Category Archives: Stakeholder Engagement

January 29, 2017 · 11:05 am

Comedy Sportz: Improvising Your Game While Laughing

Recently on a Friday evening, I visited the Riot Theater in Jamaica Plain, Boston, Massachusetts where I was fortunate to watch Comedy Sportz for my first time who are a fantastic group of improvisational actors. Without out really knowing much about the group or the content show I was blown away by their creative spin on blending creativity, dynamism and humor.

Comedy Sportz actors in The Zone at the Riot Theater. Photo credit. T. Mohammed, 2017.

Comedy Sportz actors in The Zone at the Riot Theater. Photo credit. T. Mohammed, 2017.

The Riot Theater is the Comedy Sportz, first location in the Greater Boston area. Being someone who has observed a fair amount of sports coaching, I was really struck by the actors energy, wit and participatory audience. In many ways coaching and teaching is like acting and so it was interesting to observe how others perform and what they can do better than some experienced but less theatrical coaches or teachers.

Courtney Pong, the Referee (GM and Owner) of Comedy Sportz,Boston leading the show.

Courtney Pong, the Referee (GM and Owner) of Comedy Sportz,Boston leading the show.

The way the show is structured has a sports element to it with a red team and a blue team with one referee plus scoreboard. Just like a sporting contest they are all in uniforms and are guided by the referee to play certain type of improvisational games. Audience participation is encouraged who are upwards of 7 years old. It is a great family atmosphere with candy for kids too! I hadn’t laughed in a long time and left in stitches. No pun intended.

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Filed under Capacity Buidling, Coaching, Community Development, Education, Gender, Leisure, Networking, Professional Development, Psycho-Social Support, Recreation, Stakeholder Engagement

January 18, 2017 · 5:44 pm

2017 Emmaus Martin Luther King Day of Service

A Bowdoin squash alum introduced me to VolunteerMatch, a wonderful website that connects nonprofit organizations with volunteers. Hence, in an effort to continue volunteering locally I was matched with Emmaus Inc, a Haverhill, Massachusetts-based nonprofit organization that addresses homelessness through empowerment. How did this happen?

T-shirt for Emmaus Volunteers, special event for 2017 MLK Day of Service.

Emmaus Volunteers received the T-shirt above for its 4th Annual 2017 Martin Luther King Day of Service.

The process to act upon my volunteer interest was to register with VolunteerMatch, express interest in organizations and causes near my zip code and then select volunteer opportunities based on mutual interest and availability. My first onsite meeting with Emmaus’s Empowerment Project Coordinator facilitated registration, identification verification and completing background (CORI) checks. I was then emailed by the coordinator the general volunteer responsibilities.

As a Family Guide, my volunteer role for the 2017 Emmaus Martin Luther King Day MLK Day was to provide a welcoming atmosphere for disadvantaged families and individuals at the Resource Fair and Family Theater  Almost 200 people from the Haverhill community attended the event and Emmaus Inc had over 130 volunteers respond to the call to work on various MLK day projects. Each volunteer received a free T-shirt, as seen above. For more information, check out pictures from the event on the Emmaus Inc. social media pages! Thank you to VolunteerMatch for helping me to make the Emmaus event a success.

If you are looking for ways to give back to your local community, connect with like-minded individuals and organizations as well as ease your way your back to full-time paid employment, VolunteerMatch, might be a useful tool to make your next steps in the new year.

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Filed under Capacity Buidling, Community Development, Education, Homelessness, Networking, Peace Building, Philanthropy, Poverty, Stakeholder Engagement, Volunteering

October 24, 2016 · 12:47 pm

What are Indicators of Youth Development?

Thanks to big data and increasingly shared datasets, the concept of youth development is being qualitatively measured across countries. The Commonwealth Secretariat recently released its third “Global Youth Development Index and Report” to measure how young people in 183 countries are positioned for the future.

Artistic Interpretation of Youth Development.

Source: Artistic interpretation of Youth Development in Key West, Florida. Photo Credit: T. Mohammed, 2015.

The report uses 5 domains which the authors see as critical to youth development: education, health, employment civic participation and political participation. My previous post gave examples of social entrepreneurs and policy makers working to achieve the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. This report acts as an impressive data-advocacy tool to focus attention and investment where needed the most.

The Commonwealth Secretariat’s Global Youth Development Index (GYDI) allows the public to compare and contrast countries where youth development is going well and not so well. Based on the GYDI, what attention and investment can you or your organization make in youth development?

 

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Filed under Capacity Buidling, Education, Foreign Policy, Grant Making, International Development, Leadership, Literature Review, Philanthropy, Planning, Private Public Partnerships, Public Policy, Stakeholder Engagement, Youth Development

October 6, 2016 · 5:47 pm

India, Uganda and USA: What Can We Learn by Comparing and Contrasting in Youth Development?

As mentioned, in earlier blog posts thanks to my formative United Nations Volunteer experience in Uganda, I’ve spent considerable time and energy as a founding team member of Khelshala in India. In the last couple of weeks, I was fortunate to attend fundraisers at Khelshala in Boston and the The Child Is Innocent in Boston. For both of these non-governmental organizations, this was my second time attending their fundraisers.

Listening to Satinder Bajwa (an engineer by training, turned coach and teacher) and Kevin Schwartz (a pediatric oncologist), as co-founders of their respective non-governmental organizations, I was reminded by other inspirational leaders I’ve heard speak at the Harvard Kennedy School in the social enterprise movement such as Mohammed Yunus of Grameen Bank or Bill Drayton of Ashoka, who have used their talents to improve the lives of the next generation of leaders. The objectives and challenges facing both Khelshala and The Child is Innocent are simultaneously similar and different.

Today, perhaps more than ever, it is possible for young people to make a difference through grassroots activism, social justice campaigning and demonstrating solidarity with those who are disenfranchised. Small steps taken over a long horizon can and do make a difference for organizations like Khelshala and The Child Is Innocent. How and when will you make your next step?

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Filed under Capacity Buidling, Community Development, Education, Grant Making, International Development, Leadership, Networking, Philanthropy, Poverty, Professional Development, Public Policy, Stakeholder Engagement, Uncategorized

October 3, 2016 · 3:39 pm

What does Peace Look Like?

The 2016 Positive Peace Report by the Institute of Economics and Peace, helps non-experts understand what peace looks like from a macro perspective. I found the diagram below from the report to be a very noteworthy depiction of what the positive elements of peace look like for a nation. I shall not repeat the content of the report, but would like to elaborate on a couple of contemporary issues.

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Source: 2016 Positive Peace Report by Institute of Economics and Peace.

The humanitarian crisis in Syria according to Ban Ki-Moon, Secretary General of the United Nations is “appauling,” with the thousands of deaths, especially young children. The Secretary General and the international community are taking steps for a peaceful solution to the conflict using diplomatic tools and maneuvers for a constructive dialogue that intends to put an end to the violence. However, many innocent Syrians and peacekeepers are being caught in the middle of the violence.

Approximately 5 years ago, I had the honor and privilege of attending a retreat with Thich Nhat Hanh, a Buddhist monk who has authored many self-help books on health and wellness. Perhaps the Syrian government and its people would benefit from listening, reading and learning from Thich Nhat Hanh’s teachings. When a cease-fire is reached by the Syrians themselves, they may wish to look at themselves in the mirror and make peace with themselves. In my humble opinion, by rejecting violence, it is easier to accept peace.

 

 

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Filed under Capacity Buidling, Community Development, Conflict Resolution, Education, Foreign Policy, Leadership, Literature Review, Peace Building, Public Policy, Stakeholder Engagement, Uncategorized

September 29, 2016 · 11:10 am

Celebrating a Decade of Common Good Days

As a Bowdoin alum living in the Boston area I have enjoyed participating in the Common Good Days organized by the College. In 2016, the Bowdoin College Common Good Day in Boston was held at Pine Street Inn, a homeless shelter for men. Over the years, the College has selected different nonprofits across the country to perform a day of service. This year’s event saw almost 500 alumni, faculty, staff and friends participated in Common Good Days with various nonprofits in different cities. In Boston, there were 12 alumni and friends stationed in the Pine Street Inn kitchen to assist the staff with basic meal preparation.

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Bowdoin Alumni and Friends at 2016 Bowdoin College Common Good Day at Pine Street Inn, Boston, MA. Photo credit: Pine Street Inn Staff.

Alumni from a wide range of years, professional backgrounds and communities enthusiastically cooperated with the Pine Street Inn staff in helping to cut tomatoes, cucumbers, onions and chicken to make sandwiches for residents. Pine Street staff were generous with their time and guidance to offer a personalized tour of the facility to see how the shelter fulfills its mission. We shared stories of our Bowdoin years, previous volunteer experiences and current professional roles. Though we had never met before our common links through Bowdoin allowed us to focus on the task at hand while seeking a greater understanding of the significance of Common Good Day.

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Pine Street Inn Kitchen and Cafe. 2016 Photo credit: T. Mohammed

This marked for me a decade of participating in Common Good Days organized by the Bowdoin Club of Boston. Based on the conversations with fellow alumni at Pine Street Inn, the meaning of service varies from individual to individual. Being part of a group, working towards a common goal, helping to improve society all with a bit of fun – are some of the many reasons why people participate in such events. However, a humble suggestion for future Common Good Day planning could entail greater follow through and assessment of the impact of days of service events for long term sustainability of the organizations and individuals it aims to benefit.

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Filed under Capacity Buidling, Community Development, Education, Homelessness, Leadership, Networking, Philanthropy, Planning, Poverty, Psycho-Social Support, Rehabilitation, Stakeholder Engagement

September 22, 2016 · 5:39 pm

Archiving Sport: How Do Libraries Connect Sport for Development and Peace?

It is really amazing how much there is to learn from being in a library. There are numerous types of libraries across the country on college campuses, in almost every neighborhood as public libraries and then the elite Presidential libraries to identify a few. The Boston Public Library in Copley Square, a newly renovated library in the heart of Boston reaches out to its community in numerous ways.

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Squash Photos of Bostonions at the Boston Public Library’s Electronic Information Kiosk. Photo Credit: T.Mohammed.

On a recent visit to the newly renovated Boston Public Library in Copley Square, I came across a fascinating electronic information kiosks in the main entrance hall. At a touch screen information kiosk, there was an archive of photos of various subjects (including squash photos of Bostonians as seen above) from the City of Boston. If you click on the photo you can see the details.

This impressive kiosk with information retrieval and storage (at a cost to the taxpayers of Massachusetts) is a tremendous leap forward in understanding and connecting the sport for development and peace field to the general public. My suggestion for the many aspiring young professionals in the emerging field of sport for development and peace would be to examine the evolution of sport at your local library. You may be surprised what you find.

 

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Filed under Community Development, Education, Leadership, Literature Review, Networking, Planning, Private Public Partnerships, Professional Development, Public Policy, Squash, Stakeholder Engagement, Uncategorized

August 25, 2016 · 10:45 am

Coastal Cities and Towns: What role do they play in Promoting Boating for Recreation or Sport?

Since taking a break from coaching squash – an indoor winter sport in New England – I have had the opportunity to explore outdoor recreational and sporting activities this summer. Being on the water in the summertime can be very invigorating and many New Englanders are avid sailors, rowers and yachtsmen. Most of the coastal cities or towns in this area have some type of community boating program.

I was born in Dubai – a port city in the United Arab Emirates and have traveled through many coastal cities and towns over the years in New England and overseas. Some of these stops include Maine, Connecticut and Rhode Island in New England and Kochi, Kolkatta and Mumbai in India to name a few. One recent stop included New York City at Chelsea Piers (see below) where on the Hudson River New Yorkers and tourists could rent yachts, sailboats and windsurfers for recreational purposes.

Visit to Chelsea Piers, New York, summer 2016. Photo credit: unknown.

Visit to Chelsea Piers, New York, 2016. Photo credit: unknown.

Coastal cities and towns be they in New England or not play an important role in promoting tourism, leisure and economic development. Community boating programs are another means in which to foster community, share common experiences and develop new friendships. Coastal cities and towns also promote competitive water sports such as the Volvo Ocean Race or off-shore Powerboat Racing. Of course there are some within the sporting world who are purists and might question the athleticism required to partake in such activities.

Youth sport specialization and the desire to compete at the collegiate level places a considerable burden on families in terms of time, money and energy which can lead to a very narrow focus in their child’s education.  Perhaps specialization, limits a coach’s ability to see other perspectives, especially when trying to coach their own sport if they grew up with just one or two sports. Just as youth sport researchers and advocates urge parents not to let their children specialize in sport too early, I think the same could go for coaches in that they may benefit from coach observations and learning from other sports to improve their own coaching toolkit. In short, quality coaching is a mix of science and art that enables students to reach their full potential.

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Filed under Coaching, Community Development, Education, Leisure, Private Public Partnerships, Recreation, Stakeholder Engagement, Youth Sport

July 30, 2016 · 9:26 am

Sports Memorabilia: Is at an excessive love of sport?

If you happen to live in the Greater Boston and are looking for a way to inspire your son or daughter with a dose of Boston sports history, then request a museum pass from your local library. Thanks to the Memorial Hall Library Membership program (my local library) a free entry pass to The Sports Museum in Boston made it possible for a summer visit.

Museum Pass made available through Library Membership Program at Memorial Hall Library.

Museum Pass made available through Library Membership Program at Memorial Hall Library, Andover, Massachusetts.

The Sports Museum was a new discovery for me given that one has been traveling from country to country observing sport for development and peace practices. What I found unique about The Sports Museum was that it provided a greater awareness of the four major American sports – football, baseball, basketball and hockey – which were all highlighted in some way during the tour. Our young tour guide was very knowledgable and had lots of great stories about Boston sports personalities.

Highly values sports memorabilia in The Sports Museum, Boston, Massachusetts.

Sports memorabilia in The Sports Museum, Boston, Massachusetts from July, 2016 visit Photo credit: T. Mohammed.

Furthermore, since the professionalization and specialization of sports in the United States, there are dedicated “Hall of Fame” for sports such as tennis and squash (both in the New England area too). Such devotion and allocation of resources to sport does not typically happen in low-income countries since there are more pressing needs like water, sanitation, electricity, agricultural development and housing, for example. Is this excessive love of sport in high-income countries or should low-income countries also strive for such development?

This is an ongoing debate within international development circles on whether sport is a “cost-effective” social and economic development tool in low-income countries. The 2016 Olympics in Rio, has an opportunity to leave a positive legacy for Latin America and the rest of the world. The 2012 London Olympics’s International Inspiration certainly did for 12 million children in 20 low-income countries.

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Filed under Community Development, Corporate Social Responsibility, Education, Foreign Policy, International Development, Leadership, Leisure, Olympic, Paralympic, Planning, Poverty, Recreation, Stakeholder Engagement, Youth Development

June 28, 2016 · 5:17 pm

Community Sport: What are Transferable Methodologies and Approaches?

The 2016 Olympics in Rio has generated terrific event in the Greater Boston area, like the one I attended yesterday with guest speakers such as Ellen Minzer, World Champion rower and award-winning coach. From her experience at elite levels of rowing and more recently as a coach to athletes with disabilities preparing for the Paralympics in Rio, Coach Minzer highlighted the importance of social inclusion in sport.

Among Coach Minzer, many coaching roles she serves as the Director of Outreach with Community Rowing Inc a sport-based youth development program based in Boston. In listening to Coach Minzer presentation, I began to see linkages in the aspirations of what Kidsquash was striving for in Boston and Khelshala in India. Comparisons can be made in community sport – such as rowing and squash – though executed differently by athletes during competition.

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Squash is mostly an individual sport in that during competition on the court it is one versus one, although there are team events too such as doubles squash with two versus two. Rowing is more of a team sport although there can be events with single sculling. The question for program directors of sport-based youth development programs from different community sports becomes what best practice in coaching rowing can be applied to squash or vice versa? What coaching methodologies do coaches use with differently aged and abled athletes? What coaching philosophies or approaches can program directors help to implement?

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These questions have societal consequences for all stakeholders in sport and beyond. This is why it is important to create more qualified coaches such as Coach Minzer who gives back to the sport, no matter what the level of the athletes, as they can help raise standards in community sport practice and participation. The Institute of Athletic Coach Education at Boston University is a fantastic resource for program directors and coaches to begin or enhance their professional development with sport-based youth development programs.

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Filed under Capacity Buidling, Coaching, Community Development, Conferences, Education, Gender, Leadership, Leisure, Networking, Paralympic, Professional Development, Rehabilitation, Stakeholder Engagement, Youth Development