AN URBAN SQUASH AND EDUCATION PROGRAM. Cartagena, Colombia

Transcription

1 AN URBAN SQUASH AND EDUCATION PROGRAM Cartagena, Colombia

2 OUR MISSION IS TO PROVIDE LIFE-CHANGING OPPORTUNITIES TO CHILDREN FROM LOW-INCOME FAMILIES IN COLOMBIA THROUGH EDUCATION, MENTORING, AND THE SPORT OF SQUASH. OUR MISSION JESSE PACHECO WON A SCHOLARSHIP TO CORNELL UNIVERSITY, WHERE SHE IS AN ALL AMERICAN ON THE SQUASH TEAM. 50% of Squash Urbano s weekday practice time will be spent in the classroom OBJECTIVES Squash Urbano Colombia will help girls and boys build character, develop leadership skills, become physically fit, and set high goals for themselves educationally, athletically, and professionally. Three measurable goals we have for our students are that they: GRADUATE FROM HIGH SCHOOL LEARN ENGLISH BECOME COMPETITIVE SQUASH PLAYERS ENTER THE WORK FORCE

3 WHY SQUASH? Squash is uniquely effective as an out-of-school activity or hook. Invented in England in the 1860s, the indoor racket sport is played by over 15 million people in more than 100 countries. Described by Forbes as the world s healthiest sport, squash is a physically and intellectually demanding game that places a high value on sportsmanship. Because it is primarily played at universities, prep schools and private clubs, the sport can open doors of opportunity to those who play it. Squash Urbano Colombia will help our students walk through those doors. WHY CARTAGENA? Although Cartagena is one of Colombia s most beautiful cities and most popular tourist destinations, many of its residents live in poverty. Squash taught me respect, commitment, dedication and hard work. REYNA PACHECO San Diego access Youth Academy graduate and varsity squash player at Columbia University in New York City AN INNOVATIVE APPROACH TO YOUTH DEVELOPMENT URBAN SQUASH AND EDUCATION Urban squash and education programs operate in four countries on three continents. We follow an inch wide, mile deep approach to youth programming and strive to have a transformative impact on the lives of our participants. Our programs combine squash with academics, mentoring, community service, and college placement. Our intensive, year-round programming, which takes places after school, on the weekends and in the summer, engages students until they finish their schooling. BEYOND CARTAGENA After establishing our operation in Cartagena, Squash Urbano Colombia will explore opportunities in Bogotá, Medellin, Bucaramanga, Cali, and other cities in Colombia. Our goal is to provide life-changing opportunities to as many Colombian children as possible. 40% 40% 60% CALI + of Cartagena s population lives in poverty, surviving on $2 a day. + of Cartagena s students drop out of school before high school graduation. + of the active economic population works in the informal sector of the economy, lacking access to a minimum wage or social security. CARTAGENA MEDELLIN BUCARAMANGA BOGOTÁ

4 OUR PARTNERS 2,000+ students in Africa, Asia, and North America are enrolled in urban squash and education programs. Cartagena Public Schools Partner Schools Squash Urbano Colombia will partner with public schools in Cartagena that serve elementary, middle and high school students from the lowest economic stratas. We will recruit students in the 4th, 5th, and 6th grades. Once selected, we will meet them each weekday after school before transporting them to Complejo de Raquetas for academic and squash sessions. We will work closely with the teachers and administrators at our partner schools to stay abreast of our students academic development and to encourage them to work hard academically. Students begin to realize that through hard work they can access anything. It is a very powerful message. DAVID KAY Executive Director of Chicago s METROsquash and a NUSEA International Board Member COMPLEJO DE RAQUETAS Partner Facility Complejo de Raquetas is an ideal venue for Squash Urbano Colombia. Built by the Cartagena government in 2006 to host the squash competitions of the XX Central American and Caribbean Games, Complejo de Raquetas has 6 singles squash courts and 1 international squash doubles court, making it one of the largest squash venues of the country. Its courts are state-of-the-art and it is located in Barrio La Popa, next to a low-income neighborhood in Cartagena. COLOMBIA SQUASH FEDERATION Partner Organization Squash Urbano Colombia partnered with the Colombia Squash Federation. With more than 200 squash courts at over 40 facilities, Colombia boasts one of the largest squash communities in the Americas. With investment by the Federation and government, public squash facilities have been built and the sport continues to gain in popularity. Colombia s national team is one of the strongest in South America, winning the 2013 South American Championships, the 2012 Pan American Championships and the 2007 Pan American Games. Bogotá native Miguel Angel Rodriguez has been ranked #13 in the world, the highest all-time ranking among South Americans. He also won the 2013 World Games Bronze medal.

5 HOW WILL IT WORK? SELECTION PROCESS Recruiting hardworking, committed students Graduates of urban squash and educational programs have won scholarships to attend such universities as Amherst, Columbia, Cornell, Dartmouth, Harvard, and the University of Pennsylvania. Our student selection process will begin at the start of each school year and will conclude in December. Because of the length of our commitment to our students and the intensity of our year-round programming, we will select students who we believe will work hard and make the most out of the program experience. Selections will be based on a variety of factors, including effort, attendance rate, parental commitment, teacher references, athletic ability, character and attitude. STUDENT COMMITMENT Intensive academic and athletic programming year-round For our students, Squash Urbano Colombia will be an intensive, year-round commitment. Beginning in elementary school and extending through high school graduation. Each student will have a minimum of two weekday afternoon practices a week with one hour of squash and one hour of academic tutoring and one weekend practice or program activity. Over the course of the school year, our students will receive more than 100 hours of supervised academic instruction and more than 100 hours of supervised squash instruction. They will also complete at least 10 hours of community service and participate in academic and athletic programs during the summer. Enrollment & Staffing Squash Urbano Colombia will launch with 50 4th, 5th and 6th grade students, split evenly between girls and boys. Each year, the program s enrollment will grow by approximately 15 students. In 2014, Squash Urbano Colombia will employ an Executive Director, a Program Director, an Academic Director, and a Director of Squash. In subsequent years, the staff will grow in relation to the size of the program and the ages of the students. YEAR STUDENTS STAFF BUDGET $175, $200, $225, $250,000

6 THE PEOPLE Esteban Espinal Founder & Executive Director Esteban is the Executive Director of Squash Urbano Colombia. Since 2009, Esteban has been a Squash Director at CitySquash, an urban squash and education program in the Bronx, New York. Previously, Esteban coached at a squash club outside of New York City and lived in Toronto while playing on the professional men s squash tour. Esteban graduated from Los Andes University in Bogotá. A resident of New York City, Esteban travels frequently to Colombia to develop Squash Urbano Colombia and will move with his wife, a Cali native, to Cartagena in the summer of Andreas Gruson Andreas is a Partner of Industrial Advisory Services, a global environmental services platform, and of Grupo Sala, the largest environmental services and waste management company in Colombia. Andreas began his career in the investment banking group at Deutsche Bank Securities, where he focused on the industrial and environmental services, and subsequently joined UBS to start and head its industrial and environmental services coverage practice. Later Andreas led Regus Industries, LLC, a solid waste logistics and disposal company, as Chairman and CEO. Gruson, who lives in New York City and is married to a Colombian, received a B.A. from the University of Pennsylvania and an M.B.A. from Columbia Business School. The kids and families that I have worked with in the Bronx have changed my life. Through them I have realized the positive impact that we can have in a community. With hard work and support a better future is possible for our youth. ESTEBAN ESPINAL Founder and Executive Director Squash Urbano Colombia Board of Directors Squash Urbano Colombia is led by Esteban Espinal, a Bogotá native who is a past member of the Colombian national team. Since 2009, Esteban has run the squash program at CitySquash, an urban squash and education program in the Bronx, New York. Supporting Esteban is a group of Colombians who share his love of Colombia and belief in the power of urban squash and education programs to change lives. Squash Urbano Colombia is partnered with the National Urban Squash + Education Association, which is based in the United States and supports the expansion of urban squash internationally. Juan Carlos Iragorri Juan Carlos is the Director of Voces RCN de Club de Prensa and the Washington, D.C. Correspondent for Semana, a Colombian news and opinion magazine. Juan Carlos is also the Director of the masters program in journalism at the Universidad del Rosario in Bogotá. Previously, Juan Carlos was the Chief Editor of Semana and the Madrid correspondent of El Tiempo. A native of Cali and a lifelong squash player, Juan Carlos graduated from the Universidad del Rosario and earned an M.A. at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. Juan Carlos has received numerous awards and has been a fellow in journalism at Oxford University and Harvard University. Diana Gomez Kopp Diana is the Co-Chair of MEMO SAS, a family-owned dairy operation and real estate developer in Bogotá. Previously, Diana worked in the derivatives business at Merrill Lynch and was the Chief Operating Officer of Endeavor Inc., a non-profit organization that catalyzes long-term economic growth in emerging markets. Diana earned a B.A. and M.B.A. from Harvard University, and serves on the boards of The Hotchkiss School, Endeavor Colombia, and Lumni Inc. The Bogotá native is also actively involved with Panthera Colombia and Harvard College. A squash player, Diana splits her time evenly between New York City and Bogotá. $20+ million high school and university scholarships earned by urban squash students

7 Board of Directors Continued... Carlos Andrés Martínez Carlos Andrés is a Partner at Somos Suministros Temporal S.A, a temporary service company, and the Founder of Paradas Camina SAS, a real state company. Carlos Andrés serves on the board of numerous companies, including Aerobrokers S.A, which represent factories in the aviation sector. Previously, Carlos founded La Superbodega e-shop, a technology company. A Bogota native and resident, Carlos Andrés studied Industrial Engineering at Los Andes University in Bogota. He also studied Music Production at Berklee College of Music in Boston and Business at the University of California at Berkeley. Advisory Board Javier Cardenas Rafael Castro Lolita X Echavarria Felipe Galeano Mario Hernández Andres Mejia Andres Posada Carlos Roa Andrew Weisz Pablo Serna Pablo is the President of the Colombia Squash Federation and Founder and CEO of SPOT Investments, a boutique investment bank based in Switzerland and Colombia. A lifelong squash player, Pablo has played actively in Colombia, the United Kingdom and Italy. He has a B.A. from Externado University in Colombia and an M.S. in Finance and International Banking from Salford University in Manchester. Pablo lives in Bogotá. Tim Wyant Tim is the Executive Director of National Urban Squash + Education Association. A graduate of Harvard University, where he played varsity soccer and was a four-time All-American on the squash team, Tim competed on the professional squash tour after college and was a member of the U.S. Men s National Team. In 2002, Tim was hired to launch CitySquash, the fourth urban squash and education program in the U.S. Under Tim s leadership, the students of the Bronx-based program have won over $10 million in scholarships to high school and college. Tim co-founded NUSEA in 2005 and became its Executive Director in Bernardo Samper Bernardo is the Founder and CEO of Linksouth Apparel Sourcing, which manufactures clothing in South America and imports it to the United States. At Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, the Bogotá native won the individual college nationals and led his team to four national team championships. After Trinity, Bernardo competed on the professional squash tour and earned a #51 world ranking. A 5-time Colombian national champion, Bernardo won a team bronze medal at the 1999 Pan-American Games and a team gold medal at 2000 Pan American Games UrbAN squash students have graduated from high school and enrolled in universities

8 FRIENDS OF Squash Urbano Colombia BOGOTÁ NATIVE MIGUEL ANGEL RODRIGUEZ HAS BEEN RANKED #14 IN THE WORLD, THE HIGHEST ALL-TIME RANKING AMONG SOUTH AMERICANS. Leah Ramella Agudelo Harvard Squash Team Member ( 96 99) Paul Assaiante Men s Squash Coach, Trinity College Maria Teresa Castro Journalist & Colombian National Squash Champion Richard Chin Former Guyana National Squash Champion Fonseca Latin Grammy winner 2012 Program Launch Timeline 1995 BOSTON 1999 NEW YORK 2001 PHILADELPHIA 2002 BRONX 2005 CHICAGO 2007 NEW HAVEN, SAN DIEGO 2008 SANTA BARBARA, BALTIMORE, DENVER 2009 ATTAWA (INDIA), JOHANNESBURG 2010 OAKLAND, DETROIT 2011 MINNEAPOLIS, TORONTO 2012 CLEVELAND, NEWARK 2014 HARTFORD, CINCINNATI 2015 CARTAGENA Maria Alejandra Garcia Associate, Garcia & Morris Abogados Jorge Ivan Posada Artist Catalina Robayo 2011 Miss Colombia Eduardo Robayo President of Conboca Group Javier Rodriguez Portfolio Manager at Aberdeen, Inc. Andrés Vargas Colombian National Squash Team Our programs follow an inch wide, mile deep approach to youth development. We seek to have a transformational impact on the lives of the students and families we work with. TIM WYANT Executive Director of NUSEA NUSEA The National Urban Squash + Education Association promotes urban squash globally. When identifying and evaluating development opportunities and partner organizations, NUSEA draws on an international network of squash leaders, nonprofit groups, foundations and businesses. In addition to assisting Squash Urbano Colombia in building a board and raising capital for the organization, NUSEA is underwriting the organization s start-up costs and assisting Squash Urbano Colombia in recruiting staff and developing its academic and athletic programs. ProgramS CANADA (1) INDIA (1) Courtesy of US Squash SOUTH AFRICA (1) UNITED STATES (15)

9