1. 1
SOLANCA Tennis Academy
Manuel Andres
Daniel Camacho
Daniel Solano
Colegio Nueva Granada
Author Note
Manuel Andres, Colegio Nueva Granada
Daniel Camacho, Colegio Nueva Granada
Daniel Solano, Colegio Nueva Granada
Assistance received from Luis Claros and Pascale Richard
Financial support received from Nestle Colombia, Asocolflores, and
America Tennis Club
Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to
Daniel Solano, Colegio Nueva Granada, Bogotá, Colombia

2. 2
E-mail: dsolano@cng.edu, mandres@cng.edu, dcamacho@cng.edu
Abstract
In an attempt to provide the children of Gachancipa with a new
athletic activity, the SOLANCA tennis academy was created. This academy
not only provides twenty children between the ages of eight and fifteen
years a healthy and physically active environment, but the opportunity to
learn how to play a sport that has been part of elitist life in Colombia. The
racquets, net, and court were donated by private and public entities and
with the help of Gachancipa’s town hall, the project became reality.
Lessons have been going on for seven months now and the results have
been very positive. Kids who used to spend their Saturday afternoons
drinking or consuming dangerous substances are now spending their time
in a more productive and beneficial environment for them. In addition, this

3. 3
activity has brought together several families who sit besides the courts
and watch their children take the lesson. This initiative has brought tennis
to the range of less favored individuals and is fighting alcohol and drug
abuse with sports. In addition to the passion and the enthusiasm that both
the instructors and students show, we hope that they will pursue other
active hobbies later on that will have many positive impacts on their lives.
SOLANCA Tennis Academy
Initiation of the Project
Tennis Fighting Alcoholism and Drug Consumption
Colombia is a country that has been consistently harmed by the
consumption of drugs and alcohol. This is not only saddening, but
concerning. 75% of young adults between the ages of twelve and

4. 4
seventeen consume alcohol. This makes Colombia occupy the first place in
Latin America in terms of alcohol consumption in teenagers. Much of the
internal violence in towns and suburbs is due to this excessive
consumption of dangerous substances. Many might say that education is
the key towards progress. However, it is very difficult to progress when you
do not have the supplies or the resources to attain this education.
Therefore, poor teenagers decide to leave their studies aside and focus
mainly on leisure activities. However, this is where another problem takes
place. These teenagers do not have access to many recreational activities
and do not feel that they are entertaining. Once again, they are lacking the
resources. It is not the government’s fault, since their budget is very
limited and they also have other important issues to face, such as
infrastructure and the economy.
This fact preoccupied us and made us realize that something had to
be done. Although we could not take legal measures to diminish this
consumption, we could take the initiative to promote an alternative to

5. 5
these practices. We decided this alternative could be mixing our passion
that takes most of our leisure time, with the service to the community so
these kids could find a way out of the harsh environment in which they
live. Our idea was not only to make a study of how this could be done, but
to actually do it and observe the results. Towns around Colombia are some
of the places where these kinds of problems occur the most. Also, children
in these towns do not have access to essential resources, such as food,
health, and security and therefore have to spend their time trying to think
of something else and having fun with whatever they find. They would be
able to do an activity that would not only be physically beneficial for them,
but psychologically positive as well. This activity is tennis.
Corruption
Colombia is unfortunately infamous in many ways. It has seen
various problems when it comes to justice, peace, and organization.
Corruption seems to be a problem Colombia has a hard time fighting.
Small towns outside big cities such as Bogotá has outside its cities borders,

6. 6
one of many Gachancipa, suffer a lot when they ask for funds for
renovations in their infrastructure and organization in their town hall. Just
last month, towns outside Bogotá: Tocancipá, Gachancipá, Cogüa,
Nemocón, Cajicá, Guatavita, Subachoque, Funza, la Mesa, Anapoima and
Cota, have suffered potable water shortages due to a lack of organization
and control by part of private entities and the government to clean and
use the contaminated Bogota River. This has brought potable water
shortages, disease, and tons of unnecessary spending to fix this problem.
Towns such as Gachancipa have a hard time recollecting funds as it has a
small population and most of its people gain minimum wage. Gachancipa
suffers from this because they cannot improve the living conditions of its
citizens and problems regarding drug and alcohol abuse are presented. To
try and reduce this problem, the town looks for ways to keep teenagers
and young adults in school and have various recreational activities
available for them to shy away from drugs and alcohol. Gachancipa and
other towns like it have asked the Colombian government various times

7. 7
for financial help. The government should be able to help these towns as
one of the government’s ministries has programs against drugs and
alcohol abuse in minors. However the government does not carry out
these promises it makes to these towns. This happens because funds are
either relocated to other sectors that most of the time already have
enough funds to function or the government sees one bad apple, a town
that uses these funds wrongly, and decides to not help out the rest of the
country. Because of corruption, towns such as Gachancipa suffer the unfair
consequences and drive this spiral of regress even deeper. It is a shame
that towns with rich culture and history are ruined by today’s problems of
greed and apathy. Gachancipa has a history of over 400 years and is one
of Colombia’s oldest towns. The failure to help out the town by the
government sees historical buildings and roads be destroyed by time and
the consequences of drug and alcohol abuse. To end Colombia’s problems,
the initiative of a group of people of a new generation is needed and
there is no better way of doing this than by the medium of sport.

8. 8
Why Tennis
Tennis is a sport, which we have played during all our lives and has
become a crucial part of our daily basis. The three members of this project
reflect a variety of experiences with tennis, which contribute to the support
of the kids depending on what they want to use tennis for. Our experience
with tennis also provides the kids with role models that have implemented
tennis in their everyday lives and have succeeded in competitive
environments within the context of their lives. It is crucial to highlight that
the three of us began tennis due to family influence and at first were
forced to go to the academies. In the beginning, it was a tedious activity,
which we only went because we had to. As time went by, tennis began to
be one of our most important recreational activities and we began
enjoying the sport. We were doing exercise, but we did not feel that we
were. We felt that we were doing a leisure activity that not only made us
have fun, but also encouraged us to interact with other kids and develop
social skills.

9. 9
The kids of Gachancipa are very spread out in terms of their homes.
Therefore, this academy brings them together and makes them
interconnect with one another. Tennis is a sport that you cannot play
alone. You need either one or three more people in order to have a match.
This stimulates interaction between the members of the academy. Tennis is
also a sport that is fully competitive sport, but it does not allow contact
between the participants. This is a very positive aspect because since we
are dealing with kids that are immersed in violent environments both
inside their homes and in their surroundings, it is crucial that they take
part in an activity that does not promote physical conflict. Especially when
learning a sport, kids can easily get frustrated and, if it is a sport that
permits conflict, can get aggressive.
In addition, tennis is a sport in which we could take the initiative
and create the academy in a short period of time. This was crucial because
if we chose a sport that required more time to adapt the court and gather
the supplies needed, we would not have been able to initiate the academy

10. 10
within the time frames we had fixed. It is not only a means of recreation,
but also a way to liberate yourself from the tediousness of everyday life
and provide a healthy environment to do exercise. One of the issues that
tennis helps fight is sedentarism. According to Law 115 of 1994,
sedentarism is a matter of public health and should be addressed
promptly. It should be dealt by the organisms of public health and other
public services. We would be contributing in this manner to avoid children
and young adults, which are the most vulnerable to sedentarism, to
deteriorate their health. Tennis helps calm your nerves and also it can
teach you many valuable lessons. Always striving for success, the
importance of persevering, and commitment are among the characteristics
that this sport teaches you. The kids of Gachancipa, after speaking with
them, seem to have the mentality that they are destined to live in that
town and will not get a very good job. Most of them are resigned to live a
monotonous life and have no desire or stimulus to strive for more. Tennis,
we believe, will teach them, at least on a small-scale level, that if one

11. 11
perseveres and takes the hard hits of failure, he can not only succeed, but
have the satisfaction that on his own, he was able to accomplish a goal
that he never thought would have been possible before.
Unfortunately, tennis is a very elitist sport in Colombia and only
people that have the resources to access a private club can enjoy this
sport. This is also one of the main reasons lower classes in Colombia have
such great resentment towards the upper classes. Politicians are always
talking about equality for all and the fact that all citizens should be able to
do the same activities; however, this is not the case in Colombia. People in
the upper classes not only have more political, economic, and social
power, but are the only ones that have access to quality recreational
activities. Research has shown that people need recreational time in order
to do quality work and to be effective in their day-to-day tasks. Providing
kids with this tennis academy helps promote the effective use of leisure
time and indirectly increases the effectiveness they have in school. Also,
through our research on sports medicine, tennis provides the adequate

12. 12
cardiological and mental exercise to make people enjoy this sport, but at
the same time develops skills and talents that help an individual attain
better motor skills.
Creation of the Academy
However, we had this idea. Now, we need to put it into action. The
first thing we needed to decide was where to implement it. After thorough
research for about two months, we found that the town of Gachancipá was
the most appropriate place. Gachancipá is a four hundred year-old town
located about an hour away from Bogotá. It is one of the oldest towns in
Cundinamarca and hosts important cultural events. It has around eleven
thousand inhabitants and covers about 194 square kilometers. It has
unemployment of only 4% and its economy is growing at a rate of 9%.
Although it has modernized as time goes by, it has kept the essence of the
traditional town. Gachancipá provides sewage and aqueduct services to
94% of the population, telephone services to 24% and electricity to 98%.

13. 13
These numbers have been increasing through time as the town is on a
good path towards progress.
Most of the people in the town range from social statuses two and
three. This means that although they can live in decent manners, there is
still a lot of improvement that can be done to their quality of life.
Currently, it has over fifteen sports academies in which children from all
ages go to develop talents and compete in region-wide competitions.
However, the town did not have a tennis formation center. Therefore, we
initiated talks with the mayor, Nicolás Gómez, to see if it was viable to
promote and establish a tennis academy in the town. We needed a town
in which the academy would have a positive impact on the community, but
also a town that was committed to the integral formation of children
through sports. Although we wanted to use tennis as a means of
alleviating some of the issues the town had, we also wanted to improve
the health of children in Gachancipá by providing them with an activity
that promotes physical endurance and makes them see that exercise can

14. 14
be done in a way that is entertaining and at the same time efficient. After
several meetings with the people of the town hall, we came to an
agreement and on October 26, 2014, the Solanca tennis academy initiated
its services.
Sponsors
At the beginning of the project, we had nothing. Little by little we
began acquiring the materials we needed and the sponsors that were
required. This process started some time before the actual Senior
Independent Study did. Procedures that have to do with the public
administration of towns usually take time. One of the main reasons that
this happens is that these towns have very limited financial resources and
tend to save them only for emergencies. Also, their infrastructure and
physical resources are not developed, which makes them hesitate on
lending them for any kind of project. However, through several meetings
with the major of Gachancipa and the Secretary of Sports and Recreation,
we were able to come to an agreement of where to set the court. After

15. 15
this was set, we continued our process by getting a donation from the
América Tennis Club Foundation consisting of racquets. This was definitely
not an easy task since this club was already donating some of its racquets
to the caddies in the club. Therefore, we had to ask them to save some of
their supplies for our initiative, which took time and patience.
We had several setbacks in this process due to the fact that we
needed twenty racquets and we only received twelve the first time. This
made us worry about the success of our project. Nevertheless, we
continued working hand in hand with this foundation and were able to
gather the necessary materials. Then, we reasoned that it would be a
valuable gesture to give the kids a snack, consisting of a drink and some
cookies, in the middle of the lesson. This would not only incentive them to
do more and more effort throughout the lesson, but also to give them the
necessary energy to be able to take full advantage of the exercises. While
talking to the children, we realized that most of them did not have good
meals in the morning or at lunch, which definitely influence their physical

16. 16
and mental enthusiasm. Nestle Colombia provided us with the snacks.
Finally, we asked Asocolflores for a donation for the net, which is essential
in a tennis court. This way, we were able to get the basics we needed to
get started. In a project with goals such as ours, we needed to gather and
unite all the main aspects of society. We had the public administration,
represented by the Gachancipá’s town hall, the private industry,
represented by Nestlé and América Tennis Club, an association,
represented by Asocolflores, and the people themselves, which are the
kids. The town hall picked the first twenty kids according to their needs
and potential for the academy. They were between the ages of eight and
fifteen years old. All this process required great effort and time, but finally,
we were ready to begin.
Justification
Purpose
This project was initiated to help bring down the high levels of drug
and alcohol consumption among children in the town of Gachancipá.

17. 17
Although it has only been implemented in one town, our expectations for
the future are that this idea is replicated in other towns and therefore
creating a much bigger impact at the department level. We believe that
the children who get to be part of the tennis academy will get a mental
refreshment and be able to realize that sports are a great way not only to
have recreation, but to live a healthy way in which you can still have fun
without having to introduce dangerous substances into your system. Also,
giving these kids the opportunity to learn how to play tennis is an
improvement to help narrow the inequality gap that exists in Colombia.
Reading some of the pertinent rights of the citizens in the Colombian
Constitution, it is crucial to state that the fifty-second article of the “Carta
Política” declares that sports should be granted to each citizen as a means
of integral formation and is essential to have better health conditions. This
provides political and medical evidence of the importance of sport’s on a
person’s life. The previously mentioned fact contributes to the purpose of
this project by providing kids with not only a simple sports’ academy, but

18. 18
an activity that forms integral human beings and that teaches them the
ethics and values of sportsmanship. There are many ways in which these
values could be taught to children; however, our approach regarding this
aspect is quite unique. We feel that through fair and healthy competition,
children will be able to see for themselves the importance of learning how
to lose, and, more important, the satisfaction of succeeding when one has
to struggle.
Objective
The objectives for the project in the short term are that the kids
remain committed to the academy and that they attend every lesson. If
this is done, the impact the lessons will have on the kids will be much
greater. Also, sports are proven to be effective in minimizing the risk of
having cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, hypertension, and depression,
among others. Since the people in this town do not have the resources to
attend a good hospital and the quality of the medical centers there is not
optimal, it is crucial that they try not to get diseases, especially those that

19. 19
require extensive treatment. Also, sports improve the kids’ motor skills and
cognitive function. Through the domination of the tennis racquet, they
develop reflexes and mental agility in a way that is fun and recreational for
them. Analysts around the world have depicted the fact that sports help
fight psychological disorders in individuals.
Self-esteem and social image are among the things that are
improved with this tennis academy. In the medium term, we plan to get
more children involved in the academy so they can work on their different
needs at different rates. In the long run, we plan to expand this initiative to
other towns around Cundinamarca, or even Colombia, so they can
replicate our project and the impact becomes nation-wide. Law 181 of
1995 declares that it is the government’s duty to provide citizens with the
access to play sports and an appropriate space to practice them. We
realize the difficulties that a town like Gachancipa faces when trying to
comply with this law. Therefore, we are helping it create this amiable
environment in which children are encouraged to practice sports and

20. 20
allowing them to have access to the necessary materials. The tennis
academy will have continuity over time since we have already talked to
some sophomores and juniors that are interested in continuing with this
process under our same objectives. We will remain supervising the
academy in the upcoming years.
Execution
Time Schedule
We planned to go every Saturday to give continuity to the learning
process. At the beginning of each lesson, we do warm-up and stretching
drills. In the first lessons, we instructed the kids the basics of the tennis
swing and they began hitting the ball. The progress in every small aspect is
very evident, well now the kids know fundamental things such as the
importance of stretching and warming up their muscles. As time went on,
we practiced more difficult drills with them. In the middle of each lesson,
we provide a drink and a snack for the kids so they can rest from the
exercise and recharge their energy for the second half of the class. At the

21. 21
end of each lesson, we allow them to play short matches and test the
knowledge that they have acquired.
Also, we do this because we think it is very important that they get
used to compete and learn how to count points in tennis. This encourages
them to practice harder and keep getting harder so they can beat their
opponents in the matches. Surprisingly, even though they have been
playing tennis for a short time period, they are very competitive and will
give it 100% to win the tournament. The kids have been adopting the
necessary behavior to have a organized training session with very few
interruptions. The progress in their game is also significant, well now they
hit the ball constantly, they know how to serve, and they can play a good
point. By themselves they have realized that moving their opponent is a
strategy that works a lot between them and that the power with which
they hit the ball can determine if they win the point or not.
We have also been teaching them the rules of tennis, so now
instead of us telling them if they won or lost the match, they make their

22. 22
own calls and keep track of the points without any external help from us.
The academy has become a place of integral learning. According to Law
115 of 1994 (previously mentioned), sports are a means of teaching values
and should not only be taken as a recreational activity, but as a
pedagogical experience in which the kids learn from their failures and
strive to acquire more knowledge every class. The most important part
though is the progress as people. Through tennis we have given them an
environment in which they can grow in every aspect and they have not
wasted their chance. They come to training on time, with their game face
on, ready to play as much as possible. Even when we give them the food,
they put it aside and save it for when training is over. They are very
satisfied and happy with the classes, and there is no greater satisfaction
and reward than seeing the kids enjoy and take advantage of the
academy. They have realized that they have been progressing and that
they now have more tools to win the matches in the tournament done at

23. 23
the end of each class. It is not only evident to us that they have grown as
tennis players, but also as human beings.
Resources
Through our experience with tennis and our extensive knowledge of
the sport, we planned our time schedule (as stated above) to further train
and teach the children on a more professional level. It is vital for us to
teach the children the proper and most advanced techniques that the
sport has to offer. We also extended our knowledge of these techniques
by researching the sport, its evolution, and its various playing styles. At the
beginning of the classes, we taught a more leisure type of gameplay to the
sport. The children did not and should not need to start with the
professional type of gameplay to the sport, as it is a more rigorous and
demanding type of practice. Also due to us seeing them only once a week,
practicing at a more professional level would be unfeasible. Never the less,
an athlete can achieve improvement and skill level through different
gameplays in the sport of tennis.

24. 24
Even with our knowledge and perseverance, we also needed
tangible tools to make this work. At the very start of the project the tennis
court was improvised by the town hall, just in front of it. The court was the
town square. Its dimensions were fairly identical to an actual professional
tennis court, and it was concrete flooring, perfect for the ball to bounces
right. Although, we encountered the problem of loose balls going to the
street and sometimes getting lost. The town helped us solve this problem
by moving the classes to a polideportivo, a coliseum type arena with
roofing, perfect against rain, concrete stairs around the ring and the
perfect dimensions of a tennis court with concrete flooring. The town gave
the net, but due to the shortness of supplies, it had to be the net they use
for their volleyball practice. The America Tennis Club donated the racquets,
which people handed off to them and the company Asocolflores donated
the tennis balls. In the later months to come, we had an assistant, Diego, a
teenager like us to help us ready the court and bring the racquets and
balls from the town hall. He too practiced tennis in his free time so it was

25. 25
a great addition to the team when we needed an extra hand. As for the
snacks, Nestlé de Colombia was generous enough to supply the kids and
trainers enough bottled water to drink and nutritious cookies to eat.
The help from our sponsors and Gachancipa’s town hall was vital for
the perfect execution of the project. The contribution from all areas
deemed each and every class a great use of time from the students and
the trainers. This shows how preparation and organization leads to great
things.
Risks
Some of the risks we ran during this project were the desertion of
the children, as it was not guaranteed that they would keep on going to
every lesson. Also, the climate in Bogotá is very oscillating, which makes it
difficult to plan the activities to be done in class. However, we were able to
move into a closed gymnasium with a roof, which solved this problem. The
sponsors were key since without them we would not have had the supplies
for the lessons. In addition, the loss of supplies was a major concern.

26. 26
Therefore, in our signed contract with the town hall, we specified that it
was their responsibility to prevent the loss of the racquets and it was at
their discretion where they would keep them. Fortunately, there was no
major problem in this sense. The only thing that occurred was that a lot of
tennis balls were getting lost and we were running out of them. Besides
that, everything has flowed according to planned.
We have to admit that there are countless ways in which the project
could have gone wrong, but we have been lucky that everything has
worked to our favor. Nestle has always been on top of the snacks, the
major gave us a place with a roof to prevent the cancelling of training due
to rain, and the kids have always been there on time. Who knows what
would have happened if the kids decided that they did not like the classes
and therefore not coming back. Perhaps the major could have ignored our
project and decided that tennis in Gachancipa is not necessary. The project
had to go the way we planned it every step of the way and until now it
fortunately has. The connection between us and the town of Gachancipa

27. 27
has escalated to being much more than only a project, well now every one
of us feels attached to the academy. That is why we try to minimize all the
risks to give the academy and the kids a guaranteed continuity and
regularity. We hope that in the rest of our experience we will not face any
major issues, and that we can find a way to expand the academy by
adding supplies, teachers, and resources so the academy can continue for
many years to come.
Additional Supplies
We made caps for the children with the academy’s logo and its
name so that they acquired a sense of identity and felt that they were a
solid part of this initiative. This project has allowed us to visualize the
impact that sports has on these children and the way they have responded
is astonishing. Right from the beginning they were extremely committed
and eager to jump into this new activity. As much as we can expand the
academy and include the kids in it, the better. The foundation of the
America Tennis Club is also gathering more racquets so that in a near

28. 28
future the academy can host more kids and be available to more. T-shirts
are also something that we want to implement well the effect that we saw
with the caps was definitely positive. Not only are the kids grateful, but as
well the parents have been extremely decent and polite to us. The effect of
the academy in the town of Gachancipa is making positive changes and we
want change, we want good change.
Progress
We have had very valuable signs of progress throughout the past
seven months. The excitement the kids showed contributed to their
progress. At first, the students were very frustrated because we did not
allow them to play with actual balls. We decided that the best for them
was to learn the basic movements tennis demands first, and once they are
able to do them, then they can begin hitting balls. This is because if we
allowed them to start playing right from the beginning, they would not be
worried about improving their movements, but about hitting the ball as
hard as they could. We spent about two or three entire classes showing

29. 29
and them these movements. They learned from the grip to hold the
racquet to the positioning of their feet when hitting the ball. We practiced
drills with imaginary balls to make sure they were ready. After this was
completed, we took out the balls. At first, it was a complete disaster. Balls
went everywhere. However, as time went by, the children began to control
their strength when hitting the ball and started realizing that the
movements they had previously learned actually helped to play better
tennis. A few months later, some children were actually keeping the ball in
play during the tournaments we did at the end of each lesson. This was
amazing. They were learning that trying to win the point on the first hit
was not the best strategy for tennis. Instead, consistency was the key to
success. To gain consistency, they would need to practice and correct their
swings.
Interaction with the Kids
Interviews

30. 30
Throughout the lessons, we have small talks with several kids to get
feedback on our work and acquire knowledge on possible areas of
improvement. This part is crucial since we might think that we are putting
our best effort into this project; however, there might be aspects that can
be better or activities that the kids are wishing to do that we had not
considered. Communication is vital since this way the kids can have a voice
and learn what they want to learn. Also, we can get a sense of how
effective our academy is and if it is achieving the established goals. Below
are some of the interviews that we did to some of the kids and their
responses. The interviews are translated from Spanish to English.
December 7, 2013
Interviewer: Daniel Solano
Interviewee: Juan Diego (12 years old)
Daniel Solano: What do you think of the academy?
Juan Diego: I believe that it is amazing. I had never had the
opportunity to be part of something like this.

31. 31
Daniel Solano: What was your previous exposure to sports and
tennis?
Juan Diego: I am a soccer player and practice in the school here in
Gachancipa. However, I had only seen tennis a couple of times on
television. I did not even know that there were academies here in
Colombia. It seemed very distant from my environment.
Daniel Solano: What did you do during this time before you came
to the academy?
Juan Diego: I usually just stayed home or hanged out with my
friends in the plaza.
Daniel Solano: What are some aspects you think the academy has to
improve on?
Juan Diego: I really want to learn how to serve and count the points,
just like they do on television.
Daniel Solano: What do you think of the methodology implemented
during each class?

32. 32
Juan Diego: I think it is very appropriate. At first I did not
understand the value in the stretching and the warming up; however, when
you explained to us its importance in preventing injuries and strains, I
began to do them with energy. Also, the drills allow us to practice both
forehand and backhand without being monotonous. The matches at the
end of the class are what all of us look forward to. They are a way to test
our ability and see the progress we have made. We are very competitive
hear and being able to beat others is a great satisfaction.
February 1, 2014
Interviewer: Daniel Camacho
Interviewee: Ana Maria (13 years old)
Daniel Camacho: What were your first thoughts back in October
when the town hall told you about this academy?
Ana Maria: I was a bit hesitant that it would work. We have never
played tennis here and it looked like a very difficult sport to learn.

33. 33
Personally, I have to confess that the only reason I joined the academy was
because my parents wanted me to try it out.
Daniel Camacho: What do you think about the academy now? Are
you still forced to come to the academy?
Ana Maria: No, not at all. After about the second class, I discovered
that I really liked this sport and that if I tried hard, I would be able to play
better every lesson. I think it is a privilege to be in this academy. It has not
only taught me to play tennis, but to have the discipline in one activity in
order to be good at it.
Daniel Camacho: What do you think we can improve on?
Ana Maria: Maybe you could give us the snacks at the end of the
lessons instead of in the middle because we are so engaged in the lesson,
that I prefer not to stop playing until the end.
Daniel Camacho: Have you made new friends here?
Ana Maria: Yes, I have. Just on my way here, I have met other kids
who are very friendly and eager to have the lesson. Although we compete

34. 34
against each other when we do the tournament, in the end we get to
know each other and have fun.
April 5, 2014
Interviewer: Manuel Andres
Interviewee: Valentina (15 years old)
Manuel Andres: How does the tennis academy compare to the other
sports academies in Gachancipa?
Valentina: I believe it is the best one. The other ones are good but
the professors are not necessarily experts at the sport and are less worried
of our progress. Also, the supplies are not as good as the ones in this
academy.
Manuel Andres: Do you think this academy is helping fight some of
the main issues in the town?
Valentina: Yes, definitely. Most of the older brothers of the kids you
see here are immersed in a world full of alcohol and drugs. It is almost
impossible to take them out of that world. However, I think this academy is

35. 35
providing a great alternative to this kids for them not to follow that same
path. Most of us on weekends do not have many activities to do and
therefore just hang out around town. Now, we know that every Saturday at
2 p.m., we have our tennis lesson.
Manuel Andres: What is the activity you like the most during the
lesson?
Valentina: Obviously the tournament at the end. I feel it is a reward
for all of our effort during the class.
Manuel Andres: What do you find most important about playing
tennis?
Valentina: Doing exercise and having the opportunity to learn the
techniques behind this sport are the most important for me. I feel that my
reflexes have gotten a lot better and that I have gained physical
endurance. I could have done this by going for a run, but this is much
more attractive and entertaining.
Vision

36. 36
The Future of the Academy
The first time that this project was thought of, we knew that it had
to be a long term project, and that the academy had to be expanded and
find someone that could continue the legacy. Nevertheless, we needed to
begin acting immediately. We have been looking for ways to make the
academy grow but also last, because we want the academy to help the
town in many years to come. We never want the happiness of the kids
when they go to training to end. Our goal found what it needed; a source
that has the capability to make of the academy something unthinkable.
There are three sophomores that have volunteered to continue with the
academy. They are not the first people that have talked to us to continue
the academy, well after several months of analysis we have decided that
they are the best candidates to make our dream grow. They have shown a
lot of commitment and interest when talking to us and in their experiences
there.

37. 37
We would not give up all our work to anybody that asked, and we
had to be sure that our choice was the right one. Therefore, we
implemented a process that would show us their capability to interact with
the kids and handle the academy. First we talked to them, explained
everything about the logistics and the importance of the project to us, and
then we took them to Gachancipa. We did our classes regularly, while they
watched and asked us about how the training worked. Slowly they have
been incorporated into the classes getting to the point that they are
contributing ideas to make the academy better. By the end of April the
plan is for them to go with us, but for them to be the teachers. We will be
there observing and making suggestions, trying to correct them in any
details that need assistance. The plan is to have several meetings in which
we can help them plan the future of Solanca. As time goes by they will be
granted more independence until they will have to go by themselves and
show progress every 6 months. If the members of Solanca leave the

38. 38
country for college, in vacations we will come and supervise the
development and state of the academy.
Aspects to Improve On
In a short-term aspect we believe that it is essential to get a basket
for the balls like the ones that tennis clubs have. That would make the
training more efficient because the balls would not be in a box anymore,
but in a basket that is designed for the teachers comfort and efficiency
when throwing the balls. Secondly, we could try to get a net that prevent
the ball from leaving the stadium, so that less balls are lost and there is
less need to buy more. The net would guarantee us a full use of every ball
instead of losing some while they are in perfect state. if we can minimize
the costs of the balls, we can use that money to invest in more racquets
and clothing.
In the medium term, we would like to get at least one more court,
so we could give classes to more children. For that though, we would need
more supplies and resources for every kid, which is the goal on a medium

39. 39
term. We could help the town on a greater proportion and have the
positive effect expand and help more people. This was our objective right
from the beginning. However, we realized that we needed to start out
small to give more individualized attention to every kid in their first
exposures to the sport. Without this attention, it would be very hard for
the individual to get a hold of the basics of tennis. In addition, kids who
are closely supervised feel that they are one of the main focuses of
attention. This encourages them to do their best effort because they want
to impress the professors and their fellow students with their progress.
However, now that some of these kids learned how to play tennis, we
believe it is time to allow other children to have this opportunity. In the
long run, the vision is to expand Solanca to more towns around Colombia
so that more children can benefit from the academy. According to that
idea though, we would need more money to invest in more supplies and
resources which would take some time but would be great for the children
and their respective homes. It is indeed possible to expand Solanca in the

40. 40
long term; with commitment and effort we believe that the goals will be
met.
Social Service
Effects on the Economy
By doing social service in Gachancipa, we give the kids an
opportunity to practice a sport that requires a lot of money. We help the
town by investing in it, since we invest in the kids by giving them the
opportunity to fight poverty. The academy helps reduce inequality and
provide resources and capital that the town can use to its advantage. It
may sound like we are doing everything, but without the organizing of
everything and the commitment of the kids Solanca would not be possible.
Not only in terms of our project, but as well in other places it is very
important to do social service to reduce the economic inequalities in the
country. Everybody deserves the opportunity to have a good quality of life
and social service can be fundamental in reducing the gap between the
rich and the poor.

41. 41
Social Effects
We would not know what kind of impact we had generated until we
saw it with our own eyes. We had set a goal in mind to help out a
community that suffered from problems with drugs and alcohol. We
wanted to try and generate a little help by reducing the amount of
teenagers and young adults that do this. After getting to know the
students well and creating bonds with some of them we had an even
deeper interaction with them, stated before with the interview. We asked
them personal questions, which we were eager to know the answers to
know if we had created an impact or not. We were surprised by the
answers. We knew the problems that the town had with drug and alcohol
abuse and we were more than happy to know we made an impact in
fighting this problem. Gachancipa’s diverse range of activities has offered
children, teenagers, and young adults alike to stay away from those
mischievous activities and have a healthier alternative. With Solanca, we
have given more opportunities for children and teenagers who haven’t

42. 42
found the right activity for them yet before. Our and their commitment
ensures that the malaise that surrounds the town can be ignored. It takes
just one small step to change make a change and Solanca and its trainers
are there and will be there to create a safe and fun environment for
whomever wants to join.
Social Service Can Be Fun
Going and giving tennis classes to Gachancipa, or any other type of
social service does not have to be boring. In our case we implemented the
sport that we love with helping other and trying to cause a positive
change. Giving to other people turns out to be extremely satisfying and
comforting when one knows that he or she is doing the right thing. There
is a common misconception that social service is unnecessary and that the
people being helped do not take advantage of what they get. Up to now,
we have not seen anything but effort and gratefulness in the kids and
parents of Gachancipa. They will take any chance they get, because they
want the chance to live better, they want the chance to give their kids a

43. 43
better quality of life. It has been astonishingly satisfying to be a part of
Solanca, and to give the kids time so they can escape for a moment their
reality and feel the support.