The Aspen Institute, during its 2017 Project Play Summit held recently in Washington, DC, has launched Project Play 2020, a multi-year effort to help increase the numbers of young people across the United States who are participating in sports.
Project Play 2020 is an outgrowth of Project Play, which provides a venue for stakeholders to build healthy communities through sports. Its initial focus will be to encourage sport sampling and train all coaches, according to a media release from The Aspen Institute.
The founding members of Project Play 2020 are NBC Sports Group, Nike, Target, the National Basketball Association, Major League Baseball, Dick’s Sporting Goods, U.S. Olympic Committee, Hospital for Special Surgery, PGA of America, Ralph C. Wilson, Jr. Foundation, New York Road Runners, National Fitness Foundation, American College of Sports Medicine, Ketchum Sports & Entertainment, Sports Facilities Advisory, the Sports & Fitness Industry Association, and the Global Obesity Prevention Center at Johns Hopkins University. The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention is Technical Liaison to the group, per the release.
“Today’s generation of kids is the least active in history,” says Caitlin Morris, general manager, Nike Community Impact, in the release. “No one can solve this problem alone—that’s why the collaborative dialogue that Project Play creates is so necessary. Nike is dedicated to playing our part in helping kids fall in love with sport and play for life.”
“Major League Baseball is proud to join this collective effort to work toward the well-being of today’s children who will become tomorrow’s athletes,” adds Chris Marinak, executive vice president, League Economics & Strategy for Major League Baseball.
“We believe that together we can help more kids play sports. Our mission is to inspire young people, and to provide a pathway to participation, for every athlete, from every background, for every sport,” states Justin Kaufenberg, CEO of SportsEngine, an NBC Sports Group company. “We’re incredibly proud to join Project Play 2020, and partner with each of the contributing member organizations.”
“Progress depends on the connecting of silos,” says Tom Farrey, executive director, the Aspen Institute’s Sports & Society Program, per the release. “We look forward to facilitating the effort and helping identify opportunities.”
[Source(s): The Aspen Institute, PR Newswire]
