Partnerships, Purpose and the Power of Sport

The Beyond Sport UK Forum in partnership with Sport England is shaping up to be a memorable event with 300 attendees expected at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium next Tuesday. Make sure to follow the conversation during the day at #BeyondSportUK!

Here are just a few of the subjects we’ll be exploring on the 25th:

- Cross Sector Approaches that are bringing sport for social change to life in the UK and around the world:

From grassroots organisations partnering with NGBs to tackle social inequality through Muslim Girls Fence, to league and education technology providers popularising STEM education in schools through Premier League Primary Stars; from government agencies working with local authorities and NGBs to leverage a global event to create local impact through the TAP West Africa Hockey Project (and help secure England Hockey’s successful bid to host the 2018 Women’s World Cup!), to local sport clubs joining forces with prison and detention centres to help inmates find a path to employment and be a part of inclusive community engagement initiatives through the Brighton Table Tennis Club (BTTC) Prisons Programme, sport is being leveraged through creative partnerships that are positively impacting society. 

And, we’re thrilled to have Leon Mason, a BTTC coach and mentor, who was formerly incarcerated to further show the positive impact that can result.

- Business + Purpose – The Brand Shift:

Purpose-driven work is not only significant to the organisations who are living it, but also imperative for business as a whole and our future as a society. With the growing focus on the unique role that business can and is playing in social and purpose-led work, and how it aligns with business objectives, leaders from Bloomberg, SAP Next-Gen and Unilever will share on shared value initiatives focused on employee engagement, the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and sustainability. We will also get their insider views on the trends they are seeing around the private sector activating around purpose.

- How the UK fits into the global impact agenda:

The UN SDGs are the framework for addressing the world’s biggest challenges by 2030 and are increasingly catching the eye of the corporate sector. Companies are using the SDGs not only to communicate and campaign, but also to measure and deliver strategies that have purpose integrated within their overall business objectives. To give the 'Bigger Picture', a panel from the Commonwealth Games Federation, Sport England, the FA and the All England Lawn Tennis Club, will look at how the UK sport industry is specifically addressing global issues
and why it is important from a UK perspective and within the wider global socio-economic landscape.

- Moving Forward, what’s next and why does it matter?:

Ultimatley, the solutions we collectively form are aimed at helping youth develop and building a better world. So it is only right that the Forum closes with strong voices from young accomplished athletes. This future-focused panel of young women will bring to light that now, more than ever, the upcoming generation is willing to challenge the status quo and combat injustice in society.

Freya Levy, Michael Johnson Young Leader and medal-winning UK multi-sport wheelchair athlete, will give her perspective on what the industry needs to continue to do to support inclusivity and what youth leadership programmes offer to the sports industry.

Molly Thompson-Smith, 5x UK National Lead Climbing Champion and Ambassador for the British Mountaineering Council, will speak on her drive to diversify her sport and the importance of adding adding different, less traditional sports to the Olympic roster with climbing set to debut at Tokyo 2020.

Jasmin Akter, a Young Leader with Street Child United was displaced from Myanmar as a refugee and ended up in the UK at age eight. Her advocacy on why young women, specifically Muslim women, should be given opportunities in sport equal to others is truly inspiring.

Across the public, private and third sectors, Beyond Sport UK will surely foster new ideas and collaborations to address the social issues, needs and demands of a complex society. Together, we can collectively use sport to its full potential to enrich lives, build stronger communities and create a healthier happier nation.

Click here to view the full event programme and speakers (scroll down)

And a special thank you to our partners without which this event would not be possible.