Essay Competition for Refugee Students
Gerald Hamilton, a twenty-six year old American database programmer, first got involved with young people and sport through an article on the Children's World website about a teenager in a refugee camp in Kenya, who wished to get a good education and play sports. Inspired by this article, Gerald eventually managed to track down the young man, and several months later, he arrived in America to study and play sports.
Since then, Gerald's desire to help young people achieve their dreams has grown into an essay writing competition
Q. How did you get involved with RESPECT?
A. I wanted to start my own sports outreach ministry, to help other kids and teach them to work together despite their differences and help to build their self-confidence, as well as exposing them to a Christian lifestyle through teaching and coaching. To do this I needed to find kids who had the same desires for sports and education. During my search, I got in contact with a young man from Liberia who was involved in the RESPECT Refugee pen-pal program, and ended up talking to Marc Schaeffer, a project manager for the organization.
Q. Where did the idea for an essay writing competition come from?
A. Marc proposed that I run a writing contest, and I thought it was an excellent chance to find out about more students from refugee camps who are interested in sports and education. I also liked the idea because I wanted to learn more about refugees as a result of an article, and it was an article which allowed the young man in Kenya to receive the opportunities that he did.
Q. Tell us more about the writing competition. Who can enter, and what are the topics?
A. The contest is open to all students from refugee camps, with no age limit. There are two titles to choose from - "How sports have played a positive role in your life" and "What do sports mean to you?" and students can write about any sport or sports.
The essays will be judged on creativity, grammar, and the expression of the author's strong desire for sports. The top five contestants will win either a soccer ball or a basketball, depending on their preference.
Q. How do student enter the competition?
A. Students should send their completed essays to:
- Gerald Hamilton
- 885 Lee Road
- Byhalia, MS 38611
- USA
They should also include as much of the following information as they can:
- First and last name
- Birthday
- School name
- Teacher's name
- Number of brothers and sisters
- Height (If you don't know, you can estimate)
- Weight (If you don't know, you can estimate)
- Favorite Sport(s)
- Picture (If you have a picture that you would like to send, we would be glad to receive it)
The closing date for the competition is August 1st, and I would like to announce the winners by mid-August.
Q. What are the benefits to students of entering the competition (other than the chance to win a prize)?
A. Even if students don't win the essay contest, this could open many doors for them to get a better opportunity in life. Also, once my organization is established, I would like to do basketball clinics in refugee camps, and the more kids write from a camp the better chance there is that I would go there to do a clinic.
For more information about the contest, email Gerald at Geraldkhamilton@aol.com.