When Sport Met Social Responsibility

Sport is life changing. It has the power to bring communities together, to help people connect, to build confidence and to inspire future generations. It provides an opportunity for all and can be played at any level, from children kicking a ball around in the streets of Rio, to professional footballers playing in World Cup stadiums.

Unicef is an organisation which, in addition to using sport to change children’s lives, has been working with the industry of sport for decades, partnering with athletes like Andy Murray and big names like Manchester United and FC Barcelona to spread their message.

Tom Burstow, Head of Sports Programmes at Unicef UK, talked to Clipper Ventures about how the organisation utilities sport to effect change in children’s lives all over the world.

We use sport at Unicef in many different contexts. The focus isn’t necessarily on the type of sport, because the sport itself isn’t always the critical thing, it’s merely a vehicle through which we can make a change for children worldwide.

When we think about sport, we look at it first and foremost in the context of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). The CRC sets out the rights that a child needs to survive, grow and live up to their potential in the world. It also applies equally to every child, no matter who they are or where they come from. A key part of the CRC is a child’s right to play and this is why sport is so important in our work.

Play, and thus sport, is not only a child’s right but also influences their physical, emotional and cognitive development. It is important in all sorts of situations from the aftermath of natural disasters to fostering social inclusion and even as a means to keep children in school.

In some cases you could argue that the greater the challenge, the stronger the role that sport can play. Following natural disasters, for example, children are extremely vulnerable. Often their homes and communities have been destroyed and all sense of safety has disappeared. In these situations Unicef creates safe spaces where children can come and play without fear. Sport has an important role to play here, helping children to feel some sense of normality and begin to process what they’ve experienced.

One of our most successful sports initiatives is our survival swimming programme in Bangladesh. In Bangladesh, drowning is one of the major causes of deaths for children but something that can easily be prevented. This is why Unicef, in partnership with other organisations, launched a project called SwimSafe. Through this programme, local people are trained to teach children aged 4-10 survival swimming skills to avoid the senseless deaths experienced every year.

Sports programmes such as this are a key part of Unicef’s work. They are part of our efforts to make the world a safer place for children, and are often a powerful tool bringing people together and breaking down barriers.

The Sports industry is also a multi-billion dollar industry and we know that by working in partnership with key organisations and people, we can not only advocate for children rights, but can also raise money to support programmes like SwimSafe in Bangladesh.

With this in mind, we’ve forged innovative partnerships with a variety of different sport organisations, athletes and networks that have an impact on child development, survival, protection and education. These partnerships create mass awareness and help spread knowledge of the work we do in ways that are otherwise impossible.

A good example of this is our work with David Beckham through his 7 Fund. The Match for Children in aid of Unicef in November 2015, turned the eyes of millions towards us, including people who may not have known about what Unicef does beforehand. It illustrates how working with an ambassador like David Beckham has a huge impact for Unicef. His influence, powerful voice and connections have helped to raise much needed funds and promote the rights of the world’s most vulnerable children.

Clearly, sport is extremely important for Unicef’s work. But there’s also an increased expectation within the sports industry, from fans, stakeholders and the players themselves, that having a social impact matters. Almost every rugby club, cricket, basketball and football team is now attached to a charity and cause. And not purely for the commercial value, although that is certainly part of it, but more importantly because they see the power sport can have in making a difference in children’s and people’s lives all around the world.

Unicef is the official charity of the Clipper Round the World Yacht Race and also has a branded yacht gifted to them to mark the tenth edition of the world’s longest ocean race.. Follow the team’s progress and find out more about Unicef’s work with us.