Over 200 thought leaders from around the world will gather at Croke Park today for a UNESCO symposium on Youth Civic Engagement and Leadership.
The event came about as part of the Croke Park Classic and the co-operation of NUI Galway and Penn State University, two of the six UNESCO Chairs at leading universities around the world.
“Globally we are seeing a much greater engagement between young people and sport and we want to explore the many ways in which that can be used to foster leadership and community, especially in areas of conflict,” said Pat Nolan, UNESCO Chair at NUI Galway.
“With Penn State coming to Ireland we felt this would be a good opportunity to shine a light on what sport can do and UNESCO has been very supportive in building this as a major event on its calendar.
“We will have speakers from across the world including the JK Rowling funded Lumos project where sport was a lifeline for children in orphanages, and from Ireland where Hugo MacNeill, Alan Kerins and the Peace Players project will be sharing their experiences.”
There is a special focus at the event on empowering young girls through sport, an area of special interest to Sport for Business over the past year.
At the end of the day a UNESCO Declaration will be framed that will then be presented at the United Nations and used as a marker at Government and University level around the world on how sport can bring young people to life through civic engagement and getting things done.
It’s an exciting initiative which will have a real lasting legacy, long after the sound of the marching bands has faded and for which those involved deserve enormous credit.
We will carry details of the declaration on Sport for Business tomorrow.
Join us on October 2nd for The Business of Youth Sport, an important gathering of sporting and business leaders when we will look at ways in which Business can foster the development of Youth Sport. Speakers on the day will include Sky Sports, Athletics Ireland and the Active Flag initiative. Click here for more details.
