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Travel to Sweden to train and teach Blind BJJ

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My name is Andre Powell and I am visually impaired with almost no vision.

I am a Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Black Belt under 4th Degree Black belt Anthony Lange of Langes MMA in North Manly.

I have met a blind BJJ blue belt, Finn Hellman from Sweden. Finn tracked me down on Facebook about 8 months ago.

 Finn has made a short film about Blind BJJ that was selected to feature in the Holman prize, which is a Short Film Festival. It is called Teaching And Learning Blind BJJ.

 

My purpose is to travel to Sweden to train with and teach Finn and others in his situation.

I have studied for 11 years in Australia and have been fortunate enough to travel the world with my skills. I was promoted to Black Belt in 2016 and feel fortunate to do what I love with my life.  

 Yet visual impairment has it’s boundaries and I need support from my community to make this dream happen. 

 
The money raised will go towards flights, accommodation, transport and food in Sweden. I estimate that I will need $10000 in order to cover this for myself and my carer.

I hope to be there in July 2020 so we have 8 months to raise funds. Any donation is appreciated, please donate even $5.

 
My mission is to spread this skill set around the world, to all vision-impaired people. I really love imparting my knowledge to my students and would like to broaden my student base with this venture.

 
Purpose
Highlight ability versus disability. To raise awareness for BJJ Practitioners who are visually impaired.

 

Why I started Jiu Jitsu
I witnessed a friend get beaten up and realised how defenceless I was.

I realised I needed a way to defend myself.

 

Benefits
I have gained the confidence to feel safe in my daily life. The sense of community it gives me is unparalleled. It’s the only sport I can do on a level playing field with everyone else. I love the physicality of the sport and the challenges I face every time I get on the mat. It’s a neverending puzzle I like to solve.

 

I am so grateful for this opportunity to highlight our ability and teach Jiu Jitsu.
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Donations 

  • Michael Lee
    • $100
    • 5 yrs
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Organizer

Andre Powell
Organizer
Warriewood DC, NSW

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