Using Sport for Social Change- St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands
Focus Virgin Island youth through sports and fitness, giving them the confidence they need to set personal goals and achieve their aspirations.
About You
Contact Information
Title
Mr.
First name
Dean
Last name
Doeling
Your job title
Senior Production Artist, Nike Inc.
Name of your organization
Using Sport for Social Change- St. John, USVI
Organization type
individual
Annual budget/currency
na
Location
Project Street Address
One Bowerman Dr.
Project City
Beaverton
Project Province/State
Oregon
Project Postal/Zip Code
97006
Project Country
United States
Your idea
Choose your sport: (check all that apply)
Fitness
If you chose "other" for Sport, please define in 1-2 words below
What approach does your initiative incorporate?
Advocacy
Year the initiative began (yyyy)
2008
Paste your video code here:
If your project has a website, paste the web address here:
Plot your innovation within the discovery framework:
Barrier
Lack of parity in facilities, equipment and funding
Insight
Visibility multiplies participation
This field has not been completed. (333 words or less)
Name Your Project
Using Sport for Social Change- St. John, U.S. Virgin Islands
Describe Your Idea
Focus Virgin Island youth through sports and fitness, giving them the confidence they need to set personal goals and achieve their aspirations.
Innovation
What is your signature innovation, your new idea, in one sentence?
Focus Virgin Island youth through sports and fitness, giving them the confidence they need to set personal goals and achieve their aspirations.
How many people does your innovation serve or plan to serve? Exactly who will benefit?
There are now 510 youth, in grades k-9, in three schools on the island of St. John. In order to go to high school, the teens have to travel to St. Thomas daily by ferry, which is a 40 minute ride each way. According to a 2000 census, there is a total population of 4,197. My goal is to focus Virgin Island youth through sports and fitness, giving them the confidence they need to set personal goals, achieve their aspirations and create opportunity for themselves, their family and their community
Do you have any existing partnerships? If so, please list and describe.
Almost, but not yet...
In which sector do these partners work? (Check all that apply)
Citizen sector (non profits, NGOs) .
How do you implement your innovation and apply it to the challenge/problem you are addressing?
THE SCHOOLS:
•Work closely with each school’s faculty and parents to address the fitness needs and interests of their children.
•Set immediate, and easily obtainable fitness goals that will address the current needs of the children and their schools.
•Set long term, obtainable fitness goals that will address the future needs of the children and their schools.
•Provide aggressive and sustainable support to the schools athletic needs.
THE COMMUNITY:
•Set up sustainable and self supportive sports and fitness programs at the community level.
•Actively participate in and provide product for a local sporting event such as the “8 tuff Miles”, the “St. John Carnival Bike Race”, or the “Love City Triathlon” that occur every year on St. John.
•Reach out to the community and provide health and fitness awareness through local business such as the St. John Rotary, St. John “Gym In Paradise” and local eco resorts such as Maho Bay campground and Concordia eco tents.
Impact
Provide one sentence describing your impact/intended impact
To create a culture of sport for every kid on St. John
What does impact/success look like? Please list any tangible measures of the impact of your innovation
Success from this innovation will be measured in several ways:
•There will be more women and young girls participating in sports.
•Women will be considered as "equal" to men, instead of only considered as "child bearers" and "objects".
•Women will have the opportunity to become more than just homemakers and mothers.
•St. John will no longer have the highest teen pregnancy per capita of single mother households.
•Becoming pregnant will no longer be a status symbol for women.
•The trend toward gang activity and school dropouts would decrease.
•There would also be a huge initiative to provide funding for equipment, uniforms and new playing fields.
Is there a chance that your project could change policy (within an institution or government)?
Definitely! Right now, the government’s inability to improve conditions for youth is outrageous. We need to step up and demand that the local government invest in the future of their children through sport and fitness programs, so that the Virgin Island youths of today will have the social, fitness and athletic skills to lead meaningful and productive lives.
Aside from financial sustainability, how do you plan to grow the initiative or expand your intended impact?
At this time I am only focusing on St. John, USVI youth. It is the smallest of the U.S. governed islands. I feel that once I can get these kids some focus through sport, I can take the initiative to the other neighboring U.S. islands, and in the future, take this initiative to the British Virgin Islands as well. "Using Sport For Social Change in (ALL) the Virgin Islands..."
This Entry is about (Issues)
Sustainability
How is your initiative financed (or how do you expect your initiative will be financed)?
I am working with the American Legions as well as the St. John Community Foundation. Both groups are 501c3. I have also just started working with an organization through Nike called "Global Giving"who will match proceeds that have been donated through fundraisers. I have several ideas to raise funding while giving back to the community and local retail businesses in St. John. One idea is called "The Laminate Project" which has also been nominated for this competition.
There is also a very active group of parents, teachers and family members on St. john that are very able and willing to raise money for their community.
Financing source
Annual budget
na
Annual revenue generated
na
Number of staff (full-time, part-time, volunteers)
na
What are the main barriers to financing your initiative, and how do you plan to address these barriers?
Communication. I am grateful for the contacts that I have made so far. Everyone seems to have a desire to help, it's just the focus and means that are lacking. I feel that everyone I have met, and will meet has a piece to the puzzle of getting this initiative accomplished. It's putting the pieces together that will be the most difficult.
Opening new doors and using the now open ones to their full potential will be key to successfully implementing this endeavor.
What are the major challenges with regards to partnerships?
Everyone on island is desperate for some help for their youth. Anyone who I become a partner with will obviously want to have a voice in how they think the funding should be spent. There will be differences of opinion for sure.
There is a time and a place for everything and everyone can not be helped at once. Therefore I see a huge challenge in putting our pride aside, working together as one, and doing what is right for the youths of St. John, regardless of our differences of opinion.
The Story
What stage is your project?
Idea phase .
What was the motivation or defining moment that led to create this innovation? Tell us the story.
I am a huge fan of St. John. I have been there four times and I am headed back next May.
I have witnessed first hand and have also heard that the schools of St. John are in need of some help because the local government overlooks them.
The last time I was in St. John (a year and a half ago), I noticed that the kids were outside playing with a (one) flat soccer ball. I also noticed that the basketball hoops did not have nets on them, and some were not even useable. Maybe they didn’t even have basketballs to play with. Anyway, it put an idea into my head that since I work at Nike, I could use Nike as a resource to help the kids achieve some athletic goals, thereby giving them courage and enough confidence to achieve other lifetime goals.
Please tell us about the social innovator behind this initiative
My name is Dean Doeling. I started this initiative a few months ago with the idea of just getting the kids of the schools something to play with. However, in speaking with many people on and off island, it is now my intention to develop and assist with sports and fitness programs that will eventually be self supporting and sustainable within the community.
(Optional) To be eligible for an additional prize, please select age range
27 or older
 | 180 weeks agoDean Doeling said: Thanks Ziba, Just a correction, this initiative is for the U.S. Virgin Islands. NOT Bermuda. In speaking with Paul, the Executive ... about this Competition Entry. - read more > |
| 180 weeks agoziba cranmer said: Hey Dean, Glad to see you here and I hope that this will indeed be another piece of the puzzle! Couple of questions for you - I dont ... about this Competition Entry. - read more > |
| 180 weeks agoStephani Kobayashi Stevenson said: I think this is a great idea, Dean. I'm wondering if anyone has any suggestions on how to raise initial capital to start programming at ... about this Competition Entry. - read more > |
| 181 weeks agoDean Doeling submitted this idea. |
