coaching, Education, HIV AIDS, International Development, Leadership, Networking, Philanthropy, Psycho-Social Support, Rehabilitation, Stakeholder Engagement, Volunteering

December 14, 2014 · 8:18 pm

Rest and Recreation in “God’s Own Country”

Ever since I was a young boy, I have visited Kerala, India to spend time with my grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. Thanks to their generosity and kindness I have fond memories of my time in Kerala. I was able to create new memories with them during my recent travels to what is referred to “God’s Own Country.”

Soon after arriving in Kerala, my cousins organized a get together that involved cruising on a house-boat in the backwaters of Alleppey. Since it was low season, there were not many crowds, making it a leisurely cruise along with an authentic Kerala lunch.

Western Ghats.

Western Ghats.

Thereafter, we traveled to the Peermade area, where we went off-roading in a four-wheel drive jeep. Despite severely rocky roads, we climbed to about 4.500 feet with spectacular views of the Western Ghats, a mountain range that is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed reconnecting with my Kerala roots and highly recommend others to visit who are traveling to India.

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Filed under Education, Leisure, Networking, Recreation, Uncategorized

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