Urban Initiatives’ Jim Dower and Julie Chelovich recently had the privilege of traveling abroad to London for the Beyond Sport Summit. This is a three-day event that convenes sport-led, social innovators and global leaders to address sport’s role in driving positive social change. This year’s focus was #BeyondtheDivide. Topics explored included social divides and economic divides that can be bridged by the power of sport.
“The most impactful part of the Summit is connecting with other leaders in the field of sport for development. Hearing how other practitioners use sport across the globe was extremely motivational. The speakers and attendees were truly top notch,” said Julie Chelovich, UI Managing Director. “The most powerful moment I had was while at a site visit to Fight for Peace. Witnessing first-hand the work of another organization that works in London and Rio and meeting the people who benefit from their work was inspiring.”
Being across the pond also allowed the UI team to connect with friends from home. While abroad, they were able to connect with Alaina Harkness from the MacArthur Foundation and Jessica Yavitz from the Chicago Fire Foundation – both Chicago-based. The Chicago Fire Foundation was nominated for the Beyond Sport Team of the Year Award. We were excited to cheer for Jessica!
