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FROM OUR TEAM
Welcome to Compete’s Summer Membership Conference
AS THE EDUCATION DIRECTOR for Compete Sports Diversity, I want to welcome you to what I’m sure will be a day of meaningful information on Building Partnerships. At Compete we truly believe in the truism that it takes a village, or to use my phrase, Team Human Race. Each one of us is a member of this team, and for it to be successful, we also need to be actively involved in helping our other team members to be successful.
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Our Mission Statement reflects this belief: “Compete connects, educates, empowers and inspires mission-driven LGBTQ+ and allied sports and community leaders, sports organizations, non-profit groups, tourism partners, corporate partners and athletes to further sports diversity together through our membership, media and event platforms.”
A recent example of our mission put into action is the inaugural Dive Into Diversity Festival held this past April in Tempe, Arizona. When Compete members Diane Maiese, owner of DiveRVA, Arizona State University, Tempe Tourism Office, CAN Community Health and AARP got the ball rolling on Diane’s Dive Into Diversity project, it then garnered additional support from USA Diving, AAU Diving and Phoenix utility Salt River Project. This is the first in a nationwide series of events intended to act as a catalyst to change Olympic diving’s landscape by empowering members of underrepresented communities through awareness, exposure and access.
When you look around you today, you’ll see individuals representing that group of “mission-driven LGBTQ+ and allied sports and community leaders, sports organizations, non-profit groups, tourism partners, corporate partners and athletes” listed in our Mission. And whether you’re a seasoned veteran or a newbie in each of today’s education topics, being able to hear best practices information being shared by those involved is always an important way to build your personal skill set as well as making your own programs and outreach efforts more successful.
Who knows? Maybe the individuals you spend time with today will be supporters of your next project or event … or vice versa!
CONNIE WARDMAN, M.A., SDLT Education Director | DEI Advocate
