Collaborative Partnership Development

As part of CHJS’s Collective Action strategy, we support the Coalitions for Sport Equity (CSEq) and the Sports Based Youth Development Funder Collaborative –  two collective action efforts that work to address the systemic barriers keeping kids out of sport.

Over the summer, we took part in a collaborative partnership with CSEq, the Funder Collaborative, and Ashoka Sport for Changemaking to co-develop a shared language for systems change in U.S. youth sport through the Systems Change Action Group. This partnership brought together funders, practitioners, and community leaders to establish frameworks that center equity and put the needs of young people – particularly those from marginalized communities – at the heart of all decision-making.

White Paper Series Outcomes

Systems Change Action Group – White Paper #1

Systems Change Action Group – White Paper #2

Systems Change Action Group – White Paper #3

Check out the resulting white papers as the summary of our work. The group discussed ways to address systemic barriers that prevent children from accessing transformative sport opportunities, emphasizing community-driven solutions and collective action approaches that shift youth sport away from pay-to-play models toward systems where participation is no longer determined by zip code, race, or family income.

Building a Healing-Centered Sport System

This kind of project is an example of how CHJS plays the long game, working at all levels of sport from individual to systems to build a more healing-centered sport system. Through this collaboration, we learned from coalition partners about sustainable strategies for expanding access to quality sport experiences for all young people, especially those who have been historically excluded from sport systems.

Questions? Contact our Adrienne Moore, Sr. Director of Collective Action, amoore@chjs.org