Using sports to change the world: one high-five at a time
By Yvonne Oh, IPDGC Program Coordinator
At the inaugural Laureus World Sports Awards in 2000, former South African president and anti-apartheid revolutionary Nelson Mandela said, “Sport has the power to change the world. It has the power to unite people in a way that little else does. It speaks to youth in a language they understand. Sport can create hope where once there was only despair.”
In total commitment to that idea, the Center for Sport, Peace and Society plans to create a more peaceful, equitable, and inclusive world through sports. CSPS is based at the University of Tennessee at Knoxville and led by Dr. Sarah Hilyer.
Through mentorship and exchange programs, CSPS has taught leaders how to develop Action Plans for sport-based social change in their communities. These plans have contributed to the creation of national sports leagues and federations for women and people with disabilities and impacted legislation to make countries more inclusive and accessible.
In 2018, as part of the recognition of Sen. Bob Corker’s support for U.S. public diplomacy, CSPS received a $5000 grant from the Walter Roberts Endowment to support a public diplomacy project. Read more about that project HERE.
This year’s recipient of the Walter Roberts Award for Congressional Leadership in Public Diplomacy is Sen. John Boozman (R-Arkansas). Read about his active backing of the Fulbright program, the globally recognized U.S. Cultural Exchange Program with the goal to improve intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and professional competence: HERE.
Find out more about the Center for Sport, Peace and Society and its programs, go to https://sportandpeace.utk.edu/
Enjoy the latest PDx podcast with Dr. Sarah Hilyer: HERE