A look back at how far we’ve come.
Three years have passed since the SWinG project officially started. And now it’s time to turn the page on this pilot project. As we look back, there is no doubt that it has been quite an adventure. To celebrate the move up a gear, we’d like to take a look back at the 12 highlights of the SWinG project!
#1 Jan to March 2018 – Writing of the project
SWinG started as a dance of two dreamers sharing strong conviction and a will to bring women leaders into the spotlight while supporting them.
They embarked with them 10 organisations on a mission to break the glass ceiling in sport governance while bringing in more diversity in sport.
#2 February 2019 – Kicking off the project
In bringing in all partners together in Paris at the headquarters of the French Federation for Company Sport, the meeting was meant to lay solid foundations for this 3 years’ project AND energize and inspire the delivery team.
This two-day-long intense and crucial meeting planted the seed for a spirit of cooperation.
#3 June 2019 – Publishing our Research
The initial phase of SWinG focused on data collection to establish baseline information on women in sport leadership around the world. Through interviews, surveys, and a systematic review of existing studies and websites, SWinG researchers created a sports leadership audit as well as a deep dive into external and internal barriers women face ahead of attaining leadership positions.
#4 July 2019 – The Calling
During summer 2019, the SWinG partnership launched a call for participants inviting women across Europe to join them in this adventure as part of the SWinG mentorship program. More than 90 applications were received, analyzed so that 40 mentors and mentees were selected and 20 pairs matched.
#5 October 2019 – Meeting with SWinG mentors
On 4 October 2019 we gathered 17 -out of the 20- selected mentors at the MEDEF headquarters in Paris. As a first step towards the successful implementation of the SWinG mentoring scheme, this was an exciting time for the SWinG partnership.
#6 June to November 2019 – Creating the SWinG concept & Curriculum
Equally important in the creation of solid foundations for the project, was the co-construction of an approach that would address the identified issues and help challenge the status quo. The SWinG Framework of Actions includes a Logic Model and a detailed Concept to describe the potential scenario going forward as well as Curriculum.
#7 November 2019 – Empowering SWinG mentees
At the University of Copenhagen, 17 of the SWinG mentees were offered a variety of workshops and tailor-made activities to start the next stage of their volunteering journey and begin planning their way to the election. It was another milestone in the creation of the SWinG community as mentees met their peers for the first time.
#8 December 2019 to February 2021 – Producing 3 Tookits
The second and perhaps most critical phase of the SWinG project had been the two year-long specialised support which targeted both the internal and external barriers identified through the first phase. The specialised SWinG support provided was made up of two components: the mentorship programme AND the expertise brought in by the partners through educational resources (webinars & toolkits).
#9 July 2020 – SWinG joins a UN initiative
SWinG is the first EU sport project to join an UN-led initiative, the “Sport for Equality Generation”.
# 10 October 2021 – Sharing the learnings
The final phase of the project focused on developing guidelines and recommendations from the process. Some key figures: 146 countries reached, 1142 days worked, 85 people involved (partnership and experts), 15 mentees elected or appointed to a leadership position at the end of the project. Perhaps most tellingly, 94.12% of them say they are better equipped (“slightly” to “very much”) to break the glass ceiling than they were two years ago. Furthermore, 93.25% of the mentors were satisfied with the programme and 87.5% would be willing to recommend it to a colleague or friend.
#11 November 2021 – Conducting a final meeting
Although the COVID-related consequences and restrictions did not allow us to hold the final conference, we were privileged to be able to bring the partnership together again on 24 and 25 November 2021 in a hybrid format. Together we drew the final conclusions, measured the progress made, and looked ahead to the next stage.
12# What’s next? Invitation to share the SWinG platform
The partnership has produced ideas and resources, but there is still a long way to go. Only together can we not only open doors but make the world of sport more resilient. It is not too late to get on the right wagon. What role will you play in the transfer of the SWinG approach?
Will you join us in betting that SWinG will have a vital role to play in shaping, inspiring and showcasing the contribution of sport to the future as the world tries to find its way to resilience and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic? Sport, at all levels, deserves this chance to show how it ‘drives’ and “SWinG” the lives of so many communities.
Ready, Steady, Go 🙂
