The Best Formula San Andres

Neighborhood: Sound Bay

The neighborhood Sound Bay is a part of the San Luis sector in the island of San Andres. This sector is inhabited by the natives who survive with informal employment such as street vending in the tourist zones and fishing.

The lack of opportunities and the high indexes of unemployment that San Andres presents are increasingly making illegal drug trafficking an option for the native children and youth to improve the condition of their lives and their families. The fact leads these kids to scholar desertion since a very early age. In the Tampa (FL) jail there are approximately 400 people from San Andres and the provinces captured in the sea for drug trafficking. These unfortunate data supports the latent problem of the Island.

Description of the Project The Best Formula San Andres
This project was inaugurated on December 15, 2008 and is currently the result of the joint work of Formula Smiles Foundation, Chevron Petroleum, the provincial government of San Andres, EEDAS, Sopesa, and Accion Social (Social Action) in the Sound Bay neighborhood.
We are bringing forward a process that will accomplish social development in the neighborhood, generating positive changes when it comes to lifestyle and decreasing conflict through the healthy use of free time in Educational, Athletic, and Recreational activities. These activities take place in a setting that counts with a multi-sport court, bleachers for the assistants, and the necessary equipment for the development of the different sports and activities programmed by the teacher hired by the Foundation, who is permanently in the project.
Strategic Alliances:
Provincial Government of San Andres, Chevron Petroleum, EEDAS, Sopesa, Accion Social (Social Action) and communal action of the Sound Bay neighborhood.
Work Areas in the Project
Educational: Directed classes of Physical Education to the Institutions:

• Educational Institution Bautista Emmanuel
• Educational Institution Rubén Darío
• Educational Institution Phillip Beeckman
• Educational Institution San José
• Educational Institution San Francisco Javier

Athletic: The School of Athletic Formation was created:

• Basketball

Number of benefited population:   

Data taken from the February 2009 project report.
Benefits of the program in the community

• Strengthening of the values of the beneficiaries. 
• Increase in schooling due to the interest in the Physical Education classes.
• Improvement in the relationships among the street inhabitants. 
• Employment generation.
• Decreasing violence indexes.
• Development of new life expectations for the children.
• Interest for healthy competition.  

Benefits of sports in the children

• Introduces the kid to society given that it teaches him/her to follow rules.
• Teaches him/her to overcome shyness or stop excessive impulses.
• Teaches him/her to collaborate more and be less individualistic, given that he will have to respect the rules, turns, and authority.
• Teaches him/her to have responsibilities and obligations to fulfill.
• General increase of coordinated movements.
• Increases growth.  
• Can correct possible physical defects.
• Stimulates hygiene and health.