Laureus: Weekly online sharing community

Weekly online sessions to share concerns, challenges and innovations in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Looking at the sport for development sector across the world, and having more in-depth conversations with all of our grantees, at Laureus we see that the spread of Covid 19 and what it induces of public and private reactions has thrown us into the deep end of the pool. This is a new situation for everyone, whether we have been affected since the beginning of the year or only now feel the impact. And we are almost all reacting in similar ways: putting activities on hold, finding ways to retain staff and volunteers, cancelling external engagements, etc. It also seems that we are all sharing the same concerns about what will happen to the vulnerable kids and young people who participate in our programmes.

We also see that there is a lot of creativity and innovation taking place, helping to address many of these concerns. And let us not forget, some organisations have already been in this situation since the beginning of the year. There are already valuable lessons to be learnt. Some organisations in Asia are now even beginning to see the early lifting of some of the restrictions they have been under. Does this pose entirely new challenges?

Instead of us struggling in isolation, away from the office, away from the pitch, away from the courts, away from the tracks, Laureus would like to invite you to participate in a weekly “online sharing community” where we can share concerns about the covid 19/coronavirus challenges facing us, whether we are not yet affected, recently affected or beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel.

This will also be a place to share the initiatives that many of you are taking to help inspire our movement to address these challenges, and to help ensure we have very fertile grounds in which to relaunch activities once we are on the other side of the immediate restrictions and public health guidelines.

We can help kids and young people to rise above and beyond what fate and society have in store for them. Let’s see if we can do that for each other a sector as well. Let’s help each other to help the vulnerable kids and young people out there.