You down with BBG? If you were alive and alert in the early 1990s, your conditioned response should be, "Yeah, you know me!" (This Pavlovian phenomenon can be traced to the ubiquity of Naughty By Nature's "O.P.P.") For the more discerning customers who stubbornly insist on reading a contract before they sign it, allow me to elaborate. "BBG" refers to "Bounce be Good," a social outreach program in Thailand. Founded in 2015 by Her Royal Highness, Princess Bajrakitiyabha Narendira Debyavati, the Princess Rajasarinisiribajra (pictured), BBG uses the attractive power of sports to lead Thai youth toward better lives. The sports currently on offer are table tennis, badminton and football (i.e. soccer). While the program is open to all, special emphasis is placed on reaching disadvantaged and at-risk youth. In five short years, BBG has steadily expanded from its Bangkok base to throughout Thailand. Currently, 474 children are being led away from drugs and crime toward the structure, discipline and support found in sports, and the number is steadily growing. A recent table tennis tournament celebrating the program was itself a testament to BBG's overwhelmingly positive trends. The Princess Cup 2020, held January 31-February 2 in Bangkok's Samyan Mall, drew a staggering 1,175 youthful participants. Present at the gala occasion were representatives of the International Olympic Committee and the International Table Tennis Federation, among many other dignitaries on hand to hear first-hand testimonials of lives changed for the better. BBG also works closely with the Thailand Institute of Justice to provide social support where it is needed most. Later this year, BBG will travel to Tokyo to present its findings at the United Nations Crime Congress. So, now that we are up to speed, once again I pose the question in all seriousness: You down with BBG?

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