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July 12, 2024
Since our founding, Beyond Sport has invested in communities, programs and partnerships that are creating a more progressive world through sport. With so many community organizations and individuals working in sport for social change being under-resourced and filling many roles, it’s important to us that a significant portion of that investment is contributing to building a strong, sustainable sector.
Therefore an essential part of our programs work is centered around providing capacity-building opportunities. Offerings that provide skills-based training, knowledge-building resources and interactive platforms for knowledge sharing and connection. In addition, we build platforms for people and organizations to share their work to a broad audience to encourage collaborations that lead to solutions that can collectively grow our sector’s impact.
Over the last six months, we’ve been excited to create spaces for continuous learning and to bring our network together to support each other across a variety of topics and issue areas including organizational development, diversity, equity and inclusion, mental health, refugee leadership, youth empowerment and more.
HERE ARE SOME HIGHLIGHTS:
Connecting our Network
Beyond Sport Development Series – Black History Month Edition:
In February, we hosted the second installment of our Development Series – a series created for non-profit members of our network to share, learn and problem solve with other experts in the field, while accessing the latest in best practice. This virtual edition was held during Black History Month (recognized in the US and Canada in February) and focused on creating equitable opportunities for Black youth through play and sport.
We were pleased to have five experts in sports-based youth development – particularly in working with Black youth – share their experiences on advancing representation and creating pathways to leadership, moderated by certified coach and facilitator, Monete Johnson. Following the panel, attendees participated in roundtable sessions that gave them practical ways to approach racial equity in their organizations.
“My philosophy is that sparking systems change can only happen through building communities of care and healing collective trauma. I truly hope everyone found MOMENTS of care and support in our conversation that will help fuel our work to create equitable opportunities for the next generation,” shared Johnson.
Sport Together Fund (STF) Workshop – Gender and DE&I:
Beyond Sport launched our STF in May 2022 to provide grants and capacity-building assistance to non-profits, sports clubs and collectives that are aiding communities facing conflict, displacement and human rights violations. In recognition of June’s World Refugee Day, last month we held a virtual STF Workshop that addressed gender equity and its intersection with conflict and displacement.
The workshop’s expert speakers shared their insights on the common barriers to sports participation and the unique challenges women and girl refugees and migrants face. Women and girls make up 50% of all refugees and displaced peoples. The interactive session offered real-life experiences of women working in the refugee space, which was helpful for those looking to serve or engage this community.
“When you’re a woman and refugee, your barriers are compounded,” said Erin Brown, programs manager at RUN Hong Kong. “Language barriers, lack of healthcare and knowledge are general obstacles for refugees and migrants. However, women and girl refugees have additional barriers that are a hindrance to sports participation like cultural differences, pregnancy, menstruation, societal norms and expectations. Therefore, it is important to provide holistic and educational support to them, as well as essential needs.”
Sharing Knowledge
The DICK’S Sporting Goods Foundation (DSGF):
In March, Beyond Sport and DSGF teamed up to deliver “Roaring Voices: Empowering Youth in Sports,” a 75for75 Sports Matter Virtual Celebration. In honor of its 75th anniversary, DICK’S created a 75for75 grant program that provided 75 grants worth $75,000 each to under-resourced youth sports programs across the United States. The event brought together DICK’S’ 75for75 Sports Matter grantees to celebrate and acknowledge their initiatives and contributions to the field, as well as elevate youth leadership.
The central theme of the event revolved around “amplifying youth voices” and featured 11 young participants who shared their inspirational stories. It offered attendees a platform to engage with the youth speakers, participate in breakout sessions on youth-led program design and communications and the chance to network among the 75for75 Sports Matter peer organizations. Topics for the organizations included sharing challenges and best practices of incorporating youth voices into sport programs, what resources, training and support is the most beneficial in leveraging youth voices and driving positive change, what methods or strategies are the most effective in engaging youth participants in decision-making processes and more.
“The event gave me an understanding that ‘one size does not fit all’ and recommended tweaks to our programming support youth engagement based upon best practices,” reflected one of the participants.
In speaking on the benefits of collaborative platforms, Grants and Programs Manager Claudia Larrea explained, “At Beyond Sport, we intentionally create capacity-building opportunities that bring mission-aligned communities together. From the Hockey Is For Everyone network to DICK’S 75for75 grantees, we get to curate a unique learning experience, alongside content experts, sport nonprofit leaders and, often, youth. These workshops are centered on highlighting the strength and power of their community as they explore solutions to their unique challenges.”
Hockey Is for Everyone (HIFE) Learning Series:
Also in March, Beyond Sport supported NHL’s HIFE program to address issues of inequity in the nonprofit sector. HIFE uses the league’s influence and the game of hockey to drive positive social change and foster more inclusive communities. Since its inception in 1998, it has provided opportunities for over 130,000 students in underserved and marginalized communities.
The learning series addressed need and resource gaps identified by participating HIFE network organizations. Three workshops were built on sessions delivered by Beyond Sport from Oct – Nov 2022, designed to lend our expertise through a series of masterclasses. Each workshop focused on one key area: navigating challenges and hardships ‘off the ice’, enhancing marketing and outreach strategies and optimizing fundraising efforts. The workshops featured an expert speaker, a case study presentation by a network organization and dedicated time to get to know each other’s work in small groups.
“We are pleased to continue our long-standing partnership with the NHL by providing the community-based HIFE member organizations with additional tools and training to succeed in today’s philanthropic landscape,” said Fred Turner, Executive Director of Beyond Sport. We believe that initiatives like this can further assist the sport for social change sector in closing gaps by providing smaller non-profits with training and information to help ensure stability and the ability to compete for funding with established organizations.
Partnering with Experts in the Space
Beyond Sport frequently engages sport for development experts from organizations that are directly serving a diverse range of communities. The intent of these collaborations is to maximize learning, reach and impact.
Rexona Breaking Limits Program:
Through the Rexona Breaking Limits Program (also known as Sure, Degree, or Shield) in partnership with Beyond Sport, we are equipping coaches, teachers and community leaders around the world with the tools and skills needed to empower underserved youth with the confidence to move more. The program operates in nine countries: Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Colombia, India, Mexico, New Zealand, the UK and US.
The Breaking Limits training series, a set of free digital training modules co-created with leading sport for development NGOs, consists of 18 online modules. These NGOs used their combined years of sport for development and youth engagement experience to infuse best practices on social issues and ways to address barriers to movement. The modules span a variety of issues and topics including disability inclusion, gender equality, mental wellbeing, LGBTQ+ inclusion, women’s inclusion and confidence. Altogether the program is positively impacting hundreds of thousands of 12–24-year-olds through the engagement of thousands of coaches in communities globally.
“The biggest impact we’ve seen so far is in the young leaders’ confidence and self-esteem. Many of these young people have had their lives transformed through sports. Through this work, we are helping them explore how they can turn this into helping others,” shared Patrick Ashcroft, Senior Global Partnerships Manager at Brazilian NGO partner, Luta Pela Paz.
Learn more about the Breaking Limits Program and sign up for the multilingual training series HERE (scroll to the bottom of the page).
Head In The Game Coaches Training:
Head In The Game, a multi-year Beyond Sport program powered by the Z Zurich Foundation, is working to promote youth mental wellbeing in the United States, with a special focus on the needs of LGBTQ+ and BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Color) youth and girls. Through research, we found that youth coaches are looking for opportunities to better support their young athletes mental wellbeing. Recognizing this, we partnered on a live and virtual coaching series for new and experienced coaches. The sessions are provided by expert facilitators who are helping coaches to develop athlete-focused mental wellbeing programs to better serve their youth participants.
More than 2000 coaches will be trained on coaching through a mental wellbeing lens, ensuring they have the tools and knowledge to support the holistic development of young athletes. Our expanded 2024 Coaches Training recently kicked off for new and returning coaches with expert facilitators including the Center for Healing and Justice Through Sport (CHJS), Doc Wayne Youth Services Inc., Get Fit Fly Right, Soccer Without Borders (SWB) and the US Center for Mental Health and Sport (USC-MHS). Learn more and register HERE.
Youth coaches in the US that are working with teens are invited to join the Head In the Game Learning Community to connect, learn, share resources, take action and celebrate impact.
Please make sure you are subscribed to our newsletter and following us on social in order to hear about our capacity-building opportunities and events as soon as they are announced!
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