Ensuring that staff and volunteers have the skills, knowledge and mindset to meet community need is a key ingredient to this approach. There have been a variety of programmes, resources and tools in place to support staff and volunteers to learn about, embed and deliver an approach to meet community need.
Across 2019-2025, the Changing Lives Champions learning and development programme was delivered comprising professional staff from local partners, Scottish Governing Bodies of sport, colleges, universities and national third sector organisations keen to understand community need, and embed learning across their organisations and work.
From 2026 onwards, further support will be delivered around Meeting Community Need as part of sportscotland's learning and development framework.
Such support around the approach exists to inspire and enable professional staff working in the clubs and communities environment within the sporting system to adopt and apply an approach and ultimately help clubs, Community Sport Hubs and community organisations to deliver individual and community change through sport and physical activity, whilst supporting participation outcomes.
Key topics will include:
- The power of sport
- Start with 'why'
- Managing change and how ideas spread
- How we create change for people and communities
- Understanding how Equality, Diversity and Inclusion underpins our work
- What are outcomes in sport?
- Understanding communities
- How to identify community needs
- What does sustainability look like for us?
- Sustainable and inclusive pricing models
- Creating a logical model of how impact will be achieved
- Implementing an evaluation and learning cycle
- Telling compelling stories
- Getting ready for investment
- Being a thought leader
For further information, please contact pamela.dewar@sportscotland.org.uk