Inspira podcast: Episode 6 - Marika Warner (Canada)

Erika Mueller Chen speaks to Marika Warner about adapting programming and M&E during the Covid pandemic, and how sport for development can be anti-racist.

About Inspira

Launched in January 2023, the Inspira Podcast with Erika Mueller Chen is an interview-based podcast that provides career advice and stories from global change-makers in sport for development, social impact, and the diplomatic service. In 2023, 50 interviews with inspirational leaders working in sport for development and peace from over 35 different countries will be published.

About the Episode Guest

Marika Warner is the Director of Research and Evaluation for community engagement and social impact initiatives at Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment (MLSE). Her portfolio includes program evaluation, academic research partnerships, and technology and innovation. Marika uses data to explore issues relating to sport for development, positive youth development, sport equity, and corporate social responsibility in professional sport.

Her team leads the annual Change the Game Research Study, a collaboration between MLSE Foundation and University of Toronto to assess youth sport access, engagement, and equity issues across Ontario. She is an invited author of a chapter in the forthcoming Routledge Handbook of Sport and Sustainable Development and has authored papers in publications such as the International Journal of Sport & Society, Advances in Physical Education, and the Journal of Sport for Development. Marika is also a retired professional dancer, a former physical therapist, and a mom.

Listen to Episode 6: Marika Warner (Canada) - How can we embed anti-racism into sport for development?

Learn more

To learn more about the Inspira Podcast, read episode transcripts, and access “Erika’s Global Resource Hub” - a robust written resource created to support folks interested in sport for development and peace, please visit Erika’s LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/erikamchen.

Erika Mueller Chen is an international development specialist with over a decade of experience leveraging the amazing power of sport to promote peace and positive social impact. She currently works in Sports Diplomacy and resides in Mexico.