Raising Social Entrepreneurs

Chess Without Borders celebrates 20 years of raising youth social entrepreneurs. In this age of uncertainty and divisions these youths have crossed boundaries of race, socio-economic status, religion and ethnicity to reach out to people in need. As a result, the program has raised almost $180,000 for local and global charities and over 100 youth have won Presidential Awards for Service through the White House. In order to accomplish this, a wide network of youth, adults and community members work together creating pathways for many others to follow. Last month they hosted a Christmas dinner for families of ex-prisoners.

An example of one of our youth leaders is 17-year-old Pranav Ramachandra who has served with the program to develop various projects over the last 7 years. He is a great example of youth who transform themselves after engaging deeply in humanitarian projects. Pranav created his own project with his brother, Prashant Ramachandra to help a school for orphans from the civil war that raged for many years in Sri Lanka as well as the refuge children from Myanmar.

Here is an excerpt of what this enterprise has meant for him:

“St Charles Elementary Schools near Madurai, India was started in 1982 with the intent of educating poor children in surrounding rural areas including children of refugee families from Myanmar and Sri Lanka. Their mission is to be compassionate to the poor and marginalized families. The schools reach out especially to those children and women to empower them through education. Currently, these parents are unable to educate their children with their daily income ranging from 200-300 rupees ($3 - $4/day). Almost all of the parents work extremely long hours to support their families, and they are unable to look after their children. Many are unable to afford education, are undernourished, and not self-sufficient.

When I first learned about this school in early 2019, my brother and I pooled our allowance and savings to send several chess sets and copies of the book CHESS! Lessons from a Grandmaster by Yuri Shulman and Rishi Sethi to the school. We were motivated to spread chess learning among the children at St Charles Elementary School. When the principal Sister Sebasti sent us information on how much the kids love to play chess along with pictures of the children playing chess sitting on cement floor, we were struck by their genuine joy of learning. We wanted to do more. It was then that I learned of the school’s water scarcity and the lack of drinking water amidst sweltering heat (over 95 degrees). I could not imagine the plight of the children without drinking water, a commodity we all take for granted. Sister Sebasti explained to us that if they can have a water tank, she can arrange for a clean water supply and avoid imminent dehydration and exhaustion for these children.

I am delighted as a youth coordinator at Chess Without Borders, we were able to organize chess tournaments and concession stands to raise money to build a water tank for St. Charles. Connecting and helping these children have brought a unique and priceless joy into my life, and I hope to continue my passion for service for many years to come.” Pranav Ramachandra

The community and Chess Without Borders begins the New Year filled with joy and pride for what youth can achieve with a little encouragement.

Please join us on March 14th 2020 at Grove Avenue school chess tournament in Barrington to celebrate our youth volunteers and help us by raise funds by enjoying a meal at the Grove Avenue Chess Tournament or by volunteering in any capacity. Go to http://shulmanchess.com/tournaments/ for more information.