Kobe Bryant Cultural Exchange Event 2012
Kobe Bryant Cultural Exchange Event
After-School All-Stars, Los Angeles(ASAS-LA) Program Ambassador, Kobe Bryant spent an afternoon with a group of students from China and Los Angeles through a Mandarin cultural exchange program enabled by the NBA superstar’s Kobe and Vanessa Bryant Family Foundation. On the afternoon of February 16th, 2012, Bryant worked with the teens on their basketball skills at Gertz-Ressler High School’s gymnasium.
In an effort to help ASAS-LA students connect with their Chinese peers despite language barriers, Nike China and AEG hosted ten Chinese students in a five-day cultural exchange program with the After-School All-Stars in February 2012. The exchange termed “Basketball Connects” served as a platform which helped the students learn more about each other, transcending language; and creating shared, common experiences. This was the second annual cultural exchange.
Some of the activities during the five day exchange included: dinner in LA’s Chinatown, trips to Disneyland, Universal CityWalk, the Shaolin Wushu Center, the Annenberg Community BeachHouse, Santa Monica Pier Aquarium, ESPN Zone, and even conducting a traditional American cook-out.
The basketball clinic with Kobe Bryant on February 16th was a culminating event to celebrate the cultural initiatives. Bryant launched Mandarin language and culture programs with After-School All-Stars, Los Angeles in the spring of 2010, and the programs currently exist at six ASAS-LA school sites.
The programmatic objectives are language acquisition and orientation to Chinese culture. Students also learn the ancient martial art of Wu Shu; the most popular National sport in China. World Champion Wu Shu practitioner, Master Hu is the student instructor.
Click here to learn more about ASAS-LA Mandarin language and culture programs.
