Any ideas on how to promote Go in your community?

[ptw]

I've been running/pushing a Go club in my home town with some (very
small) success, and would like to ask others here who might be more
creative and/or more experienced than I what ideas they have.

I have made use of posting flyers, posting on community activity
listings on the internet and in local newspapers, and posting in
discussion groups and usenet (here). All of these have brought one or
two new people to the club, but after two years, our attendance has
not increased by much. We have taught a few new players (about half of
our eight regulars learned to play through the club), and have somehow
attracted some who already know go, but I'd like to improve on past
results.

What have you tried, what has been successful, and what untried ideas
do you have for promoting the game of go in your home community?


Thanks,

--ptw--

[sobriquet]

Post by ptw
I've been running/pushing a Go club in my home town with some (very
small) success, and would like to ask others here who might be more
creative and/or more experienced than I what ideas they have.
I have made use of posting flyers, posting on community activity
listings on the internet and in local newspapers, and posting in
discussion groups and usenet (here).  All of these have brought one or
two new people to the club, but after two years, our attendance has
not increased by much. We have taught a few new players (about half of
our eight regulars learned to play through the club), and have somehow
attracted some who already know go, but I'd like to improve on past
results.
What have you tried, what has been successful, and what untried ideas
do you have for promoting the game of go in your home community?
Thanks,
--ptw--

Can you really blame young people that they are unlikely to be
interested in go, given
that there are such spectacular video games out there where you can be
an actor in an
interactive action movie? Compared to a board game like chess or go, I
think it's hard
to compete with that.

I've been to a local go club to see what that's like, but I was put
off by the fact that they didn't even have a beamer to elucidate the
underlying principles on a digital goban.
I like the combination of computers (internet in particular) and go,
since that helps to avoid cumbersome activities like counting points
and makes practicing more of a joy compared to using books to study. I
think what could really help promote the game of go, would be a slick
video course that explains things in depth. I wish the Teaching
Company (www.teach12.com) would create a 30 hour course on go, but I
guess they are unlikely to invest in that, given that they haven't
even made a course on chess so far. Instead they make a silly course
about cocktails.

http://www.thegreatcourses.com/tgc/courses/course_detail.aspx?cid=9144

But anyway, I think an online go club would make more sense than a
club to play with locals. I can see it could be fun to play in person,
but playing online also has its benefits. In a way online go servers
like kgs, igs, tygem or wbaduk are also a kind of venue to play and
socialize with other go lovers, but the available tools there to teach
go are somewhat limited.
I enjoy tsumego sites like gochild and goproblems as tools to learn
go, but they also have their limitations and I imagine there are
potentially more effective interactive ways to help people improve in
go.
The interactive basic go course at 321go.org is a good start, but one
can imagine an internet go club that combines the strong points of all
these go-related online resources. So for instance a site where people
can find theory about go (videos) combined with advanced interactivity
(like being able to select and shuffle tsumego for optimal practice).

[Robert Jasiek]

Post by sobriquet
Can you really blame young people that they are unlikely to be
interested in go, given
that there are such spectacular video games out there where you can be
an actor in an
interactive action movie? Compared to a board game like chess or go, I
think it's hard
to compete with that.

It depends on the player. Players interested in abstract games will
like Go regardless of existing video games.

[Joel Olson]

Post by ptw
I've been running/pushing a Go club in my home town with some (very
small) success, and would like to ask others here who might be more
creative and/or more experienced than I what ideas they have.
I have made use of posting flyers, posting on community activity
listings on the internet and in local newspapers, and posting in
discussion groups and usenet (here). All of these have brought one or
two new people to the club, but after two years, our attendance has
not increased by much. We have taught a few new players (about half of
our eight regulars learned to play through the club), and have somehow
attracted some who already know go, but I'd like to improve on past
results.
What have you tried, what has been successful, and what untried ideas
do you have for promoting the game of go in your home community?
Thanks,
--ptw--

We've been able to teach quite a few people the rudiments of the game,
at various school game days, in some libraries, at culture expos, anime
conventions, and with "Go on the Go" events at shopping malls and eateries.
Similarly, having college club meetings in places with lots of traffic and
attract the curious. Also, taught a few chess players at their coffee club
meetings.

As you say, few of these take up the game seriously. I like to think there's
an incubation period, that once exposed to go, many will come to the game
in time, perhaps as their personal situation evolves. It may also be more
that college students and working adults are past the optimum period for
learning.

I think more public exposure would help. A newspaper column, or a regular
tv program. Even a regular run of Hirako No Go.

Here in Oklahoma, we've organized a state-wide association to bring players
together and to promote the game. We've a web site, a forum, and a Google
group for communication. One of our goals is to get a number of clubs going
in area high and junior high schools. Enough that they can start intra-school
competitions. But for one reason or another, we've made little headway.

[ptw]

Post by Joel Olson

Post by ptw
I've been running/pushing a Go club in my home town with some (very
small) success, and would like to ask others here who might be more
creative and/or more experienced than I what ideas they have.
I have made use of posting flyers, posting on community activity
listings on the internet and in local newspapers, and posting in
discussion groups and usenet (here).  All of these have brought one or
two new people to the club, but after two years, our attendance has
not increased by much. We have taught a few new players (about half of
our eight regulars learned to play through the club), and have somehow
attracted some who already know go, but I'd like to improve on past
results.
What have you tried, what has been successful, and what untried ideas
do you have for promoting the game of go in your home community?
Thanks,
--ptw--

We've been able to teach quite a few people the rudiments of the game,
at various school game days, in some libraries, at culture expos, anime
conventions, and with "Go on the Go" events at shopping malls and eateries.
Similarly, having college club meetings in places with lots of traffic and
attract the curious. Also, taught a few chess players at their coffee club
meetings.
As you say, few of these take up the game seriously. I like to think there's
an incubation period, that once exposed to go, many will come to the game
in time, perhaps as their personal situation evolves. It may also be more
that college students and working adults are past the optimum period for
learning.
I think more public exposure would help. A newspaper column, or a regular
tv program. Even a regular run of Hirako No Go.
Here in Oklahoma, we've organized a state-wide association to bring players
together and to promote the game. We've a web site, a forum, and a Google
group for communication. One of our goals is to get a number of clubs going
in area high and junior high schools. Enough that they can start intra-school
competitions. But for one reason or another, we've made little headway.

Thanks for the post! It is helpful.

I have received some newspaper coverage, which has helped. I expect to
receive more during the coming year, especially if I can manage to
organize a tournament.

As far as schools and children's programs are concerned, I've only one
regular who is in that age group (he is a good player though, probably
a lower sdk). He might be interested in helping as he makes more
friends here in the US.

We do hope to get a club started at the local university this year,
and there are a few undergrads interested in helping. I'll try to find
them a faculty sponsor and put them in touch with the correct people
in the student activities administration. <-- all that would be easier
if I were associated with the uni, but I've always been good at
finding my way through enormous bureaucracies, so that shouldn't be
much of a problem.

This has been a lesson in patience, but much of life is.

On another note, I think you might know one of our regulars.

--ptw--

[Joel Olson]

Post by Joel Olson

Post by ptw
I've been running/pushing a Go club in my home town with some (very
small) success, and would like to ask others here who might be more
creative and/or more experienced than I what ideas they have.
I have made use of posting flyers, posting on community activity
listings on the internet and in local newspapers, and posting in
discussion groups and usenet (here). All of these have brought one or
two new people to the club, but after two years, our attendance has
not increased by much. We have taught a few new players (about half of
our eight regulars learned to play through the club), and have somehow
attracted some who already know go, but I'd like to improve on past
results.
What have you tried, what has been successful, and what untried ideas
do you have for promoting the game of go in your home community?
Thanks,
--ptw--

We've been able to teach quite a few people the rudiments of the game,
at various school game days, in some libraries, at culture expos, anime
conventions, and with "Go on the Go" events at shopping malls and eateries.
Similarly, having college club meetings in places with lots of traffic and
attract the curious. Also, taught a few chess players at their coffee club
meetings.
As you say, few of these take up the game seriously. I like to think there's
an incubation period, that once exposed to go, many will come to the game
in time, perhaps as their personal situation evolves. It may also be more
that college students and working adults are past the optimum period for
learning.
I think more public exposure would help. A newspaper column, or a regular
tv program. Even a regular run of Hirako No Go.
Here in Oklahoma, we've organized a state-wide association to bring players
together and to promote the game. We've a web site, a forum, and a Google
group for communication. One of our goals is to get a number of clubs going
in area high and junior high schools. Enough that they can start intra-school
competitions. But for one reason or another, we've made little headway.

Thanks for the post! It is helpful.

I have received some newspaper coverage, which has helped. I expect to
receive more during the coming year, especially if I can manage to
organize a tournament.

As far as schools and children's programs are concerned, I've only one
regular who is in that age group (he is a good player though, probably
a lower sdk). He might be interested in helping as he makes more
friends here in the US.

We do hope to get a club started at the local university this year,
and there are a few undergrads interested in helping. I'll try to find
them a faculty sponsor and put them in touch with the correct people
in the student activities administration. <-- all that would be easier
if I were associated with the uni, but I've always been good at
finding my way through enormous bureaucracies, so that shouldn't be
much of a problem.

This has been a lesson in patience, but much of life is.

On another note, I think you might know one of our regulars.

--ptw--


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

College groups have to be always recruiting new players.
Groups that don't will fall apart when key people graduate.

[troule]

Post by ptw
I've been running/pushing a Go club in my home town with some (very
small) success....

I did same and got 1 more player only! After putting some thousands of little pieces of paper everywhere i could.


If you have this energy to spend go direct to the schools, universities and so on. Take a go board with you in the uni eating/drinking places. For the youngest try to find a teacher interested, to get a contact and promote the game to the children.

Hope that helps