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Powered by PurposeThe first athlete activism programme of its kind, we were commissioned by UK Sport to design and deliver a bespoke 6-month course of development for 20 world-class funded athletes, to help them use their platform and voice to create social impact across 3 areas: wellbeing, inclusion, and sustainability.
Athletes engaged in 10 workshops, individual mentoring, online resources, and a buddy system, in order to build their personal social action plan. They presented their journeys of transformation and social impact at a showcase event in London. Final report coming soon! |
The Wellbeing PartnershipWe were told it couldn't be done, but we successfully brought together four national governing bodies in a bold new initiative that aims to embed a "whole-person, socially-conscious" approach to sport.
The Wellbeing Partnership - funded by Sport England - includes Archery GB, Boccia England, Goalball UK, and England Handball. We're supporting the holistic development of coaches and athletes through workshops, training camps, mentoring programmes, and online courses. |
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Generation AmazingWe were a partner organisation at the Generation Amazing Youth Festival, the first-ever international school exchange programme alongside the FIFA World Cup™️, designed to foster international cooperation and cultural understanding. Students developed key life skills that would help them address social issues in their communities.
Our fellow partners included UNICEF, Laureus, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, CONCACAF, Generations For Peace, the UN Refugee Agency, and Kick for Life. The event was an important step in building momentum toward a shared vision for the sport for development sector, and our delivery rooted TAP's compassionate approach right at the heart of this vision. |
British FencingOver the past five years, we have helped British Fencing to become a shining example in British sport of an organisation that practices what it preaches when it comes to a "whole-person, socially-conscious" approach to sport. We have witnessed individual journeys of growth, record-breaking performances across the board, and increased trust within the fencing community.
Through training camps, coach and leadership development activities, mentoring programmes, competition support, and social impact support, we have helped to usher in new era that British Fencing sustains through their daily commitment to valuing a holistic, ecological approach to wellbeing. |
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We Play TogetherWe have supported this community sports centre to become a leading example of successful sporting social enterprise.
"Centre has proved to be a vital lifeline for thousands" - Edinburgh Evening News We introduced a new mindful sports programme and helped coaches integrate mindfulness into their youth sport delivery; we established a coherent approach to monitoring and supporting the wellbeing of every individual at the club; we established a comprehensive impact measurement process; we created mentoring programmes within the local community; we helped to grow additional support needs programming, wheelchair basketball and walking basketball; we facilitated innovative new partnerships with a variety of community groups, including the Police, local residents, outdoors associations, the University of Edinburgh, and many local sports groups; and, through a series of initiatives, we helped to bring about increasing numbers of female players at the club, year-on-year. Most recently, we helped the group achieve funding to launch a pioneering youth leadership programme which ensures young people's participation in the charity's governance structures is constitutionally "locked-in". |
Mentoring ProgrammesWe have just launched our 10th year-long mentoring cohort!
After our first year, we won the World Olympians' Partnership Award for our innovative approach to sport for social change. Since then, we've moved from strength-to-strength, matching hundreds of athletes - across sports and countries - in one-to-one mentoring relationships. Athletes are supported by the TAP team, a suite of workshops, and a five-themed curriculum: Performance, Identity & Values, Mindfulness, Community Responsibility, and Nature & Connectedness. Read more Bring our mentoring programme to your organisation. |
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Product ForgeWe created a special "sport and mental health" track for Product Forge's digital health hackathon - the largest ever in Europe!
We mentored teams through the phases of ideation, design, prototyping and showcasing their digital innovations. Event Video Presentations |
Scottish ArcheryScottish Archery wanted to support the wellbeing of their pathway coaches and athletes. This was part of an overall ambition to enhance the experience of young archers, and improve retention at archery clubs.
The group have been brilliant, embracing lots of new ideas and techniques. They're currently experiencing a course of mindfulness and will then enjoy an in-person retreat, where two of TAP's mindfulness practitioners will help the group to develop ideas of how to innovatively integrate mindfulness into archery training sessions. |
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Basketball ScotlandOur partnership with Basketball Scotland involves working across their organisation to build the capacity of staff and volunteers to make a meaningful difference.
We delivered a course of development for a group of "mental health champions" embedded within Scottish basketball clubs. We also support their "social impact officers" who work with young people at significant risk. For this project we've brought in TAP team members as far a field as Zambia and New York! Our next step is to begin working with referees - a hugely important group who are often undervalued in sport. Kudos to Basketball Scotland for recognising the need to support those trying to make a difference, and backing it up with action. |
Our Public Workshops & RetreatsWe run regular public classes and workshops on topics like mindfulness, compassionate communication, storytelling, building self-mastery, embracing vulnerability, and much more. In doing so, we've built a reputation for innovatively re-imagining the typical sporting journey to be something so much broader and deeper than it usually is, across all levels of sport.
We're currently collating data from our various workshops and classes, and will be creating an impact report in 2023. We will also be restarting our mind-body-spirit retreats in 2024! You can read about the first retreat we ran, in Costa Rica, here. |
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Enigma Gymnastics ClubWe designed a programme of holistic support for this wonderful gymnastics club that serves children and young people from areas of high deprivation. We worked with the club's volunteer coaches for 6 months, helping them to become skilful social change-makers who can positively impact their community's mental health.
The feedback received demonstrated the wide-ranging benefits of a mindful approach to sport; we saw positive improvements relating to creating inclusive environments, managing personal challenges, anxiety, managing exam stress, improving attention, and much more. Case Study and Feedback |
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Champions for Earth & the Planet Earth GamesWe're a friend of "Champions for Earth" and many of our athletes are signatories. Etienne, a TAP Mentor, is one of the founders. They are making waves:
We also partnered with the Planet Earth Games to bring awareness to their work. View the campaign |
Mastercard Scholars FoundationWe love working with this innovative programme that sees subsaharan African students come to the United Kingdom to grow as leaders and support local community efforts.
We delivered a series of mindfulness workshops, mentored the groups and were one of several community partners, giving opportunities for the scholars to learn within our organisation. |
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Chattanooga FC Charity NightWe were proud to be given the distinction of being "Cause of the Night" at Chattanooga Football Club's game against Michigan Stars. The Chattahooligans were treated to a half-time video about our mentoring programme.
We are building our work in Chattanooga thanks to the support of Unum, who are currently funding a project to work with public county high schools in the area. Chattanooga is known for a lot of cool things. Perhaps "a mindful sport community" will be its next claim to fame. Impact report to follow. |
Muhammad Ali Center: Creating a Declaration of Human Rights in Sports & Rule 50 Expert LetterSince 2014, we have regularly presented at the Muhammad Ali Center's Athletes and Social Change Forum. The forum has focused on topics such as "Creating a Declaration of Human Rights in Sports" and "The Role and Impact of Mentors and Mentoring on the Next Generation of Athletes and Social Change."
TAP was also an organization supporter (and many of our team were lead signatories, along with Tommie Smith and John Carlos) of a letter written to the IOC and IPC, facilitated by the Ali Center, advocating for athletes' right to protest. The letter gained widespread international support, and interest from outlets like CNN and the BBC. |
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Reading SchoolWe are proud to work with Reading School who have made a commitment to find a better way to do sport.
The leadership are conscious of their role in building a sports programme that builds character and creates an inclusive environment that benefits the wider culture in the school and local community. We're delivering TAP's online course for all GCSE PE students, and a complementary course of development for their team of PE teachers and coaches. Impact report to follow. |
Ithaca College Volleyball TeamWe loved supporting Ithaca College Volleyball Team in New York. We delivered, helping them make the NCAA tournament against the odds.
The team went on to be the 2022 Liberty League Champions, with Johan Dulfer, head coach praising how we "built the foundation for success." Johan met TAP in Pittsburgh at a coach conference, which inspired him to go one step further and bring TAP to his team: "They delivered five workshops. At the first one, there were a handful of coaches. At the second workshop, there were about 10 to 20 coaches. Gradually through the convention word spread. 50 coaches. 200 coaches. At their fifth workshop, there were about 400 coaches all doing a mindful walk through the convention with each other!" |
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OurParkourBefore TAP was TAP, one of our founder's projects was to set up "OurParkour" - an after-school enrichment programme which combined mindfulness practices and parkour. Sam presented his work at the Muhammad Ali Center: "OurParkour: Moving Kindly and the Athletes' Role in Social Change".
It quickly became the best attended programme at the school, with over a quarter of all school pupils (60/200) attending! It resonated with the children who wouldn't typically consider themselves as "sporty" just as much as the ones who would. We're proud that TAP is built on this adventurous and inclusive spirit. |
