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Rutenis Paulauskas

“Basketball Power” Veliucionys socialization center: how to raise a human?

The Kazickas Family Foundation initiated the “Basketball Power” program with the help of the Capital basketball school in Lithuania. It provides Day Center’s children with free basketball lessons and mentoring programs aiming to prevent and raise awareness around such issues as bullying, alcoholism, suicide, human trafficking and others. The program was thought out by Peter Kazickas when he saw the problems in Lithuania; suicide, alcoholism, and bullying.

How to raise a human? This question comes up to those who know that to raise a child, it is not enough to teach them how to count, sing, write, draw, and play basketball. It is not enough to make sure they have stylish clothing, iPads, phones and other types of fancy earphones. Good “technical service” doesn’t guarantee that the child will grow up to be independent, confident, creative, honest, strong-willed, persistent, hardworking, non-conflicting, brave, and empathetic person. A growing person needs and wants attention, communication, compassion, support, and love. A parent’s experiences tell us about this, as well as smart authors write about it in their books. But, how do you raise a person that is serving a sentence in a special institution, is isolated from his/her parents and the public and spends most of his/her time with peers of similar fate?

“Basketball Power” was born so that basketball lessons could reach the children that don’t get attention. It is a want to become friends with the people that are pushed aside and even sometimes feel as if they are not needed or wanted. Let there be some help for those that want to raise a person, but don’t buy them new clothing, limit the communication with parents, don’t allow the use of cellphones and internet, and restrict their freedom. The place for restriction of freedom was called “juvenile colony” and now it is called “Veliucionys socialization center". The title doesn’t scare off people as well as the actual building – XIX century manor catches people’s attention: how does life happen here? Although some of the other details show a different side: tall fence, locked front gate, cameras, and security.

We all know that basketball not only has a game purpose, but also an educational, social, and communicative purpose. Basketball is an improvement tool of valuable, aesthetic, intellectual and spiritual qualities, because it is associated with very high physical and mental achievements, and allows person to change, to lead and excel. Basketball helps to combine people of different views, religion, and interest into supporter’s groups of basketball teams. In Lithuania, the popularity of basketball and basketball players make a basketball coach more popular than a country’s minister or a prime minister. Basketball helps build a good relationship between people and even countries, it promotes communication, and helps keep friendships lasting.

Ten out of twenty five people, ages 14-16, that live in the Veliucionys socialization center come to basketball practice. This means that basketball can really catch people’s attention. All the young basketball players know coach Edvinas and life real men, shake his hand, listen to him when he shows basic basketball skills. One is more successful than the other, but all of them still practice. While playing, they all compete, try to aim for the basket and have fun. Basketball connects! The players talk about how they want to learn to play and beat the Veliucionys village team. Basketball motivates! After practice, many wipe off the sweat. Basketball helps us grow!

During practice, a young boy with a cast on his right arm came to me. A month ago, he had a trauma (two broken bones) while playing basketball, but he still doesn’t miss practice. “Is it true that by using one hand, I can learn how to control the ball?” This was his first question after meeting me. I answered by saying that I could teach him a couple of skills. While working together, we had a friendly conversation. He told me that he is “put into” this center, doesn’t use drugs, but smokes. He is here for hooliganism, but took the blame for himself to get his friends, who stole from people, out. When he comes back, he doesn’t want to see his friends and his mom and him are thinking about moving to a different town. Here, he likes to learn different trades, to drive, to prepare food, enjoys attending school, and be occupied from morning to evening. He says he has good teachers. The history teacher never asks, when the youth is angry, because he knows that nobody will answer him. We don’t plan to run away from here, because we could get in trouble from our friends. Basketball is awesome and I really enjoy it. I was taken away by his honesty, openness, and the want to learn how to do the basketball skills using one hand. I trusted him, just like a coach trusts his best player when letting him out into the court. I believed that by communicating we can find the strength that will help become more responsible and not to do bad things again. At the end of practice was a talk with the young basketball players. I also offered them an idea - all together to go to the “Siemens” arena to see how the “Lietuvos Rytas” basketball team plays. All together, they said “cool”.

For many years I worked as a basketball coach, participated at the various European and World championships, Euroleague, European Cup and Lithuanian championships. Today I can boldly state that to raise a human is as meaningful as to win the championship!