Hello to Everybody from Vancouver!!
Matthew here. I arrived in Vancouver recently to volunteer during the 2010 games. The city is buzzing with excitement, enthusiasm and a general sense of camaraderie. Every time I whip out a map I have half a dozen locals try to help me with directions. There are thousands of volunteers graciously giving their time in a myriad of capacities to grease the wheels of the Olympic machine and the audience literally exploded last night at the medal ceremony for Bilodeau which I was fortunate enough to attend. I have arrived on site with Right to Play, an international humanitarian organization that fosters community development through sports programming directed toward children. My first in-field development experiences were through Right to Play. It was during my time with the organization in Sierra Leone that I met Esther who was actually one of our Right to Play Sport Coaches. You can check out more about Right to Play at www.righttoplay.com
My role with the organization in Vancouver is to assist with Right to Play TV (RTPtv). Right to Play TV is an online webcast being filmed at the CBC Studios in Vancouver. We are bringing Olympic Athlete Ambassadors who support Right to Play - such as Clara Hughes and Silken Laumman - into the studio to talk about their experiences with the organization. These interviews are being hosted on the Right to Play Website. I am not conducting interviews, but I will be taking a pulse of the city by filming the "Word on the Street" segments. Word on the Street takes a cross section of Vancouver during the games by interviewing visitors, the randomly encountered celebrity, and locals within the context of the Olympic fever.
Keep an eye on the Right to Play website. You may see me in a few of the scenes. In the meantime, you can check out the Esther's Echo fan page on Facebook where I will be sure to upload some of my more memorable photos from the games!
Small Contributions, Big Change
Matthew