Olympic Changemakers Set to Power the Change at Virtual Forum

From olympics.com.au

Australian Olympic Change-Maker recognises and rewards young leaders who are using sport as a catalyst for driving change in their communities. Today, students from across Australia will come together in a virtual event to hear firsthand from Olympians Brooke Hanson, Izaac Stubblety-Cook, Taliqua Clancy, Mariafe Artacho del Solar and Kyle Vander-Kuyp.

The virtual session will discuss how the Olympic movement can create positive change and the impact of the Tokyo Olympics on the world.

The response from students and schools to this years’ Change-Maker forum was astounding. The AOC received over 900 nominations from schools all over Australia. The variety of programs initiated by students are nothing short of incredible. Students had used sport as a way to support children with illness, raise money for emergency services, support people with learning disabilities, improve mental health, inspire women and improve the sustainability of their school.

AOC CEO Matt Carroll AM spoke about the success of the program, the significance of response in the wake of the Tokyo Games and the ability of sport to address a spectrum of issues within our community.

“The Tokyo Olympic Games brought hope to people by re-connecting the world and inspired us all to lead the way forward in what has been a very difficult time. Our Change-Makers have clearly been inspired by the way our athletes delt with adversity and overcame some of the most challenging conditions we have seen in the history of the Games,” said Carroll

“The response to our Australian Olympic Change-Maker Program this year has been exceptional, not only have we received the largest number of nominations, but the responses have been remarkable. Our students have used sport to create change in some of the most creative and unexpected ways proving that the power of sport is truly limitless.”

“Keeping our young people connected to active sport is critically important, our forum is not only about our Olympians imparting their knowledge, it’s also for us to learn about how young people are interacting with the community and to inform the Olympic movement about how to remain connected.”

Olympic Gold and Silver Medallist, Brooke Hanson OAM hosted the virtual forum and was excited to talk with students across the nation that are making an incredible difference in their community.

“This year, we have had some truly extraordinary submissions to the program and many of the students spoke about the importance of respect, excellence and friendship. These are three aspects that we will focus on in our open discussions at this year’s forum.”

“I can’t wait to hear from our students, it is so important that the Olympic movement listen and connect with our youth. Sport can deliver lifelong benefits but the way that we communicate constantly changes, so understanding the voice of youth is critically important in connecting them to sport, especially in times when there is so much competition for the attention of our young.

Dual Olympian and Tokyo Silver Medallist Taliqua Clancy discussed the importance of inspiring young leaders from indigenous backgrounds via Australian Olympic Change-Maker.

“It’s really pretty special to be able to connect with some of these young leaders and understand their views and know that organisations like the AOC want to hear and learn from all young people across Australia,” said Clancy.

“Australian Olympic Change-Maker offers a great opportunity for aspiring young leaders from Indigenous backgrounds to not only connect with their community but also have their voice heard and create real change using the power of sport.”

For more information about Australian Olympic Change-Maker visit https://www.olympics.com.au/australian-olympic-change-maker/