ISDPA Power of Sport Summit Advances the Sport for Development and Peace Field
(6-28-10) Boston, Mass. - On June 10 through 12, 2010, Sport in Society hosted the 2010 ISDPA Power of Sport Summit at Northeastern University. The event brought together more than 120 participants of all ages and expertise who traveled to Boston from all over the world. Students, researchers, practitioners, policy makers, entrepreneurs and many people who identify as interdisciplinary came to the Summit to present their own research, studies, ideas and visions of sport for development and peace. Participation at the Summit also included membership to the International Sport for Development and Peace Association (ISDPA), and a portion of each day was dedicated to defining the structure and future of the association.
The program included a morning and afternoon keynote panel each day, where experts on the various topics within sport for development and peace presented their findings and opinions to the Summit participants and to each other. These panels were critical in setting the tone for the day and inspired thought and discussion between Summit participants. Panelists came from diverse backgrounds, from doctors to authors, professors, practitioners, researchers and many who fit more than one of those titles. The panel themes were “Defining the Field and Discussing the Growth of Sport for Development and Peace”, “Supporting the Field through Education and Training”, “Measuring Success-Monitoring and Evaluation”, “Innovation and Entrepreneurship: Staying Current and Viable” and “Making the Connection-Recognizing the Value of Sport and Social Change.” To view video of the Keynote Panels from the 2010 ISDPA Power of Sport Summit, please click here (http://www.gonu.com/powerofsport).
In addition to the keynote panels, the program featured a large number of “breakout” presentations focused on key areas including peace, youth, gender, monitoring and evaluation, disability, Olympism, new perspectives on SDP, Student Initiatives, Sport and Health, and Educational Initiatives. Each afternoon featured five or six interactive workshop presentations focusing on topics including gender equity through sport, branding and message framing, human rights in sport, educating future sport for development practitioners, and strategies for sharing information and building partnerships.
This year’s Power of Sport Summit was the first official meeting of the ISDPA. Given the various actors present, we dedicated two hours at the end of each day to an open-space discussion that centered around the identity, structure and future activity of the ISDPA. During these sessions, constructive, honest and thoughtful conversations took place. Through these discussions, the ISDPA membership agreed that splitting into three working groups would be the most productive way forward. The groups, Education and Training, Practice and Policy and Community and Network Building, worked separately and then came together over the course of each session to discuss action steps for future activity of the ISDPA. One of the most discussed issues was the need to “map” various aspects of the sport for development and peace field in order to avoid replication and further identify the need for the ISDPA.
“We are so appreciative of the contributions and commitment made by all the participants at the ISDPA Power of Sport Summit,” said Eli Wolff of Sport in Society. “We are thrilled by the passion and interest in advancing the professional growth of the field, and we look forward to continuing to collaborate and work together with colleagues and friends around the world to activate the ISDPA on an ongoing basis.”