PADDLES UP!!

Having witnessed first-hand the multiple and far-reaching benefits of dragon boating as a sport and tool for bringing together communities, I have decided to apply it in a different context, this time for youth at risk in a team building, confidence and self-worth raising program/activity.

Paddles Up!! Is a team-building program for youth at risk who would not otherwise have the opportunity to participate in this sport.

Being part of a dragon boat team goes above and beyond promoting physical health; it promotes a sense of Accomplishment, of Pride, of Committing to a Shared Objective achievable only through working together as a team. Harnessing both excess energy, misdirected frustration or low self-esteem through dragon boating.

This program will positively affect not just the youth participants, but the surrounding community as well, with long-lasting and far-reaching effects of greater confidence, self-esteem, and sense of self-worth of the youth.