The “butterfly effect” is an often quoted idea (created by Edward Lorenz) about the power of a butterfly flapping its wings. The butterfly effect is the concept that small causes can have large effects The idea that a butterfly flapping its wings can cause a hurricane thousands of miles away seems incredible but Lorenz proved it was true.
The red paper clip experience was lived by Kyle MacDonald. He started with a red paper clip (a value of less than 1/2 cent) and through the process of 13 trades, wound up with a house. You can see the video here.
When you combine the power of a small action with the power of a small item, you get the butterclip effect. In this case, a $15 lunch led to the creation of a skateboard park worth over $100,000.
Longboarding for Peace is NOT a charity or non-profit. Rather, we are creating hundreds of butterclip effects worldwide to foster peace, balance and justice. We teach others about this concept in the hopes that they will go out and create their own butterclip effects.
You’ve probably never heard of Ahousaht, British Columbia. It’s a very small community located west of Vancouver. It’s isolated and the First Nations folks who live there have had a number of challenges – especially the youth.
When I conceived of Longbarding for Peace in 2012, I had really no idea where it would lead to. I just knew in my heart that I needed to step up. In August of 2012, after completing our first initiative, I met up with a gentlemen named Grant Shilling.
Grant was from a nonprofit called Get on Board. Grant worked with Surfing for Peace, and LFP put him in touch with Landyachtz. Grant wrote a story about Ahousaht and what he experienced there. Landyachtz was so taken with the Ahousaht community that they decided to start a fundraising campaign to build a skatepark in 2015.
In October of that year, Dwayne Mazereeuw of New Line Skateparks and his wife found themselves in Tofino, British Columbia. Here the story takes an unexpected turn. We had a chance to speak with Dwayne to find out what happened next.
How did you wind up in British Columbia?
My wife and I were on a whale-watching tour while on a weekend getaway in Tofino. Our boat was struck by a wave and capsized. We were left to fend for our lives for over an hour in the rough and cold Pacific Ocean. It was an Ahousaht fisherman that saw the only flare that was set off that triggered a rescue. Several boats from the Ahousaht First Nation came out and rescued 21 survivors. Unfortunately six people lost their lives that day. If it wasn’t for the selfless efforts and quick action of the Ahousaht people, things would have been even worse.
Was there a moment that you thought,“We’re in real trouble here”?
The point that I knew we were in real trouble was when the boat tipped so far over that people started falling overboard. I kept thinking that the boat would tip back up–until I found myself in the water underneath the boat. At the time you were visiting, Ahousaht was in the process of fundraising for a park.
The expression “There are no coincidences” seems to come to mind. What is your take?
I still haven’t really been able to wrap my head around the whole thing. My wife and I had been trying to think of a meaningful way to thank the people that had come to our rescue and saved our lives. We were blown away when we found out that there was a group trying to get a skatepark built in Ahousaht. Given that I build skateparks for a living, it was the perfect opportunity to join forces with the Get on Board group, Landyachtz and the Ahousaht First Nation to help them get a skatepark built. It was a
way for us to say thanks to all the Ahousaht responders in our rescue and help out a remote community that faces many challenges. So call it what you will–luck, a coincidence, aligning of the stars, fate or a higher power – all I know is that there was a whole spider web of unusual events that led up to our rescue and to this skatepark becoming a reality.
What was New Line able to offer Ahousaht?
New Line jumped on board with the project right away. As a company we were celebrating our 15th
year in business and were looking for some “give back” projects that we could support as part of our celebration. Given all the crazy circumstances, this project was a perfect fit as one of our 15-year celebration projects. New Line donated all design work for the park as well as over $30k worth of construction resources–labor, materials, equipment, etc. Some of our construction crew even volunteered some of their own time to help build the park. Landyachtz made a large financial contribution as well, and many companies and individuals donated money, time and supplies to help get the park built. It was a huge collaboration.
What’s been the reaction to the park?
The reaction to the skatepark has been incredible. It’s been busy rain or shine. In such a remote community, the youth there have very few recreational facilities. Their biggest sport there is basketball, but as you and I know, team sports aren’t for everyone. Get on Board and Landyachtz have been continuing to do skate works hops through the schools in Ahousaht, and the feedback is that through skateboarding they are seeing amazing improvements in the engagement of the youth. I’m truly excited and thankful to have the opportunity to be involved in such a cool project, and can’t wait to see the impact it has on the youth there in the years to come.
Stories on Ahousaht
For more info on the butterclip please email me at mbrooke@interlog.com
