BGA... can i help you?

General Go Discussion
1

So ive been playing go now fir a long time. Im fairly knowlagable at about 8kyu but i also know im not anywhere near as knowlagable as any of the ranks below me and there are gaping holes in my education of go as it were.

That being said, is there anything i can do for the BGA? The british go association. If so, how do i get involved? I know im not a member… but that also leads me on to my next list of questions… what are the goals of the BGA? What are you doing to achive these goals? And is there more you could be doing?

I know go isnt as popular over here as it is in america, and we have a third of the population of america… less than actually… more like a quater.

But the AGA (American Go Association) has done, and contines to do so much for go. It was a part of publising the alpha go games back in 2016/17. It was there for the DeepZenGo games. It has pros coming to them willing to do classes and such. And had a japanese go association, help set up Americas oppertunity for their first Pro player.

I feel lile the UK is lagging behind. The BGA website is older than father time. It has only got around 500 members. And besides the tournames it holds every year nothibg new seems to be happening that is being put out there on nearly the same scale as the AGA. I understand this takes money. I really do.

I volunteer for homeless charties, im a board member of one small charity and have been doing this sort of thing for nearly ten years.

I want the BGA to grow, i want to be a part of it working from the inside. Yes my skills may be limited but im also willing to volunteer.

However im based in south wales and cant drive yet because i never had money to learn. Again money issues… am i right? But the fact of the matter is that i want the BGA to become a movement that is helping to grow the GO community. It will take time and effort but it can be done. Or at least i beleive so. But at the moent as things stand there is no real incentive to actually participate as member of the BGA especially in wales when the welsh open is held in the ass end of the ass end of wales where hardly anyone can get to very easily… or with reletive costs.

If your gonna hold a welsh open… hold it in the capital city of wales… Cardiff. Hold it in a place like Chapter Arts center… or get another cheap of free venue to hold it.

Lastly the BGA really needs to start engaging young people. They are the ones that if done right will carry the fiture of british go on their backs.

Help me… to help you… to help yourselfvs BGA!

In hindsight… i know this probs isnt the right place to post this sort of thing. But… if anyone can help me get involved with the BGA… then please… throw me a line here!?

1 Like
2

Hello,

Interesting message.
I have few answers at some of the issues you raised, but I feel like I am in no position to answer them.

But still I want to take part in this discussion, because me too I am involved in helping Go. Anyway, first I need to present myself. I am Costel Pintilie from Galați Romania, involved în the local Go community. Mainly by maintaining the site of our Go association.

Also I am an oversea BGA member. I joined BGA decades ago, before the rise of Internet, because BGJ provided me a connection with the world of Go. Later with the Internet as a new source of information I stepped back. Actually I took a step back from the Go itself few times. Through years I organized or just helped at some events or actions, and it was easy. There were always people ready to get involved and the things were solved. Lately it is like a wall rising around us, and there are a lot of doors, and the key is money. I have the option to quit, relax and let the younger generation take the action in hands, or to still try. One of the things I try is to build bridges to our local community from other ones better established. So I joined again BGA, and try to make contacts with active clubs. My interests is to contact those clubs that are promoting actively in schools, and so to create an interests in our students to play in competitions online with their teams of beginners. On the other side, I try to contact camp owners to get involved in this activity. Offering as a prize a week or two in a Go camp is a good incentive to learn and play better.

There are a lot more things to be said, but better to take them one by one and put them on track. If you can relate to what I have said, we can go in details. It is enough even you just pass the word to somebody who may help.

One more important detail. We have here three teams. One is a dedicated Go teacher focused on children under ten. One math teacher attracting to Go his high school students. For them would be really good something similar in your country to compete and chat. And me in team with other instructor are involved in promoting in schools too. More precisely at Children Palace.

Just one more thing. Galați and Coventry are twin cities, so maybe on this fact may be built something.

2 Likes
3

Thank you immensly for your response.

As im not a member of the BGA and never have been and am still quite young at only 26 ive never really had the oppertunity to get stuck in an do something with go on a community engagement level.

I would howvee be very happy to do so. For a short time I was the organiser of a local GO club but people have lives and it sort of died despite my attempts to invigorate people to join and become more permanant members of the club.

What i want to do is to start working for and with the BGA to increase what it is doing as well as to start some change. Im only an outiser looking in but i feel as if there is some serious stagnation in how fhe BGA is doing things.

I needs to evolve with the modern era.

I would do more, i would live to contact people more but unfortunatly, im hindered in 2 areas.

  1. I have very bad mental health conditions that prevent me for using phones, and dealibg with a lot of people. As much as i want to do these things the levels of anxiety this brings me is to be quite honest… unhealthy.

  2. Travle. I dont work (mental health), and because of that i have limited income. And dont drive yet though im looking to change that fact. And i live in south wales. The proverbial ass end of the the UK that everyone seems to forget even exists. So i feel isolated almost.

However, i am not without contacts with youth related agencies that id be mkre than happy to try and tap in to if i could be certain that i would have the help, support, and backing of the BGA behind me so i dont feel lile a island that is slowly driftibg away from making any form of progress.

Ito put it simple. I want help to help the BGA and ultimatly GO as a game.

Thank you once again for your reply.

4

Good start. I have now enough info for and dialog.
I can relate because I am in the same situation. My challenge is different though, is physical. But as in Go, where nothing is perfect and nothing absolutely bad, the good part of not being able to work is that you have time. Now you need to find the niche where you can be of help. Mine was exactly where you cannot help. I had free phone minutes so I became the contact person. From here things evolved to helping in organizing events, maintaining discussion groups or sites.

Anyway, even as an outsider I see the first step for you is to became a member. I see it as a sign of trust. If those 15 pounds for a concessionary are an issue, than you can come with something else, like making your own club locally and when this club will provide enough members to BGA an free membership can come.

1 Like
5

If i honestly thought that id get enough local interest in starting a club i would. Without being prejudice to my locals, they are typicslly not interested in mental games. But then i could be wrong.

I need to see what i can do about organising a local club. Keep it seperate fron the other one that died. And see if i can attract new members to the game of go.

I shall consider joining the BGA.

But i would still lile to open a dislogue with one of the people who are running it opperationally so i can learn a few things.

Thank you again fir reading my replies. And thank you for your suggestions.

6

Everywhere the percentage of those interested in Go is low. Here from a quarter of million people we gathered a dozen. But still there are a lot of others who may be interested, but they got stuck with chess or worse with shooters. All we can do is discover those who may be grateful to be invited in our world. Hang out in chess clubs or games pubs if there are any. If are none, bad luck. One of my tries was at my high school. It is railroad domain. I know a teacher, the principal was interested, made entrance for me in every classroom, I presented my case, but from few hundred kids, only a handful had a spark in the eye. The rest were looking at me like I fell from the sky. This is the situation. In railroad domain does not go those interested in brain activity.

7

Yeah i know what you mean. So few people have an interest in things like go even out of my nerdy friends im the only one who has really picked up go and thought ‘hell this is the bame for me!’.

I have a few connections i can hit up with youth oriented things. I shall do some investigating and reaching out… see what i can come up with.

Thank you for all of your advice.

8

Have you contacted them actually? British Go Association https://www.britgo.org/
I’m quite sure they will know how you can best help them :slight_smile:

Also, I recommend reading their “Gotalk” mailing list: http://lists.britgo.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/gotalk

<edit>
And in case you’re on friggin’ Facebook, they also have a page there:


</edit>

<edit 2>
Because … I don’t think they’re necessarily watching this forum :wink:
</edit 2>

2 Likes
9

Thank you very much for the links… i will be checking them out. Im also no longer on facebook. The account is still there but i no longer use it… terrible for mentak health.

I will however endevpur to contact them… see what i can do to get involved. Learn ehats going on. And hopefully help to do a few things that i think needs doing.

10

I’d say the first thing you could do for the BGA would be to join them.

It’s not expensive, and you get a (printed! on actual paper!) newsletter that gives a lot of information on all the things they do. They definitely want and need volunteers to do various things, at all levels.

Also, join your local BGA-affiliated club.

Get involved :slight_smile:

3 Likes
11

@Lord_o_o_Spoon sorry I missed this thread until now - I would say that I am active BGA member and it is something of a lonely furrow to plough! The BGA does quite a lot and is limited mainly by the number of volunteers and the time they have available to the promotion of Go. Generally, I would say that if you are offering your time the BGA would be grateful and whatever you can do to advance the Go in the UK will be supported by the BGA as best they can. I have established two school Go clubs and the BGA have been very generous in the supply of equipment/insurance/expertise and such support. However, if I stopped running the clubs they would just stop and I think it’s a similar story for many Go activities.
Your example of tournaments in Wales is a good one - Tournaments are where they are because someone is willing to run one there and then. I don’t think there is a particular overarching plan for the UK tournament calender. There are tournaments that are held at a given time and place because they always have been (e.g. london open at the end of the year - wessex on the weekend of the autumn clock change) and because someone is organising them. If you wanted to organise a Cardiff/Swansea tournament then the BGA would support that - with equipment, guidance, publicity on the tournament calender and some attendees doubtless - you would need to pick a date (hopefully that doesn’t clash too badly with already planned events) and find a venue, market the event etc.
That’s just an example - I’m happy to discuss via PM if you like. Best thing to do as others have said is to contact the BGA and discuss your offer with them directly.
I joined the BGA group on OGS btw so if you want to keep it OGS maybe you could try a message to @gerrysw11 or @marshmn ?

2 Likes
12

Hello there…

I should really have updated the thread.

Anyways…

Whats happening now is this. Ive joined the BGA. And learned that there is an inherent lack of structure in Wales. Mainly because the clubs have died due to the club hosts being ill and not being able to actuslly set up and arrange the clubs.

However due to my mental health and inabilkty to work, i have time. I through years of voluntary work am in a unique position too.

So… using what i know… who i know and more… my plan is this.

Set up a Port Talbot Go Club.

Meet every month. And build relatio ships there. Prove im of use to the BGA and then… with time… advance myself within the BgA as a volunteer… to hopefully begin to set up a school club in my most local school.

I dont have my own means of transport which is an issue. But one that i can work woth if i keep it local as it were.

What im hoping to do… is to somehow… build go in wales… my long term plan which is gonna be years down the line is to have the oppertunity to set up a Youth go League in south wales as best i can. Have it become a sport in which schools compeat and such.

If i can get young people playing then we can begin to let passionate players who are young… volunteer… and help then to build further infrastructure in Wales.

Then we can have national tournamwnts and even then… go further and have a sort of grand slam… 4 nations competition with the rest of the UK.

I have ideas for the BGA as a whole. And i intend to dedicate myself to them. But before all of that i need to prove myself. Run a club that is actuve and draw more people in.

Im currently in contact with one BGA person hut in waiting for him to get back from holliday to continue my corrospondence with him.

4 Likes
13

Also… sorry for posting again…

Could you sennd me some links to bga groups on OGS? Talking with people in there and playing some games will be nice.

14

https://online-go.com/group/2478

Don’t think it’s very active as a group. I just found it in search and joined! I’m happy to have a game some time though.

Edit: forgot to say how great your plans are and I look forward to a game/tournament at the Port Talbot club one day!

2 Likes
15

Thanks for the link and i look forward to growing a go community down here in south wales. If i can get momentum behind me then i will be able to do a lot.

1 Like