Helping others through sports: The Champ Camp
During July 2017, I came back from Segovia to Jordan for the summer with an idea in mind. I wanted to set up an Olympic weightlifting school in the heart of Al-Baqa’a Refugee Camp. This idea came to me after launching IE University’s first Olympic Weightlifting Team. The team in Segovia was a tremendous success and the results from the athletes were overwhelming. By seeing the impact this sport had on my friends, who have the privilege to practice sports at any desired time, inspired me to go back home with a mission.
The Olympic Weightlifting School in Al-Baqa’a, The Champ Camp, was launched in August. At first, it was a distraction or escape from the poverty and violence the kids could face in the area.
When it was first established as an “emergency” camp, Al-Baqa’a had around 5,000 tents for around 26,000 Palestinian refugees. Today, it is the largest refugee camp in Jordan currently hosting over 119,000 Palestinians, who are confronted to major economic and social challenges.
Poverty and unemployment are some of the major challenges the inhabitants of the camp face. Over 30% of its residents have an income below the national poverty line. Problems are faced daily in the Camp, one of the most recent was the influx of Syrian refugees into it. The infrastructure of the Camp had to be shared between a larger number of people, which then lead to more socio-economic burdens. But, above all, the greatest challenge is the increasing number of youths dropping out of school and moving towards the industrial workforce looking for a source of income to provide for their families.
The Champ Camp intends to provide the young females and males of Al-Baqa’s with a platform to fulfill their dreams through sports-based youth development strategies.
Since its beginning, I started working with many young females. I soon saw the great opportunity to empower them through this sport, and established that as my main objective. A lot of work has been put into achieving this through removing social stigmas and replacing them with positive notions.
But this is not a one-man job, Captain Ali Al-Gabri is leading the way with mentoring and training the kids at The Champ Camp. He has been in the weightlifting field for 30 years and is currently dedicating all his efforts and focus towards breeding future champions from Al-Baqa’a.
The Champ Camp, the documentary
The initial phases of the experience were released in a documentary back in August 2017. The documentary highlights the social struggles surrounding the Camp and the way weightlifting have kept the kids at The Champ Camp with a loving heart and full of hope.
The documentary focuses on the life of Zaid Al-Jabri, a typical 14-year-old who lives in the camp. Zaid goes to school in the morning, afterwards works at a car garage, and only after goes to training. But the film also features interviews and opinions of the kids and their families.
Within the very first 24 hours of the film being released, it received over 20,000 views, 200 shares, and gave the project a worldwide exposure taking The Champ Camp to another level. Many worldwide weightlifting communities and platforms started contacting me and supporting the project, and then even helped by raising awareness and raising donations. Right now, all the money that was collected is allocated towards enhancing the facilities and on buying new equipment, but I hope to have as many funds as to make it a life time project.
Major Events and Achievements
The Champ Camp has been operating for less than a year, but it is growing strong every day.
The girls’ team won a combined total of 25 medals in the West Asian Olympic Weightlifting tournament held in Jordan in October of 2017. Seeing the girls whose efforts were rewarded on an international stage was truly heartwarming. This was proof of the importance to continue empowering them through the sport.
From the boys’ team, three athletes got national team selections and are currently preparing for tournaments across the Middle East and North Africa.
Last year I held the event “Sketch for The Champ Camp” in Spain and Jordan. The concept was that anyone could send the kids personalized sketches while freely choosing to set the price they’re willing to pay for it. The support received from the IE community was amazing, with over 100 sketches in dozens of languages dedicated to the kids. The money received from this event was used to buy new lockers, benches and authentic weightlifting platforms for the facilities. The kids were full of joy when they received their sketches and replied to all the IE Community with a video.
This semester, there will be more fundraising events for The Champ Camp, some of them will even test IE Community’s fitness level.
The Champ Camp will continue growing
Today, The Champ Camp operates as an initiative providing a safe environment for the kids of Al-Baqa’a from the challenges they face daily. There are currently 25 kids, 14 girls and 11 boys, that are crafting their dreams thanks to all the opportunities they can find here and specially because of everyone who helps this initiative.
As The Champ Camp grows, I hope to establish it not only a weightlifting school, but rather an institutions that incorporates other important areas in life. The vision for 2018 is to work on attaining better academic and social results for the kids by incorporating an educational curriculum, public speaking programs and other tools. The long-term objective is to remain operating until the current group turns 18, and at the same time sustain the generations yet to come, with the possibility to expand elsewhere.
I am extremely amazed with the progress The Champ Camp has achieved. Today the kids have broader horizons and dream even bigger. But, most importantly the kids have taught me more than I could ever teach them: perseverance, optimism, hope and gratefulness. I’m sure these kids will have a bright future, and you can help them achieve their dreams. Spread the word. Join the movement.
If you want to help more directly with this project you can contact Waleed here.
Contributions can be made in so many different forms but they all are certain to leave a significant impact on their lives.
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