About Project Hope
Cultural Exchange
By working closely with local and provincial officials in the cities of Harbin and Qiqihar, Heilongjiang Province, China, the New York Islanders have embarked upon an un-precedented multi-faceted educations iniviative that will undoubtedly change the lives of young athletes forever: The Charles B. Wang Ice Hockey Project Hope
The ultimate goal of Project Hope is simple: To provide young Chinese athletes with access to educational opportunities.
Project Hope will endeavor to create opportunities for cultural exchange through international youth hockey events and by promoting Project Hope scholarship placements in the United States
Learning the Language
Project Hope begins by enrolling Chinese scholar-athletes in New York Islanders-affiliated youth hockey programs in and around Heilongjiang Province. Once enrolled, the students must study English as part of their regular curriculum with a goal of achieving fluency in both written and conversational english.
To demonstrate a developing English language competency, students will undergo age appropriate assesments/examinations on a regular basis. Once the students have achieved fluency, they will be eligible to apply for a Project Hope scholarship to continue their education at a high school in the United States.
A Day Of Fun And Games
After three days of intense competition, Chinese, Japanese and Finnish kids visit Wollman Rink, Dave & Buster's and receive gift cards to shop at Modell's Sporting Goods
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Following three days of competition on the ice during the Lighthouse International Tournament, presented by Modell's Sporting Goods, KyLinTV and Long Island Marriott, the tournament’s participants were able to spend some quality time with each other. The five teams hailing from China, Japan and Finland took to the ice at Wollman Rink located in Manhattan's Central Park.
With their own skates in hand, the more than 50 pee wee hockey players jumped onto the ice—not to compete—but to have a day of pure fun. The kids laughed and chased each other, weaving through other skaters on the ice. While some Chinese kids practiced their hip checks, some Finns tried showing off their figure skating moves with difficulty on their ice hockey skates.
Wollman Rink turned into a true melting pot with players from each of the teams mingling with one another. In just a few short days, their English was noticeably improving. The Japanese and Finnish kids, in particular, had an easier time conversing, helped by the fact that a few of the Japanese kids have lived in or participated in hockey camps in North America. Kaiji Takaoka, the goaltender for the Japanese is fluent in English, helped by his visits to Hawaii and having gone to hockey camp in Vancouver.
After their trip to Wollman Rink, the kids were taken on a bus tour of the City, passing by such notable landmarks as Times Square, Macy's, Madison Square Garden and Carnegie Hall. On the Japanese bus, coaches of the team acted as tour guides, pointing out major sights in the City. When shown Madison Square Garden and indicated it was the home of the New York Rangers, a cry of boos came from the young Japanese hockey players.
As the morning turned into afternoon, the kids returned to Long Island for some more fun and games. The first stop was at Dave & Buster's at the Source Mall in Westbury. Each kid received a Power Card that lasted a couple of hours at the arcade. Playing racing games and competing in air hockey, the kids had nothing but fun and excitement.
From there, it was onto Modell's Sporting Goods—one of the presenting sponsors of the Lighthouse International Tournament. Located on Hempstead Turnpike in East Meadow, Modell's Sporting Goods provided a $50 gift card to each international participant. Items such as hockey equipment, jackets and sweatshirts were the hot items on the list for the kids who traveled thousands of miles to participate in the tournament of a lifetime.
Tomorrow, the teams will break up and form new international teams for some Friendship Games at Islanders Iceworks.
Click here to read the Lighthouse International Tournament Blog.
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