By Lauren Ball
None of us knew what to expect on Saturday. We didn’t know who all was going to show up, how many people we were going to have, or how the speeches were going to be received.There was just no way for us to know what was going to happen, so all we could do was give it our best effort and hope that we could make something of this opportunity to further the change that Team Crossover is so passionate about.
The conference started out with a wonderful speech from one of our benefactors, Raju Venkatraman, which focused on the impact teamwork and leadership can have on creating a better India. We then had a panel where some of the Crossover team members were able to share their experiences with how sports and education has given them opportunities for success, emphasizing the role that coaches play in this development.
We were also quite fortunate to have former international basketball player Pavithra Chandra and two of her team members from B7 Sports in Bangalore present, as Pavithra spoke about the many positive ways that sports can impact a child’s life as she touched on all four of the pillars that Crossover stands for. We wrapped up the conference by having an open forum where those in attendance, as well as the Crossover team, could discuss further details for plans of change and improvement.
I expected the feeling that I had that we had indeed taught something worthwhile to those in attendance; I was not expecting for us to also walk away having learned so much from the conference. This setting provided an opportunity for communication and mutual understanding between the team and the community members whom we are hoping to connect with about what exactly our purpose is here at Crossover and how we can most effectively achieve this.
Additionally, we connected with multiple enthusiastic contacts who are eager to help us network so we can grow the conference for next year. I am excited to see how we can implement some of the ideas we gathered from this first conference and improve and build upon what we have done for next year.