In an ever increasingly connected world we tend to forget that we need to awaken and hone a specific skill set in young people to ensure that South Africa keeps pace with fast paced development.
There is a crying need for young people to excel in Maths and Science and the game of Chess has been proven again and again as one that nurtures these skill sets.
A Uitenhage local, Ramon Thomas, is seeking to revive the game of Chess amongst the youth of Uitenhage by filming the 10th annual Uitenhage Chess Festival and distributing the DVD’s amongst 1000 Uitenhage households.
Think about it – a DVD has so much more impact than a video on a server somewhere. One could compare receiving a DVD to receiving a letter in our electronic world.
To help with distribution Ramon is looking to Crowd Source funds – click here to read how.
Ramon explains his idea thus:
Help me film and produce 1,000 DVDs of the 10th annual Uitenhage Chess Festival. The last two chess clubs in this small town has closed down. We can change that
My name is RJ Thomas. I grew up in a small town, in a remote part of South Africa. Our town, Uitenhage, is famous as home of Volkswagen South Africa. In high school I learned to play chess and it helped me make some good friends, and choose a good career in IT.
This campaign is to fund the filming of the 10th annual Uitenhage Chess Festival. In the last 2 years the last two chess clubs have closed down. Youth unemployment is high and many children live on the streets, suffer abuse at the hands of alcoholic parents, and other social ills.
This film can inspire them to reach for their dreams. It will also stimulate an interest and demand for chess coaching and clubs. My aunt, now 65 years old, retired from the public library, is so passionate about the children and chess. Yet she lacks the resources to motivate and inspire more parents, schools to participate.
Your contribution will help my company produce a film to reach 1,000 households in a town of maybe 150,000 people. The DVDs will be hand delivered to people in August 2013, while the actual tournament is fresh in the memory of the participants.
Click here to support the Uitenhage Chess Festival Film.
