Country of Residence
United States
Age
15
Project title
The Gi Access Project
Project Summary: Describe your project in one sentence
I collect new and gently used BJJ gis, belts, and training gear and provide them to young athletes who may not be able to participate because they cannot afford the equipment they need.
Website URL(s) or social media handles.
www.thegiaccessproject.org; thegiaccessproject (instagram)
Project Category
My project is an existing project that I started
Project Stage
Growth (We’ve moved past the very first activities and are beginning to have consistent weekly or monthly impact)
Founding Story: What was the spark that led you to start your project? What was the "Aha!" moment that led you to get started and see the potential for this to succeed?
All of my life I watched my parents, especially my mom volunteer her time. She spent so much time during my elementary school days that the other kids thought she worked there. I started training in Brazilian jiu jitsu around the same time as my Uncle Andy. About a year or two into his training, he told me about a non profit organization he was volunteering at. He informed me that kids there were getting free classes if they could not afford them. Around that time, age 12-13, I started to having major growth spurts and outgrew my training gis. He asked me to donate them to those kids who could not afford gis or classes. This was when I had my "Aha!" moment because I knew of other friends who were outgrowing their gis or would quit coming to class after a few months. I thought that someone should at least collect them from our gym and donate them to the non profit. After huge success from my personal gym, I got the idea to expand it to the other neighboring gyms. This was much harder because I did not know where to start, how to ask, or know how to organize myself. Luckily, I have many supportive adults in my life who helped guide me, give me feedback, and helped me to what it has become today. I officially launched the project last year as a Freshman in high school with goals of continued growth this year.
The Problem: What problem are you helping to solve? Why does it matter to you and your community?
Training in Brazilian jiu jitsu is actually quite expensive. On top of the classes, you must have a gi in order to participate. Many of the moves and techniques taught in class incorporate the gi and the grips involved in using the gi sleeves and lapel. Therefore, there really is no alternative to what you can wear in order to participate. Unfortunately, gis are quite expensive. The cheapest ones from Amazon start as low as $60, but most quality gis that will not tear or shrink in the wash are approximately $100-$150+. It would be a shame for a child to not be able to participate in something as beneficial to their physical and mental being just because they simply cannot afford a gi. I think it is important to encourage more youth to get on the mats and learn martial arts because it teaches discipline, commitment and improves confidence. My gi drive is meant to reduce the financial barrier of a child who wishes to participate in jiu jitsu. The more kids we can get on the mats and off of the streets or off of social media and their screens, the better. I believe this is what will help our community as a whole, because it teaches youth to become more resilient and grow in life, which will in turn make them more successful and contributing citizens.
Your Solution: How are you solving this problem? Share your specific solution.
My solution is very simple. Make Brazilian jiu jitsu more accessible to underprivileged youth. I send emails to neighborhood gyms letting them know about my gi drive. Once they approve of what I do and they allow me to come visit them, I ask for 3 things: 1) Share a short email with their members about the gi drive (which I provide). 2) I post physical flyers (which I made on my school Canvas account) at their gym with information about the gi drive. 3) Post a digital flyer on their social media. Then I set up a bin for the donations and ask to be contacted when it is full for pick up. Once I collect the donations, I set up a time to go to the non profit gym to drop them off.
Impact: How has your project created impact / made a difference so far? Or, if at an early stage, what will impact look like?
In our first year, my project has built a strong foundation for making jiu jitsu more accessible to youth in our community. I was able to collect 60+ gis and other Bjj gear like rash guards, shorts, and belts. I established partnerships with 5 participating gyms. In my second year so far, I created a website, a social media account, and officially partnered with the non profit gym. I also received the project's first fiscal donation of $1000. My goals for the rest of the year are to double the partnerships of the participating gyms and get at least one corporate sponsorship. I hope to collect 100+ gis in the second year of our donation drive.
Your Innovation: What is different about your project compared to other programs or solutions already out there? How is your project new or innovative?
I have not heard or found any other gi drive in my community. As far as I am concerned, along with the gyms I have reached out to thus far, no one else is doing what I am doing. Because of that, I feel that my solution, although very simple, is not being done by anyone else so far, and is therefore new and innovative.
How many people are on your team?
3
Your team: What role(s) do your team members play? How do you share leadership with them?
3 people make up the team so far. It is myself and my parents. I take on the leadership roles, outreach, and marketing. My parents help me drive to pick up the donations since I do not have my driver's license yet. They also help me carry the donation boxes since they are quite heavy, and assist in laundering the donations.
What’s Next: What are the next steps you plan to take to grow or strengthen your project over the next year? If your project is still in the idea stage, describe the steps you will take over the next three months to launch or begin developing it.
My goals for the rest of the year are to double the partnerships of the participating gyms and get at least one corporate sponsorship. I hope to collect 100+ gis in the second year of our donation drive. The next major donation drive will start at the end of October. My vision for that is most people tend to buy new gis during black Friday sales and also during the holiday gifting season. This will be a great time for people to donate their used gis for our cause.
How do you encourage other people to join your project or learn about the problem you’re working on? If you have a new idea, tell us how you will do this in the future.
On my website that I just launched last week, September 18, 2026, I have a Google form I created for those who would like to join the team. I also just launched my Instagram page as well as created some video testimonials that I worked on over the Summer to include and get more people to see what I am trying to do. I plan on sharing my website with my partnering gyms as well as use it as a tool to gain more relationships with the other gyms in my neighborhood and beyond. I believe that with social media and a website, it will reach much farther than just my surrounding area.
