Je Suis Calisthenics
Je Suis Calisthenics
Je Suis Calisthenics
Je Suis Calisthenics
Je Suis Calisthenics
This campaign is closed
Je Suis Calisthenics
The art of bodyweight movement that provides a fun and affordable way to get fit because all you need is your own bodyweight and some basic equipment. But calisthenics is more than a way of keeping fit, it builds confidence and self-esteem.
It has an enormous impact on the youth of disadvantaged communities, empowering them, giving them hope, and engendering a spirit of cooperation that leads to a more prosperous society.
The United Nations recognises sport to be a flexible tool for promoting peace. It is “an important enabler of sustainable development“ (2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development A/RES/70/1, paragraph 37).
As a grassroots movement, we aim to empower communities through calisthenics. Our goal to encourage mental and physical well-being contributes towards a bigger picture, a future of sustainable development and peace.
We have already seen how calisthenics can work and we are now ready to set up a pilot training and development programme in Morocco in autumn 2017.
Our programme coincides with the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the community of Sport for Development and Peace.
All we need is your contribution to cover our basic expenses as the classes we give are free of charge.
On a photographic trip to Morocco in 2014, we came across a bunch of teenagers doing calisthenics in a skateboard park in Casablanca. The older kids were teaching the younger ones. They welcomed us into their group and although we didn’t speak their language, we communicated through calisthenics.
They showed us their moves and we were blown away by their raw energy, their enthusiasm, and their humbling spirit. These kids had almost nothing and they were sharing so much with us.
The next year they traveled with us to Chefchaouen, the blue city in the Rif mountains where we did demonstrations of calisthenics – it was a hit! - And what started for us as a photographic documentary was turning into a grassroots movement: Je Suis Calisthenics.
Fahd and Ibrahim Kashmirwala, two brothers who founded The Kresh Foundation Ltd, a UK registered non-profit organisation which has successfully delivered many short-term community projects in London and Morocco.
We have seen the potential of calisthenics to change lives. Something so simple and relatively inexpensive to put in place. Something that already existed as a seed that only needed nurturing and feeding in order to grow. Something that could transform communities with all their attendant problems of crime, unemployment, alcohol and substance abuse. (Youth unemployment in Morocco stood at 25.5 percent in the first quarter of 2017).
The passion is there. The enthusiasm is there. All it needs is your contribution to set up a 3-month pilot programme of classes starting in October this year. Based on the success of these we will then be able to demonstrate to the Moroccan authorities the viability of Je Suis Calisthenics and guarantee the sustainability of the project.
This will open the door to future developments, enabling us to spread the awareness of calisthenics through other major cities and into rural areas. Together we will achieve our vision to:
“empower communities, by encouraging physical and mental well-being”
You will receive regular written and photographic reports and video updates from the children. You will see how your contribution is giving them the opportunity to develop their skills and gain self-confidence, how it is empowering them and in the long-term providing the resources to create livelihood and bridge communities. Your contribution could also lead to lasting friendships.
If you believe in what we’re doing but you’re not in a position to contribute financially, you can also help by spreading the word.
Share our campaign on your social media and use our hashtag
#Jesuiscalisthenics
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