Sport in Society Advises on White House Sport Fact Finding Mission
(10-7-09) Boston, Mass. – Sport in Society manager of Research, Eli Wolff met White House Office of Public Engagement (OPE) staff assistant, Joe Kennedy on Wednesday, September 23 and discussed the use of sports and physical activity to address issues of health, nutrition, and obesity, particularly related to youth.
No topics were off limits. The conversation progressed to issues of inclusion, gender, disability, diversity, and Olympism. As the conversation intensified, the two men delved into issues such as: the UN and the international activities of sport and human rights development; the athlete-educator in society; sport as entertainment related to sport as an escape versus sport as education or human development; and sport for positive social change versus sport gone wrong.
Kennedy is project manager for the Office of Olympic and Paralympic, and Youth Sports, operating as the OPE’s liaison between the White House and youth sports initiatives. The mission of OPE is to build relationships with Americans by increasing their meaningful engagement with the federal government. Serving as the front door to the White House, OPE allows ordinary Americans to offer their stories and ideas regarding issues that concern them and share their views on important topics such as health care, energy and education.