American Go E-Journal » Youth

“The AGA Summer Go Camp is excited to announce that both Slate and Shell and Kiseido have made a donation of books to the 2012 camp,” reports Camp Director Amanda Miller. “Throughout the week of July 29, the camp will be holding small tournaments and other fun Go-related activities, such as 13 x13, pair Go, and team tournaments. The books will be given out to the winners of these events, and include titles from  Yuan Zhou’s Master Play series, Yilun Yang’s The Workshop Lectures, and the Elementary Go Series. Because of the generosity of these companies, there should be more than enough books to go around, so every camper will get at least one,” adds Miller. Go Camp is for anyone between the ages of 8 and 18, and there is still time to register. The camp will take place the week before the Go Congress from July 28 to August 4 and will be held at the same location, the YMCA Blue Ridge Assembly in Black Mountain, North Carolina.  Mingjiu Jiang (7P) will be the teacher. Kids who are interested in the camp, but worry they can’t afford it, are encouraged to apply for need-based scholarships, which are still available from the AGF. “We have registered campers between the ages of 6 and 18, and within a strength range of 22-kyu to 1-dan, so the camp should be a lot of fun, regardless of age or rank,” says Miller. For more information, can visit the camp website (www.gocampeast.org) or e-mail the camp directors at agagocampeast@gmail.com. -Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor.

There’s still time to register for this year’s AGA Summer Go Camp. Camp directors Nano Rivera and Amanda Miller welcome all campers from the ages of 8 to 18 to join them for a week of go-playing and fun. This year’s professional teacher is Mingjiu Jiang 7P, who will be giving group lessons on a daily basis throughout the week. The camp also offers many other go-related activities, such as camp tournaments, and this year’s unique location will afford the camp with access to hiking trails and open outdoor areas for playing games, so everyone will be getting lots of fresh air! Currently, the camp has registered campers between the ages of 6 and 18 and within a strength range of 22-kyu to 1-dan. Need-based scholarships are still available, and parents are even welcome to attend with their children, if they’re not comfortable sending them alone. The camp will take place the week before the U.S. Go Congress from July 28 to August 4 and will be held at the same location at the YMCA Blue Ridge Assembly in Black Mountain, North Carolina. For more information, you can visit the camp website or e-mail the camp directors at agagocampeast@gmail.com. - Story and photo by Amanda Miller, Go Camp Director.

Thirty three young players competed in the Bay Area Youth Team Tournament, held on May 28th in Cupertino, CA. A wide array of K-12 players from various go clubs competed, including 21 players from the Santa Clara Youth Go Club. In Division A, Palo Alto placed first, followed by the Mandarin Language and Cultural Center, and Joaquin Miller Middle School. Santa Clara Youth Go Club swept Division B  (1k-15k) with their B1 team placing first and their B2 and B3 teams tying for second place. In Division C (15k-30k), Monta Vista High School took first place while the Santa Clara Youth Go Club’s C1 and C2 took second and third.  The event was organized by the Bay Area High School Go Association, and sponsored by the AGF. – Report and photo by David Su.

Youngsters in Portland, OR, defeated their rivals in Mexico City in a four-city school tourney held on KGS May 20th.  Ann Arbor and Detroit MI also competed, with Academy of the Americas, in Detroit, notching up a win in the first round, but losing in the second.  Students from Portland were eager for paybacks, as Mexico’s Pipiolo Academy had defeated all comers in their first inter-city match this past February (see Mexico Schools Portland).  All four schools have been competing with each other on KGS, and meeting each other on Skype as part of an international collaboration co-sponsored by the AGF.  -Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor.  Photo: Mexico Team, top, by Siddhartha Avila, Portland Teams, bottom, by Peter Freedman.

An Atlanta school is hoping that go will help its low-income students develop their critical thinking skills. At the Dekalb PATH Academy, in Atlanta GA, “our students are 76% Hispanic, 20% African-American and 87% are classified as low-income by federal government standards,” reports Assistant Principal Graham Balch, who launched the project. Balch says that at Dekalb “we have helped our children overcome the disadvantage of poverty,” noting that the school outperforms every other non-selective middle school in the local school system. “However, while we have done a good job of teaching them content, in my opinion, they still are behind on developing their analytical critical thinking.” Balch is hoping to change that by working with a group of teachers to teach the game of go. “Our students learned and played go for 70 minutes a day in class for three weeks,” he reports. “Our kids have loved playing go. They come in the morning and get out boards right away, we teach them how to play and technique in class, and they play, and play, in tutorial after school. It has been incredible hearing them tell us at first that ‘It’s easy’ and then a couple days later that ‘Man, this game is really getting hard.’” Balch, who says that “We look forward to seeing the impact go has on students’ critical thinking and global perspective,” adds that “I am so grateful for the American Go Foundation and None Redmond for making this possible,” and is hopeful that go may spread in Georgia schools next year. The project wrapped up the school year with a single-elimination tournament that drew 80 students. “Malcolm Ramey 30k, the boy in the middle of the picture, with a light blue shirt on, won the tournament,” said a proud Balch.
- Paul Barchilon, E-J Youth Editor. Photo by Graham Balch.