The non-profit media company ConnectSport CIC has published its first Impact Report.
The report, which can be downloaded here, summarises how ConnectSport has published more than 1200 stories on the positive contribution of sport and physical activity to sustainable development over recent years.
The Community Interest Company (CIC) trains students across a growing cohort of Universities to create compelling content about the positive social, environmental and economic impact that sport-based interventions can generate, and aligns each of their stories to the UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The SDGs were originally published in 2015 as part of the UN's Agenda 2030 but in 2024, it reported that the world is only 17% towards achieving these global goals.
ConnectSport founder Simon Lansley - who is pictured above working with MA Multimedia Journalism students at Manchester Metropolitan University - believes young journalists and content creators have a vital and exciting role to play in raising awareness of the role of sport in driving positive change, as articulated at the IOC's recent Olympism365 Summit in Lausanne, Switzerland.
Simon is the former Sports Editor and Editorial Director at the UK's national news agency The Press Association. In the Impact Report, he states: “Working with our University partners, we are training and developing a new generation of socially-responsible young journalists and content creators, who are motivated and passionate about how sport and physical activity can help to build a healthier, more equitable and peaceful world.”
To support this, ConnectSport recently partnered with Upshot Systems CIC, the non-profit social enterprise which provides an easy-to-use Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) System. It also announced a pilot project with Reach Plc, the UK's largest commercial, national and regional news publisher, to publish more community-focused stories about sport for development.
We are seeking further partners and sponsors to help support our two-fold mission of creating a new generation of socially-responsible young journalists and content creators, and raising awareness of sport's contribution to sustainable development. To find out more, please contact hello@connectsport.co.uk
Click on the image below to download your copy:
