Tag: Jessica Newman

JustWorld International

Movement for Social Change in the Equestrian Community

  Today when we mention social change, we often think about social media, such as Facebook or Twitter. Although these entities have changed us socially, JustWorld International is reaching out to change the world for the better.

“Bringing Equestrians Together for a Just World” is the hallmark of JustWorld International, a non-for-profit humanitarian organization that supports life-changing education and nutrition programs for some of the world’s neediest children. Riders and horse shows on the West Coast, including the Blenheim Spring Classic II, are joining the movement to lend the passion they have for riding to their commitment to helping others.

Founded in 2003 by former grand prix rider Jessica Newman, JustWorld International acts as a catalyst for positive change in the developing world by working with local partner organizations to provide basic education, nutrition, health, hygiene, and vocational programs for children in impoverished communities in Honduras, Cambodia, Guatemala, and Brazil. JustWorld raises funds throughout the international equestrian world, from individuals to partner horse shows to corporate sponsors.

JustWorld is unique with its origins in the international show jumping community and its focus on not only raising funds through events at horse shows but also on developing programs that allow riders to become compassionate and generous global citizens.

Significantly, JustWorld has built a community of active donors and volunteers who make annual pledges of “time, talent, or treasure” as JustWorld Ambassadors. Currently, there are more than 400 professional, junior, and amateur Rider Ambassadors representing 35 different countries. Technical Official Ambassadors (judges, course designers, stewards) from around the globe also represent JustWorld at international shows whenever they officiate. JustWorld also partners in fundraising with competitions in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, and Europe.

Regarding the important partnership with horse shows, Executive Director Jessica Newman notes that the association “ensures that the link between equestrians and those in need will be a direct link as opposed to a connection through sponsorships and donations only.” Horse shows participate by holding fundraising events, exhibitor parties, Calcuttas, and special classes; donating parking fees and portions of entry fees; and hosting signature JustWorld Horseless Horse Shows. The JustWorld Horseless Horse Shows are special events, since they include younger children as participants, introducing them to charitable events as “Kids Helping Kids.”

Proceeds from JustWorld events help to develop long-term, sustainable education projects, targeting communities where local organizations have evolved to help children who often fall beyond the reach of government and large-scale humanitarian programs. JustWorld and its partners focus on creating and maintaining educational and vocational programs that will begin to equip the children for future lives of self-sufficiency, while providing health care, food programs, and clean water to immediately improve the daily lives of these children.

JustWorld Rider Ambassadors and donors are encouraged to visit the projects in Honduras, Guatemala, Cambodia, and Brazil, and more than 120 donors have done so. Newman, who leads these donor trips, is thrilled to offer other riders the experience of seeing the needs of so many poor children and the wonderful changes that JustWorld has brought about through the efforts of riders and other equestrians.

Newman explains that her equestrian connections have been especially beneficial to forming relationships with local, grassroots organizations. These connections helped to circumvent confrontation with some of the political unrest that is present in the countries where JustWorld gathers support. “We create reciprocal partnerships with our local establishments and all funding is monitored very carefully according to criteria mandated by international nonprofits,” says Newman. “This way, we avoid a lot of the corruption in developing countries.”

Recently, JustWorld has garnered official partnerships with Equine Canada (the Canadian national federation) and the European Equestrian Federation, and Newman was a guest at the FEI General Assembly in November 2010, where she had an opportunity to spread the word about JustWorld to the heads of national federations from around the world. Now that national federations are signing on and JustWorld is expanding, Newman notes, “Within the next five years, I hope to see JustWorld shows in every country where there is competitive horseback riding.”

JustWorld International is a recognized 501(c)3 charitable organization in the United States and a registered Association 1901 in France. Local branches also have been established in Mexico and Honduras. JustWorld International has no political or religious affiliation.

Industry Innovators: JustWorld International

By Erna L. Adelson & Jackie McFarland

What a JustWorld
Winston Churchill said, “There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man.” One interpretation can certainly be discerned while watching a particular periwinkle huntcoat enter the ring at many horse shows across the country: Equestrians, universally united by the compassion and dedication characterized by lifelong horsemanship are uniting worldwide for social change as ambassadors of JustWorld International. Riders/ambassadors don the special blue huntcoats as proudly as the blue ribbon. The organization has given athletes a purpose beyond show ring success, and for many equestrians, this is a natural fit. It would come as no surprise to Winston Churchill that one of the most successful international change organizations thrives within the culture of people who love horses.

We caught up with JustWorld’s founder and executive director, Jessica Newman, during her most recent visit to southern California. She had just returned from a trip to Colombia, where she is hoping JustWorld will expand. “We are focusing on developing a lot in Central and South America because of the proximity of extreme poverty to the affluent equestrian community,” Newman explains. “This way, we are able to implement local programs and really demonstrate to resident ambassadors the influence of their support as we have been able to do in Guatemala.”

Also in 2009, the Natalie Johnson Center was completed in Honduras. The school and community hub was named for JustWorld junior rider-turned pro, Natalie Johnson, who donated 100% of her winnings over the past 5 years.

But, as Newman points out, you don’t have to emulate Natalie Johnson in giving all your winnings, or even ride competitively to join the steadily growing movement. She is wearing a handmade charm bracelet that riders Sophie Simpson and Madison Newman are selling to raise money for the project that they adopted, which will help provide access to education, nutrition, and necessary skills to children in the world’s poorest countries. “You don’t have to have a lot of money or give a lot of money to be involved. You can give 1% of winnings or 100%. Any creative fundraising is welcome,” says Newman. “The bracelet I’m wearing is a great example because these girls were able to create unity among riders and supporters of JustWorld while fundraising.” Another example of creative donating is Antares, where a percentage of every helmet sold goes to JustWorld for a program that provides nutritious lunches to children in Cambodia.

Additionally, JustWorld has a team of technical officials like Course Designer Leopoldo Palacios and rider/clinician Francie Steindenwell Carvin, who regularly donate services or expertise. “I did a clinic for JustWorld in Woodside,” explains Carvin, who has also joined Newman as a volunteer on a trip to Honduras. The Pacific Coast Horse Show Association (PCHA) sponsored the clinic, and Newman was in attendance. “I donated all of my earnings and spread the word to everyone who attended with a video, so we were able to reach riders who may not even be regularly going to clinics or winning a lot of money but they will join the movement. I will be donating my clinics in the future. It was really nice of the PCHA and it meant a lot to people in NorCal, because Jessica was actually there,” she continued.

JustWorld also offers Volunteer Memberships, Corporate Sponsorship, or Group Project Adoptions so that entire barns can get together to raise money and awareness. Outside of the equestrian industry, Regan Hayes (sister to Canadian rider ambassador Lauren Hayes) hosted a fashion show in Ottawa, Canada, with proceeds benefitting the organization. These types of projects have berthed an organic evolution in the overall structure of JustWorld International. Newman has been gradually restructuring so that each initiative will have local operators and report to a more regional chapter. “We are looking for partners who really see the value of paying it forward and taking control of their own projects,” she says. “We are looking for leaders.”

Newman already has one new horse show partner in mind. Show manager Dale Harvey has plans to make his Del Mar International Horse Show the first JustWorld International Show in California. While the details of the full partnership have not yet been finalized, Newman explains that this is an expansion on what show managements can offer. Over the years, shows have donated access to communication, advertising, or unique campaigns like a place for donation on the entry blank, horseless horse shows, or a silent auction. “Having once been a competitor, I know the in and outs of shows so we continue to come up with different ways to get people involved and generate support,” she notes. Dale Harvey, who is spearheading the partnership, hopes that this will serve as an example for other equestrian venues. “It’s a great organization with incredible work all over the world and it’s an organization that I am proud to partner with,” he explains. “We plan on having some social events and fundraisers that will really benefit the program and hope that it inspires others, both individually and collectively, to act as well.”

Another facet of the movement has emerged within equestrian youth by way of the virtual communities fostered by online social networks like Facebook that have connected JustWorld ambassadors from afar. Young equestrians like Sophie Simpson and Cayla Richards, purveyors of the Facebook scene, have become virtual advocates, managing relationships with other riders and participants through a knack for social networking. Richards explains it well: “Being an ambassador allows me to incorporate charity work into my passion of horses. I can make contributions by spreading awareness not only to the horse show community, but also to friends and family.” Simpson, 11, uses her online presence as practice for her future role as a spokesperson for JustWorld. “As soon as I completed the application process I felt like I was a part of something big, and I want to get more people involved,” she says.

“Just by joining the group and spreading the word about JustWorld is a contribution in itself,” says Newman. We would venture to say that the wise Winston Churchill, who wore many coats in his day, would likely have chosen to wear a periwinkle JustWorld coat if he had the chance.

Get involved as a rider or advocate for JustWorld International by contacting Jessica Newman or Caitlin Demaree, Equestrian Coordinator.

Learn more at www.justworldinternational.org and become a fan on Facebook.


Conversations With Equestrians: Jessica Newman

Jumping for a Just World
By Erna L. Adelson

In the previous newsletter, we featured Francie Steinwedell Carvin’s images from the October 2008 Just World International trip to Honduras. Since then, we were able to get a more in-depth account from Francie and also to chat with former international equestrian and JustWorld founder, Jessica Newman.

JustWorld International is a recognized International 501(c)(3) charitable organization in the United States and in France. Currently, this non-profit raises funds through its 160 professional, junior and amateur ambassadors representing over 20 different countries. JWI also partners in fundraising with more than 50 International Show Jumping competitions around the globe. The proceeds help to develop long term, sustainable education projects, targeting communities where local organizations have evolved to help children who often fall beyond the reach of government and large-scale humanitarian programs. Besides addressing immediate needs such as food and clean water for these children, JustWorld and its partners provide educational programs that will begin to equip the children for future lives of self-sufficiency.

In Honduras, Carvin and the JWI team helped implement these long-term educational and vocational training programs, as well as providing general relief and friendship to the citizens of an impoverished community. They volunteered at local schools and formed personal relationships with many of the people they met. Carvin was especially affected by the hardship she witnessed during a visit to a local dump. “We could not get out of our vehicle because there were cows, dogs, children, and adults all fishing through the trash, she said. “To see everything in motion, the birds soaring up, the dogs fighting, the plastic bags flying around everywhere – it had a huge impact on us.” She was also able to reflect more thoroughly on her own lifestyle. Carvin explained, “The trip really revealed the immense number of material things we live with as Americans, myself included. I have way too much stuff, I am going to have to go through and clean out my closets. There is someone who needs it more than I do.”

Carvin recalls, “The JustWorld projects are very well organized, including the local volunteers and the teachers. The mobile librarian was especially striking, according to Carvin who said, “The teacher was amazing! I don’t know where he got the energy! He was so good that even though I don’t speak Spanish, I could understand what he was saying.” She notes that the success of such programs has a lot to do with the diligence of Newman and the JustWorld staff. “If something does not work cohesively within the organization, Jessica immediately moves forward,” she said. For example, when an attempt to provide baby formula to the town’s orphanage proved futile since the recipients are so transient, Carvin was very impressed at how quickly Newman re-routed the operation so that other forms of aid could be supplied instead. “She cut her losses and made sure that progress continued. Jessica is also very good at surrounding herself with people who have the same concerns and goals to ensure that everyone is on the same wavelength.” Carvin hopes to expand her personal efforts with JustWorld. “I would like to go to Cambodia next,” she says, aspiring to bring about greater awareness for the cause at horse shows across the U.S. “I would love to take more people [to Honduras]. It is an incredible experience to meet the kids at the school along with their mothers,” she adds.

Newman, who recently returned from subsequent JustWorld trips to Guatemala and Mexico, explains that her equestrian connections have been especially beneficial to forming relationships with local, grassroots organizations. These connections helped to circumvent confrontation with some of the political unrest that is present in the countries where JustWorld gathers support. “We create reciprocal partnerships with our local establishments and all funding is monitored very carefully according to criteria mandated by international nonprofits,” says Newman. “This way, we avoid a lot of the corruption in developing countries.” During the most recent trips through Mexico and Central America, the organization partnered with existing horse shows to raise money for projects similar to the one in Honduras. The trip was a huge success, and the shows raised funding and support for JustWorld campaigns.

Now just in its sixth year of operation, Newman reports that JustWorld is at the stage where, instead of simply partnering with established shows, these competitions are actually becoming JustWorld events, complete with special classes where entry fees and winnings benefit JWI. There are also “horseless horse shows” which result in additional awareness and support. “This way, the link between equestrians and those in need will be a direct link as opposed to a connection through sponsorships and donations only,” she says, adding “Within the next five years, I hope to see JustWorld shows in every country where there is competitive horseback riding.” Judging by the support that JustWorld has garnered in its first five years, Newman and her equestrian ambassadors are jumping for a just world, one round at a time.

  To find out more about this incredible organization please visit their web site at http://www.justworldinternational.org, or to send an email.