Karate Kids Break Berlin

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 June 20, 2011, Vancouver - From July 1-13, 2011, students of the Shudokan Karate and Education Canada Society  will be visiting the Federal Republic of Germany in an exchange with German youth. The purpose of the visit is to promote respect, understanding and the sharing of culture through sport.  They will  be staying in the small town of Artern in the historic region and state of Thuringia (German: Thüringen).

 

Thuringia is a region of great natural beauty and an older culture and is sometimes referred to as the "land of castles and palaces." It is a region famous for its history with links to extremely important historical events and extraordinary people such as Martin Luther, Goethe, Bach, and Schiller. For example, the town of Weimar brims with cultural places of interest and virtually the whole town is listed by UNESCO as a world heritage site and includes both Goethe's and Schiller's house. It is also recognised as the place where Germany's first democratic constitution was signed after the First World War--giving its name to the Weimar Republic period in German politics from 1918-1933.

In addition to sporting activities and special cultural events, Shudokan students will be treated to sightseeing in Artern, a visit to the German parliament "Bundestag,"  and a trip to Dresden. In Dresden, they will take in a FIFA Women's World Cup soccer match between Canada and Nigeria. Canadians watching the game on television might see the "Go Canada," "Shudokan Canada," or "SOS Children's Village BC" signs in the crowd.

 

The visit was coordinated by SOS Children’s Village British Columbia (Canada) Society (“SOS BC”) in cooperation with Landessportbund Thüringen e.V. Germany represented by Pierre Mueller. Mr. Mueller is in charge of international youth exchanges and arranged the two week visit. SOS BC has undertaken this initiative in support of the work of SOS Kinderdorf International and intends this as the first of many such exchanges to be arranged on an annual basis.     

 

The local German television program, Ahorn German Language Television, is also interested in producing a show on this youth trip to Germany.

Calvin Helin, author, lawyer, Vancouver Board of Trade director and member of the Tsimshian First Nation of Northwest British Columbia will lead the group which will be hosted in Germany by the Athletenclub “Germania” Artern e.V.

 

The inner city Karate Club was founded by Sensei Toshiaki Nomada and Mr. Helin in 2002 has as its purpose to provide free lessons to underprivileged youth as a way of teaching manners, discipline, respect, and a healthier lifestyle. The head instructor of Shudokan is Sensei  Nomada. Mr. Helin is an ambassador to SOS BC and the club is an initiative of the Shudokan Karate and Education Canada Society.  To see past media  reports on Shudokan click here.

 

 

Would like to Give Special Thanks:

 

Unique opportunities such as this are not possible without the generosity, support, dedication and hard work of key people. The Board of Directors of Shudokan would like to specifically thank:

for the much appreciated financial contributions. In addition, the society would like to thank the organizations of SOS Children’s Village British Columbia (Canada) Society, and  Landessportbund Thüringen e.V. Germany for their sponsorship. Finally, Shudokan's Board wishes to extend a special thank you to Mr. Pierre Mueller and Reinhart Aulinger of Stewart, Aulinger & Company for their hard work and unwavering support in making this opportunity a reality.

 

 

 About:

 

SOS BC operates a SOS Children Village consisting of five family homes in the Fraser Region area attending 25 children onsite.  At the same time SOS BC supports over 100 children through its therapeutic, literacy, and recreational programs and caregiver support services.    

 For More Information:

SOS Children’s Village

British Columbia (Canada) Society

102 – 5830 176 A Street

Surrey, B.C.  V3S 4H5

Tel: 604 – 574 – 2964

Fax: 604 – 574 – 2967

www.sos-bc.org

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For further information on Shudokan go to: http://www.shudokan.ca/ or Call (604) 275-6670


 

Shudokan is a non-profit society whose purpose is to help Aboriginal and inner city children and youth move forward in education and life through the practice of martial arts. Since its inception, it has had over 1000 students join, and is now in its 9th year of operation.

 

Shudokan Website is Now Available in Japanese Language

 

Thanks to the generous sponsorship of Touchstone Webworks Inc. the Society website is now available in Japanese.