Sport & Design Blog: live from Tokyo, Japan!
Cl Smooth Crew
Dreaming big @ Beijing 2008
Artwork by DUZZ: original project poster, featuring Yuki and Ume (Hope 81’s first Youth Sports Ambassadors)
Two years ago, we had a big dream of going to Beijing to see the Gold Medal Mens Basketball Game live. And we wanted to build some new friendship through streetball along the way. So with zero financial support and no tickets, we took a chance and went for it! The project was led by our two Youth Sports Ambassadors from Tokyo (Yuki and Ume). We worked with the Ribbon Magnet Group/MsDS, which helped out with our HIV Awareness campaign, plus a bunch of great local supporters in Beijing (Mark, More Free & CL Smooth Crew, all the ballers from Dong Dan, Di Tan Gun, and Chao Yang Park) and so many more people who stepped up and supported us behind the scenes. Here’s a look back at an incredible journey:
Our first trip to Beijing turned out to be a key starting point for our Sport for P.E.A.C.E. initiative, and set the stage for our other grassroots campaigns. A nice reminder that anything’s possible. Let’s keep dreaming big, Japan!
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Life, Basketball and Japan
March 02 2010 Filed in: Rising Suns | Hope 81
When I speak about Hope 81, people often ask me why Japan? To me, its sort of a no-brainer. I love my life here! But I guess the idea of a guy from California launching a nonprofit organization in Japan might seem a bit out-of-the-ordinary (or intriguing) to some, so the question deserves a better answer than that. Sometimes my answer turns into a long story of academic discourse, overlapping with personal anecdotes and so many twists and turns. I wish I had a 30-second version. Trust me -- I’m working on it. For now, here’s a special blog entry to give you a better idea.
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