Mission of Row4Life
Building Future Leaders of S. Sudan by Promoting Global Diversity
NEWS FLASHES:
DEC 2023; Kyle and Row4Life were invited to attend Boys in the Boat movie premier and Red Carpet Gala in New York City. See official trailer and other videos in section below.
JAN 2024; Kyle gave an in-depth radio and podcast interview to Dennis Puska at the Sports Hub Network. See the following link.
https://on.soundcloud.com/P8ZUjBc1fiQqAWKy8
JAN 2024: Kyle gave an in-depth television interview to Jackson M'vunganyi and his Up Front TV show at the Voice of American network (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kA5ozG57rq4) broadcast around the world "on the air" to 326 million people in 48 languages.
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Row4Life will, though erg-rowing competitions mitigate conflict, foster friendships among all ethnicity and genders, establish national pride, and avoid a return to civil war in South Sudan. The key to everything is Global Diversity
Row4Life Actions:
- Provide Concept-2 (world standard) erg rowing machines to various locations (schools, community centers, etc.) throughout South Sudan.
- Students (boys and girls) between ages 12 and 19 will be introduced, and trained, and encouraged to compete.
- Competitions will be sponsored throughout S. Sudan, and can be between schools, towns, States, and also between SS and other countries. Modest monetary awards will be given to encourage participation. In S. Sudan, the average wage per month is about $10 USD, so a $20 prize is a HUGE deal.
- Athletic super-stars, ages will be identified, nurtured, and coached. Exceptional athletes ages will be provided a 20-30 day clinic in Juba for English and math tutoring as well as athletic coaching on the erg.
- U.S. Colleges recruit for Rowing based primarily on Erg times for 2,000 meters. Once students reach these metrics and are 17-19 years old, visa applications will be made and these students will visit the U.S. for 2-3 weeks for on-the-water training in Virginia and to visit various universities and their rowing programs.
- Nobody else is recruiting for any other sports in South Sudan except for Soccer and basketball, from time to time. These sports to not require athletic excellence, and instead are much more focused on skill. Rowing requires skill, which can be taught, but it's absolutely essential requirement is athletic excellence. This is measured by the erg!
This project has several positive effects on the youth of South Sudan:
- Mitigate conflict amongst the youth of South Sudan by providing an outlet for competition other than crime, violence, and mortal combat.
- Groom future leaders of South Sudan by discovering rowing prodigies amongst the youth, who can then be awarded athletic scholarships from top world-class universities. Upon graduation, these athletes (men and women) are South Sudan’s future leaders.
- It is important to note that #2 above is not just a vision or hope. Scholarships are already being awarded to American high school students based nearly entirely on their score on the Concept-2 erg.
NATIONAL PRIDE
It is our dream as well as our realistic expectation that within ten years South Sudan can enter and competitively race in world-level rowing competitions (Olympics, World Games, etc.) as the South Sudan Rowing Team.
PROMOTING GLOBAL DIVERSITY: Row4Life Global Diversity Initiative (R-GDI)
R-GDI is a new organization that uses imagery from Row4Life to used to promote discourse on issues concerning global diversity by young student leaders at universities around the world! Through this discourse inspired by Row4Life, these young leaders will become less extreme in their leadership and better global leaders for the future thereby ending the current era of polarization that dominates world politics.
See below for more information on R-GDI
CLICK on this picture for latest brochure and PowerPoint for Row4Life
R-GDI
Row4Life Global Diversity Initiative (R-GDI)
The Row4Life Global Diversity Initiative (R-GDI) is a program that once in full effect will be a worldwide movement that will harness the potential of young students to be global leaders and drivers of global change as a result of recognizing the power of global diversity.
This is accomplished through the establishment of R-GDI leaders in university campuses across the US. These leaders will use Concept2 rowing machines and the images of Row4Life (leadership program in South Sudan) to promote global diversity as a means of spreading awareness and advocacy for various diversity based causes throughout the world thereby enacting global impact and change.
R-GDI will host forums, roundtables, gueset speakers, and other events that promote discourse on the strength of diversity. Some of these activities will be in-person while others are virtual.
The first R-GDI Forum occured on December 3, 2023. The topic was "Humanitarian Aid to the Gaza Region: Yes or No?" Attendees from 7 universities were represented. Several attendees represented a position that was not their own. This was fantastic, and is the objective of R-GDI.
Each college or university will be given a poster or erg , free of charge, if desired. Rowing machines do not require water for usage and very accessible and easy to utilize. R-GDI is a platform for discourse, advocacy, and interaction; It is not intended to be an athletic club, but of course competitions and events can be held, too. The key objective is for each R-GDI leader is to promote global diversity and provide discourse on global diversity.
R-GDI leaders (all students) will be recruited from the Bonner Leader Program, Clinton Global Initiative University (CGI U), Model UN and EU, SGA, and University political/advocacy groups.
The University of Lynchburg has established the first R-GDI leaders. Other universities with R-GDI leaders include:
- University of Illinois
- U.S. Naval Academy
- Norfolk State University
- Humboldt University (Berlin)
- University of New Delhi (India)
- University of Juba (South Sudan)
- Destiny University (South Sudan)
Students from a variety of 100+ other universities have already expressed interest in becoming involved. Once a university has a R-GDI leader, then that university can expand R-GDI to other universities by word-of-mouth and by informing others of R-GDI forums and events. They can also donate an erg rowing machine, too, using a "pay it forward" model to spread R-GDI nationwide that much more quickly. This is not required, but is likely to happen.
R-GDI is a global movement that has the potential to make a global impact through the use of global leaders that will change the world. Please spread the word of R-GDI to help make this vision a reality!
R-GDI uses images from Row4Life, a leadership program in South Sudan focused upon finding and grooming future leaders in an effort to mitigate ongoing civil war. At the same time, Row4Life is hoping and planning to create the country's first Olympic rowing team, thereby promoting unity, nationalism, and showing the power of diversity within a country currently at war because of internal ethnic issues.
R-GDI now has own website. Please click on the image to the right.
Click on the image above to go to the R-GDI website (not yet completed).
Status, Latest Slide Deck, and Brochure
Status and Updated Slide Deck
I visited South Sudan (Juba and Wau) for nearly two months in 2020, three weeks in July 2022 and six weeks (Juba, Malakal, Bor, and Torit) in July-Aug 2023. Click below for updated slide deck.
Seven erg Concept2 rowers are now present in Warrup Town, Wau, Juba, Bor, Torit, and Malakal. These are the capital towns in six of the country's ten states. Juba has two ergs at the same location, and is designated as the South Sudan National Erg Rowing Training Center.
Ambassador Natana (S. Sudan Ambassador to the U.S.) has agreed to help with future shipping costs. Once in South Sudan they will be assembled and placed at schools in the remaining four States.
YOUR DONATIONS ARE CRUCIAL
Your donations are very important. Please give generously. We also renovate used erg Concept-2 Rowing machines, and so we will gladly accept these donations, too.
