Macho Picchu Event: On October 8, 2014, I took a group of 11 high school seniors, 3 school administrators and a co-worker on a two-day overnight trip to see the majestic Machu Picchu. I planned the entire trip for all 15 women including buying tickets, making hostel reservations, coordinating transportation, food, entrance fees and even hiring a trustworthy tour guide.

A few weeks before leaving, I created a detailed document for the girls that explained all of the information they would need in preparation for the trip. This included a two-day itinerary, a checklist of items they should pack, a list of amenities that would be provided for them and permission slips for their families. After actually completing the trip, I created a document for future PMs to use to best prepare for the trip.

To see the materials generated for the Machu Picchu Event, click here.

Coaches Across Continents Partnership: Coaches Across Continents is a global leader in the sport for social impact movement. They partner with local organizations around the world to implement their initiatives and innovative curriculum that focuses on social issues specific to different regions, including issues of gender equality and female empowerment. Forming a partnership with CAC would provide GSW with comprehensive on-field training for coaches and the local community as well as off-field support throughout the year. The three-year partnership would be worth an estimated $81,000.

I completed the 30-page application and I am very hopeful that a partnership will eventually result. Both organizations have a similar mission: teaching life skills such as communication, leadership and self esteem through sports. While they do differ in many ways, the main concerns of GSW have been alleviated through several email exchanges with the director of CAC and even meeting with one of the organization’s primary trainers here in Cusco. While GSW has decided that they will not pursue a partnership with CAC at this time, it is a viable option for the future and it would have a great impact on the community.

Shoe Fundraiser & El Programa de Zapatillas Development: Many of the girls that participate in our program cannot afford to purchase athletic shoes. They therefore participate in their school shoes or another pair of shoes not suitable for sports class. El Programa de Zapatillas has already existed as a program that guarantees each student a pair of athletic shoes after they attend 8 classes and pass a test of sit-ups, push-ups and sprints. We implemented this program at one of our schools with about 11 students. While the program was successful in providing each of the girls with a new pair of sneakers, it did not exactly align with the mission of GSW as a whole. I decided to redesign the program to incorporate more of the 5 values that GSW emphasizes. The first step to this was to begin a fundraiser to get more used shoes for the girls. I contacted Upper 90, a soccer store in NYC, and asked for their support in informing their customers about our organization and our need for used athletic shoes. They agreed to distribute flyers to customers and to keep a labeled box at the front of the store for donated shoes. Once I realized how successful the program would be, I began brainstorming ideas for a more effective Programa de Zapatillas. For more information on this fundraiser and the new Programa de Zapatillas , please visit here. 

Redesigned In-Country Orientation:  The in-country orientation I received upon arrival to Cusco lacked structure and organization. There was no agenda, no information on cultural differences or recommendations on how to best adjust, no formal meetings with partner schools or our Cusco-based partner organizations, etc. It was obvious that an in-country orientation needed to be established so that new PMs could focus less on adjusting to life in Cusco and spend more time creating effective lesson plans. For this reason, I created a detailed list of topics that need to be covered during the in-country orientation and the time needed to cover each one. It is difficult to create a set schedule for the orientation because new PM start dates are constantly changing, however this list will help each set of PMs create their personalized orientation calendar. I have also created a list of necessary information for incoming PMs as they are packing for a year abroad, a check-list for current PMs to review 2-3 weeks before the arrival of the new PMs to be sure that things are in order for the transition and a crossing cultures handout for incoming PMs to review before their arrival in Cusco. This topic will also be discussed during the in-country orientation.

To review the current PM checklist, future PM checklist, crossing cultures handout and design of the new in-country orientation, visit here.

Mother-Daughter Rock-Climbing Trip: GirlSportWorks has worked with Escalando Esperanzas once before to take a group of our girls on a trip rock climbing in Poroy. The trip was successful and the girls learned a lot about the different life skills we teach at GSW. They worked as a team to encourage each other to reach the top. It was not easy. Most of the girls had never been rock climbing before. While it seemed daunting at first, after a few girls took the initiative to being climbing, the others followed and they each ascended working as a unit. The success of the trip influenced my decision to organize it again, but this time with more community involvement. After meeting with the owner of Escalando Esperanzas, he explained that for every 4 or 5 girls, it would be best to have at least one volunteer to help with “crowd control” and general support. While we have a relationship with the administration at most of our schools, we are not really involved in the girls’ family lives. I saw this as an opportunity to ask if their mothers would like to try rock climbing and volunteer for the trip.

Having the girls see their mothers challenging themselves both physically and mentally through rock climbing allowed them to view their mothers as strong and empowered women. This trip was also a great opportunity to share the lessons and life skills we teach the girls with their mothers so they could understand we do not simply teach sports, we teach important values. We received a very positive and enthusiastic reaction from the mothers and we hope that this will help them become more involved in the program. With more family involvement, we believe that the girls will gain more enthusiasm for athletics, matriculation rates for our classes will increase and behavioral issues could be eliminated.

More information on this trip can be found here.