Children playing Baduk in Grenoble 1
What is the best way to spread Baduk? The answer must be teaching Baduk to children, the hope of the future, and there is a city in the South-East part of France where the hope is now.
Grenoble is a well-known for a university city. However, I guess it will be soon changed as the city that raises many youth Baduk players. In Grenoble, there are Baduk clubs and teachers who give a lesson once or twice per week. Also it is the second strongest city in Baduk currently in France; the first is Strasbourg. However, this is not the all. Of course it can't be the reason why I say it is the hope for the future of Baduk since there are many other cities in Europe which have clubs and some Baduk teachers.
I would like to say the difference is how much the people are passionate about spreading Baduk. There is a school teacher, M. Jose Olivares, who fires the Grenoble Baduk community with enthusiasm for the project of spreading Baduk. He teaches Baduk at the college (elementary + middle school) where he works and also the ecole (kindergarten + elementary school) where his children go. The total number of students he and his college teach is about 70, and he keeps making Baduk events with the schools.
* Jose Olivares(Left)
One of the events is to put Baduk as a part of a leisure program that school offers to students in vacation. The program is normally consisted of going ski, playing table tennis, or solving Rubik's Cube. Last February Jose Olivares put Baduk just like other events into the vacation program so that many students who apply have a chance to get to know Baduk, and it was successful. Approximately 40 children took part in it and had a Baduk day with playing and watching Hikaru No Go. Just after learning the basic rule of liberty and capturing, students enjoyed it and even played a capturing tournament. Students who get interested in Baduk take a Baduk class every week at school.
* Baduk day! Grenoble Baduk club people came to help :)
This is the first stage of the Grenoble Baduk story. The other amazing stories are coming soon!
Written by Semi Lee
New update