Building Movement Together: Reflections from Chicago Gathering
This spring, coalition leaders from across the country gathered in Chicago for two days of connection, learning, and agenda-setting. Representatives from our national network came together to strengthen the movement for youth sports equity—ensuring that all young people, especially those furthest from resources, have access to quality sports experiences.
Why We Gathered
At Coalitions for Sport Equity, we believe that systems change happens when community-based organizations doing direct service work with youth are involved in the strategies that impact their communities. These are the organizations on the ground, working day in and day out with young people who face the greatest barriers to sports participation—whether due to cost, transportation, facility access, or systemic inequities.
Our Chicago gathering brought coalition leaders together to share challenges, celebrate wins, and chart our collective path forward.
What We Worked On
Over the two days, coalition leaders dug into the work that matters most:
Day One focused on where we are now and learning from data. Leaders shared one word describing their coalition's current moment and explored what they're most curious about in each other's work. We heard findings from a research study that included 14 cities, over 400 surveys, and more than 1,300 pages of interview transcripts—providing powerful evidence that backbone-supported coalitions can drive meaningful systems change.
Day Two shifted to where we're going. We reflected on our progress, examined survey findings about our collective work, and brainstormed high-impact opportunities for 2026. The agenda centered on moving from individual coalition efforts to true collective impact.
The Work Happening Across Our Network
The breadth of work represented was inspiring. Coalitions are tackling:
Governance and structure that keeps coalitions nimble and community-centered
Access initiatives for refugee, immigrant, girls, and BIPOC communities
Systems change through parks advocacy and policy work
Funding diversification to ensure sustainability
Capacity building for coaches and community leaders
From Hartford to King County, Oklahoma City to Toronto, coalition leaders are addressing the unique barriers in their communities while learning from and supporting each other.
What's Next
As one coalition leader put it during introductions, this work is about more than sports—it's about creating pathways for young people to thrive, building community power, and fundamentally reshaping systems that have left too many youth on the sidelines.
We left Chicago with renewed commitment to our 2026 work plan, strengthened relationships across coalitions, and concrete strategies for deepening our collective impact.
