Atlanta Junior Bridge, Inc. is a non-profit organization founded in 2006 and formed to bring bridge to Atlanta’s youth and also elsewhere. Funded by private and corporate donations, Atlanta Junior Bridge supplies teachers and materials to organizations which would like to offer children and young adults the opportunity to learn and play bridge.
Bridge is being taught in many schools, public and private, as well as local bridge clubs, churches and youth centers. Atlanta Junior Bridge is in the process of organizing inter-school and intra-city competitions to foster the growth and development of youth teams who will eventually compete in national and international contests.
Patty Tucker, who is the President of Atlanta Junior Bridge, has published A Whole New Deal, in .pdf file format, which concerns itself with the emerging revolution and campaigns of teaching children, school kids, and juniors, and which encourages bridge players, bridge teachers, ACBL members to support such activities and contribute their time and efforts by informingU the bridge community of the already successful and available programs.
ACBL
The American Contract Bridge League promotes the idea and necessity to let the States of the Union know that children and young adults are learning to play and enjoy the game of bridge. The ACBL is actively seeking representatives to promote and endorse such activities and campaigns via radio, television, newspaper, magazine, and within the communication industries to help generate national interest in the game of bridge. ACBL is sponsoring, promoting, and is actively involved in all aspects of these activities. Another source of information provided by ACBL is their Bridge For Youth program.
The ACBL has begun as of 2006 a program to interest the youth in learning the game of bridge. Promotional campaigns are present in magazines, newspapers, and also on the Internet, such as Bridge Is Cool.com. The offered programs began in 1989 and is called the School Bridge Lesson Series Program, and which is a great addition to any school’s curriculum, giving the student the opportunity to play this great sport of the mind with friends and classmates. Bridge is not just a fun game, it can contribute to your social and intellectual development. Click on the link above and discover for yourself how and why.
Youth Bridge
The World Bridge Federation has complemented their site with web pages devoted and dedicated to the younger bridge player. The WBF Youth Committee Members are listed on this web page. These web pages contain all pertinent information for bridge events designed entirely for the Junior bridge player such as a Calendar of events, posting the Results, adding a Database and Links, and providing a Photo Gallery.
World School Bridge League – Think of the LEAGUE as a sports-type league for doing good. Imagine that every school belongs to the LEAGUE where each community school is a team and every student is a player. Teams learn about philanthropy, service, character and leadership in the classroom and practice it in the community.
One aspect of The LEAGUE is helping students develop critical thinking skills that allow them to identify issues in the community as well as solutions to address those issues. One way to do that is to have the students play games that foster skills essential to critical thinking, learning and socialization. Learning the game of Bridge can help students learn and nurture those skills.
Playing Bridge gives students a common language to communicate with other Bridge-playing adults and students in their community, which in turn open the door to other conversations.
A LEAGUE Bridge deck contains 53 cards. The 53rd card is a unique ‘Play It Forward’ card that students can use to create “Bridges” in the community, becoming a literal ‘Wild Card’ within The LEAGUE Event structure. Once a student learns the game of Bridge, they can use those skills for community-building service projects. The game of Bridge gives students a common language to use when visiting Senior Centers or allows students to plan multi-generational games and tournaments. These projects, coupled with the classroom curriculum become a ‘Wild Card’ Event for LEAGUE participants, earning them points for their volunteer efforts.
Mr. Bill Gates and Mr. Warren Buffett Are Catalysts for School Bridge League: Bill Gates and Warren Buffett are partners in business, philanthropy – and Bridge. They are avid players and passionate about the life lessons that can be learned from the game, especially in decision making, critical thinking and teamwork. Their commitment forms the foundation for the School Bridge League. So strong is their passion that Mr. Bill Gates and Mr. Warren Buffett promised US$1,000,000 to finance a Bridge program in schools, believing that young people should be introduced to the multi-faceted education embedded in a simple deck of 52 cards.
The Bill Gates
Warren Buffett initiative was made public in a New York Times article by Sharon Osberg. The duo asked Sharon Osberg, a business and bridge partner and world champion player, to coordinate the project.
North American Youth Bridge Foundation – Mr. Geoffrey S. Jade Barrett and others are building the premier site for youth bridge. The development of this site services the needs for junior bridge players and youth bridge players. This site will be dedicated to the promotion of junior and youth duplicate bridge players, their stats, and accomplishments. It will also be used as a platform for fundraising efforts for under 25 players that are aiming at the olympics as their goal.
School Bridge League
Think of the LEAGUE as a sports-type league for doing good. Imagine that every school belongs to the LEAGUE where each community school is a team and every student is a player. Teams learn about philanthropy, service, character and leadership in the classroom and practice it in the community. Teams are led by classroom-elected student Captains, supported by the classroom teacher and both are guided by a motivated teacher-trainer – the school’s Coach. The Coach is appointed by the principal to facilitate the involvement of other teachers, mentor student Classroom Captains and reach out to local businesses and volunteer groups.
In this regard the visitor should also view the efforts of the The Worldwide League, which combines service, learning, and friendly co-opetition with live, interactive events. From planting trees to collecting food for the hungry, kids are returning millions of dollars worth of value back to the community. We believe once people are inspired and once they are given the opportunity, change happens. The infrastructure for change is in place.
World Bridge Federation has a section dedicated to matters related to young bridge players – the Juniors – on their website on the Internet.
Australian Bridge Federation has also a section for Junior bridge players.
Belgium has an Internet website for Jeugdbridge Belgie. The last update, however, was April 20, 2001, by Mr. Tom Venesoen.
Canadian Bridge Federation has an Internet section devoted to Canadian Junior Bridge.
England: Dave Muller maintains an Internet website for Junior Bridge players on behalf of the English Bridge Union.
Denmark: Juniorbridge.dk presents an online connection for all Junior Bridge players in Denmark. The results of all tournaments and all other pertinent information can be found on this site. The picture was taken at a Junior Tournamen in 2008 and shows the enthusiasm of the players.
Federation Francaise de Bridge of France has a section especially for the Junior bridge player.
Bridge in the Schools – Bridge in der Schule – German: Der Deutsche Bridgeverband hat nach internationalem Vorbild ein Projekt “Bridge in der Schule” gestartet. Was in unseren europäischen Nachbarländern, und nicht nur dort, schon lange praktiziert wird, soll hier nun auch angeboten werden, die Möglichkeit, Bridge schon in der Schule zu lernen.
Bridge in the Schools – Bridge in der Schule – English: The German Bridge Federation has started a project called “Bridge in the Schools” designed according to and with the international models. The possibility to offer Bridge courses in the schools and offering pupils and students the chance to learn is now available in Germany, as it has been for some time in the neighboring European countries.
Germany has a website dedicated to Junior bridge players called Juniorbridge.
Bridge Club Yarborough – BC Yarborough
History of the BC Yarborough in German: Im Sommer 1999 trafen sich einige fanatische Kartenspieler, um sich mit dem Spiel Bridge auseinander zu setzen. Nach Abschluss eines ersten Bridgekurses hatte man Blut geleckt and beschloss, in Fritzlar einen Verein ins Leben zu rufen, um diesen Sport als Wettkampf zu betreiben. So wurde zum 01.01.2000 der BC Yarborough Fritzlar e.V. ins Leben gerufen. Da man sich vor allen Dingen der Juniorenarbeit verschrieben hatte, schloss man einen Kooperationsvertrage mit der Ursulinenschule ab, die Bridge ab April 2000 in ihr Programm aufnahm. Aufgrund dieser Tatsache treten immer noch jedes Jahr 2-4 Juniornen dem BCY bei.
History of the BC Yarborough in English: During the summer of 1999 several fanatical card players met in order to learn the rules of the game of bridge. After experiencing their first instructional course, and graduating, they were hooked. The decision was made to establish a separate and registered Bridge Club Yarborough in the city of Fritzlar, Germany, in order to organize and regulate this mindsport as a competitive sport. Since one of the main factors for this decision was to encourage other school mates to participate, and as a result of this decision, the BC Yarborough arranged and agreed upon a co-operations agreement with the Ursulinen-School, also located in Fritzlar, and which the proceeded to introduce the game of bridge into its curriculum in April 2000. Because of this initiative of both schools about 2-4 new members are included each year.
This arrangement of the BC Yarborough was encouraged and the members aligned themselves with BBO, or Bridge Base Online, where they also hold regular tournaments and bridge sessions. Fritzlar, Germany, is located near the larger city of Kassel. The members of BC Yarborough held six matches in February 2007 against the Junior Team from Atlanta, Georgia. The competition and matches were held online at BBO and the German participants are instructed by Mr. Torsten Skibbe and the American participants are being instructed by Carolyn Eckert. See: Bridge Bulletin, July 2007, Page 27. Other bridge instructors in Germany include Christian Dömer, Michael Gromöller, Hartmut Kondoch, among many other volunteers. Email address upon request.
The names of the American participants are recorded as: Sean Gannon – 15, Hunter Smith – 11, Angie Green – 11, and Lauren Pinion – 11. The names of the German participants for the BBO tournament are not mentioned, but the visitor can quite easily discover the names of all the members of the BCY at the following URL: Members of BCY. The visitor will also discover that many other schools in Germany have come together to form a sort of Bridge Alliance, which includes other schools located throughout Germany, and is known as the BBO-Liga (League), and for which there is a Ranking. (Email from Mr. Torsten Skibbe: this BBO League ranking is the link to the German-wide open BBO League our club runs and organizes in cooperation with the German Bridge Federation.) These other schools are located in Aachen/Bonn, Berlin, Darmstadt, Halle, Hamburg, Hannover, Leverkusen, Stuttgart. Included on the list is also U-20, for which no city is identified. Below is a picture taken from their Photo Gallery.
The Netherlands has a websited dedicated to Junior bridge players called Jeugdbridge.
New Zealand Contract Bridge Association has a Youth Programme fully supported and sponsored by the NZCBA.
The Bridge Federation of Sweden has a section devoted to Junior bridge players.
BridgeAtSchools, Inc. is dedicated to using the game of bridge to make a positive difference in the education and development of children and youth. Beginning with school research pilots to quantify bridge’s comprehensive contribution to math, critical thinking, and social skills, BridgeAtSchools, Inc. develops approved curricula which are beneficial and enjoyable to all students. Local bridge communities supplement school instruction with competitions and adult mentoring in supportive, welcoming environments. By providing a life-long learning opportunity which helps youth grow to become confident, competent, respectful citizens instilled with a strong sense of community, commitment to excellence, and compassion for others, this universally-loved game will occupy an important role in our country, enabling it to endure for generations.
Welsh Bridge Union – The WBU is actively promoting the teaching of bridge in schools, and will give as much help and encouragement as possible to potential teachers. Junior sessions are for anyone of any ability from beginner up and take place at various bridge clubs: Newport, Cardiff and Swansea in Wales, and also the Bristol and West of England clubs, both in Bristol.
University Bridge Association
The abbreviation is UBA, and is a fund raising organization to support the development of University Bridge, more specific the creation of bridge clubs at universities and the participation of poor countries at international university bridge events.
The Dartmouth Bridge Club is a student-run organization dedicated to promoting the game of bridge on our campus. Our goal is to provide the members of our community opportunities to play bridge in both casual and competitive settings and resources for learning.
The Harvard Bridge Club a small but growing membership and welcome players of all skill levels to join.
MIT Draper Lab Bridge Club – The Draper Lab Bridge Club is a college based bridge club with games held at MIT.
The Norman Campus Bridge Club is an organization of the University of Oklahoma and an affiliated club of the American Contract Bridge League (ACBL) whose purpose is to promote, teach, and enjoy the game of bridge. Our games are open to all players with or without OU affiliation.
The Ole Miss(issippi University) Bridge Club welcomes players at all levels.
The Princeton University offers students the opportunity to play bridge. The visitor can also find information about the Graduate College Quaker Bridge Club.
The Queens University of Charlotte states that bridge is one of the most popular card games in the world. In this hands-on class, the emphasis will be on helping the player discover the joys of playing bridge. Online EasyBridge lessons are offered by Mr. Gene Manion, who is an accredited Star ACBL teacher with twelve years experience.
The Rice Bridge Club in Houston, Texas, states that the purpose of this organization shall be as follows: provide an opportunity for Rice students and the university community to learn how to play Bridge; provide an opportunity for Rice students and the university community to play Bridge, both recreational and competitvely.
Stanford University Bridge Club – The Stanford Bridge Club exists to introduce new players to the game and support the game on campus and in the community.
The University of California Los Angeles, or UCLA, has a bridge club called the Bruin Bridge Club. Our mission as a bridge club is to play and teach the game of bridge at UCLA, and to field a victorious team in the National Collegiate Bridge Competition.
The University of Georgia Bridge Club welcomes and encourages new bridge players.
The University of Michigan has a bridge club and holds qualifications for national participants.
The University of Michigan has another site, which was last modified on November 12, 1999.
The University of New Mexico in association with the ACBL provides online material to assist the learning Junior bridge student. World Champion Katty Cooper also assists with free beginning and intermediate bridge lessons.
The Hart House Bridge Club at the University of Toronto offers Junior bridge players bridge events.
The Bridge Club for Yale College Students runs free bridge lessons, weekly social and duplicate games, and hosts bridge tournaments for Yale College students and the Yale community. Its purpose is to promote bridge playing at Yale, teach new players, provide regular opportunities for duplicate and relaxed play, and to field a qualified team to represent Yale at intercollegiate bridge events. The Bridge Club was founded in October 2003.
The Student Groups@UCLA.edu – Also known as the Bruin Bridge Club. To promote contract bridge to all who wish to learn. All skill levels, from beginners to life masters, are welcome.