Our projects across Java and West Sumatra provide educational facilities and activities to hundreds of children and youth who come from underprivileged and extremely deprived backgrounds, both urban and rural. Some youth join only to learn through play, whilst others have a more defined objective, which may be within the field of badminton or in any of our other educational activities.
Some young adult members are pursuing studies they could not afford on their own. Others are training to become professional badminton athletes, which would be an impossible dream without the support of the Foundation. Yet others choose to start working and we support them in their search and through their first years of work, until they become independent.
In our view, the future is theirs to build, one by one, with our guidance and our support. We consider ourselves facilitators, mentors and educators who understand that together we can achieve so much more and so much better. We help them to widen their horizons, then help them grow dreams in their hearts and in their minds and then we help them to make it all happen.
Experience has also taught us that to be successful, projects must come from within a person or a community and not from without. Thus, every program emerges organically, from the specific needs of a local community and may use a different means to the same long-term goals.
Our badminton club, Bintang Solibad Indonesia, is fully registered with the PBSI and has many teams across Java and Sumatra. Every team’s name was chosen by the young players. The club is sponsored mostly by Solibad, by the Decathlon Foundation, our main partners. We also receive help and support from badminton businesses, friends and through private funding.
All our Projects – Geographically:
- Bekasi – D.K.I. Jakarta
The “10 Bintang” (“The 10 Stars”) badminton team was our first. Originally composed of 10 young players, it now has more than 40 youth from, mostly, extremely underprivileged socio-economic backgrounds.
Situated on the outskirts of Jakarta, it is open to disadvantaged children from the local neighbourhood, most of whom are young trash collectors or children of day labourers. The mission of this project is to provide children with a constructive and supporting structure, to have fun and also to help many of them to become fully certified international coaches or referees. Some may also get employment in one of the many big Indonesian companies that like to hire good badminton players for their company team. One of our first “Bintang” is now working with Decathlon Indonesia, thanks to the skills he acquired through his badminton training. We hope that many will be able to follow in his steps.
These young athletes receive healthy meals or fruits after every training session, as well as vitamins and worming medicine.
In Bekasi, we also have the “BSI Semi-Ultimate”, the entrance door to our “BSI Ultimate” professional team, situated in Yogyakarta. The select few are young talented promising athletes for whom it would be impossible to pursue professional badminton on their own. - Yogyakarta – Central Java
In Yogya, we have 4 badminton teams et 2 Learning Spaces.
The Learning Spaces are in the center of town, where we have our office and the other is in a small village near the Opak River. There, we offer numerous educational activities, such as drama, music, dancing, drawing, as well as toys, games and a library. We also provide academic support to all the scholarship youth, who live and study in High School or University in Yogyakarta.
The badminton teams are “BSI Ultimate “, our professional team. They train 6h/day – 6 days/week and aim to become champions at national and international level and/or international badminton coaches. The other 3 teams are “Bintang Watu Gilang”, “Bintang Opak” and “Bintang Kali”, all situated in small villages, South and East of Yogyakarta. - Bintang Lakbok – West Java
Lakbok is a small village situated in the midst of hectares of rice fields, near Ciamis, in West Java. There, we have an active youth club with a library of books, games and toys and many interesting after school activities. Through our traditional arts activities, the children also participate in regional Arts and Culture Festivals. in Lakbok, we also have a recreational badminton team. - Bintang Pule – East Java
Bintang Pule is another small village where we have a youth club, also with books, games and toys. As it is our latest project and still quite new, there are not many after school teachings there for now but the badminton team is already very active. Pule is in East Java. - Padang – West Sumatra
“Bintang Saiyo” means “United Stars” in Minang language. This project is one very passionate team of young badminton athletes. Two of their youth -to date- are professional athletes who have joined the Professional Team in Jogjakarta. - Valley of Harau – West Sumatra
The “Bintang Harau” Youth Club and Badminton team are situated at the very end of a most beautiful valley – with no internet connection, a few hours driving from Padang, through the most stunning of panoramas. In an old heritage Minang house, the children learn traditional dancing, music and also English. They also play and read in the small library that we have there and they regularly participate in Regional Arts and Culture festivals. Many Bintang Harau youth actively play badminton and their best players train with their team and also with a professional club locally. - Payakumbuh – West Sumatra
They have called themselves “Bintang Kurenah” and they are a very keen group of local martial arts (Pencak Silat) players, as well as badminton players, who train several times per week. They have also have a small library, filled with books, toys and games. They often meet with the Bintang Harau team, as they are, geographically, relatively close to each other.
Scholarships – “Sang Bintang”
This Project, which means “The Star” offers partial to full scholarships to selected students at any level of education, from Kindergarten all the way to University, as well as in specialised schools. Once graduated, we continue to accompany each student in a supportive and constructive way, as per each individual’s needs. Most, but not all scholarships students, study and live in Yogyakarta, where they receive direct and daily support and structure from our management team.
Health and Medical Support
Youth who are not healthy or suffer from malnutrition have great difficulty flourishing in a satisfying and holistic way. Focusing, concentrating and learning suddenly become huge challenges on top of a poor socio-economic background which compounds the problems. For these reasons, we provide meals and fruit to our most needy members, as well as nutrition supplements, worm medicine and medical support, when necessary.
Community Projects
We strive to encourage projects to emerge from within a local community, to be developed and run by its members, with our support and with our guidance. We build structural facilities, provide training, sports and educational material and ensure that every project runs according to our philosophy, with respect for local traditions and beliefs.
Outings and Travels
We believe in a holistic education, which allows children and youth to broaden their perspective on life through sports and educational activities, but also through travelling, discovering new cultures and through having the opportunity to taste life beyond their everyday experience and boundaries. Thus, we organise trips and outings to cultural performances and exhibitions as well as travels to other parts of Indonesia and even abroad, if they finish their school education with success.
Welcoming Volunteers
We welcome local and international volunteers who offer skills they will enrich the children’s lives and braided their horizons and this, in any and every field of work. We do not ask volunteers to pay, but we request your CV and a motivation letter. If accepted, we will offer you a most enriching and beautiful experience teaching the children or helping our team. If you are interested, do not hesitate to send your file and contact us.