ST. PETERS--Shoot Hoops Not Guns Committee presented its community project to invited community councils of St. Maarten at Rupert Maynard Community Centre last week. The year-long project was met with great enthusiasm by the councils in attendance and other people who visited to learn more about the project.
Committee member Alston Lourens began the presentation by briefly showing more than 20 news clippings relating to gun violence in 2015 to the audience, who were reminded of the horrific stories that published last year. “We need to do what we must to change the headlines of the news in our country going forward,” said Lourens.
He referred to previous successful large-scale campaigns during the presentation, such as the Keep SXM Clean and Drug-Free Body campaigns that also spread thousands of shirts around.
After the presentation, audience members took turns commending the committee and asking questions pertaining to the Shoot Hoops Not Guns project. Community councils were surprised to learn that the project had less to do with basketball and more with encouraging community activity, ownership and working towards common goals.
The committee will facilitate organisations with training and execution of the Oasis Games methodology within the community. The Oasis Games methodology was developed in Brazil as a way for a community to identify and realise its common goals. Oasis Games have spread throughout Europe, South America and the Caribbean with successful community projects, including a very meaningful execution in Dutch Quarter in 2013.
Members of the audience also took some time to remind each other of how closely knit communities in St. Maarten used to be decades ago, as all agreed the community element had become fragmented in the modern day country. Shoot Hoops Not Guns Committee now have individual meetings with various community councils and finalise the facilitation of Oasis Games training on the island.
Shoot Hoops Not Guns Committee members are Paul Bell, Sjaoel Richardson, Lester Bryan, Janique Coram, Alston Lourens and Francisco Lacroes. These members represent Island Hoops Basketball Foundation and Soualiga Social Movement. Without any major launch the project already has received generous pledges from PWC, VROMI, Royal Funeral Home, Artemia Group, NAGICO, NAPA and other businesses that would like to remain anonymous.
