A team of Geelong volunteers has been working to transform the lives of impoverished Balinese youth – through martial arts.
Geelong Brazilian jiu jitsu purple-belt Woon Ooi and Tasmanian co-founder Geoff Collins have been teaching martial arts in a makeshift Balinese gym for the past year.
Geoff said the classes helped children living in Balinese slums, who had a “lack of role models”.
“A lot of men in the community drink cheap moonshine and the kids lack opportunities,” he said.
“To be loved, respected and appreciated in a society that says you are the lowest of low… that must have a far deeper impact than even we can see.”
The pair came up with the idea after meeting in Bali in 2012.
At the time Woon was running the Red Frogs charity in Bali while Geoff was teaching boxing under a tree in a local slum.
Inspired by Geoff’s example, Woon set up Geelong-based charity Akademi Kristus and started raising money for a gym.
“(The charity’s) aim is to love and empower each person… so that they can discover their confidence to rise up from their situation,” Woon said.
The charity completed the gym last year and since then has provided free classes in martial arts, creative arts and specialist disability education.
Geoff left behind his career to run classes with his Balinese wife Erma and their young family. He said Akademi Kristus was now his life.
His proudest moment was helping a nearby family whose sons had cerebral palsy, he said.
“When we told their parents that we wanted to start a specialist disability education class for them, their mother replied ‘why, all they do is laugh and cry’.
“By their second class they could count. These classes are now the highlight of their week and the attitude their family had towards them has completely changed,” he said.
Akademi Kristus will hold an official launch at North Geelong’s Mule Coffee Shed from 7pm on 15 October.
For more information, visit www.akademi-kristus.org.
