Lord Coe says: 'It's about more than sport'
One year on from London 2012, Lord Coe hopes the Olympic legacy will encourage businesses to sign up to the Campaign for Youth Social Action, a newly launched initiative designed to encourage young people to get involved in volunteering. Here he explains why he thinks it makes good business sense for organisations to get involved.
What do you think was the greatest legacy of London 2012?
One of the ambitions of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games was to use the power of the Games to inspire the next generation. While the fantastic performance of TeamGB and ParalympicsGB certainly inspired us, the Games were about more than just sport. The Games Makers became one of the iconic symbols of London 2012, exemplifying the very best of what people do when they volunteer in their communities. I hope they will have played a role in encouraging young people to think about how they can get engaged in their own communities.
How important is it that businesses drive forward the social action agenda?
I think businesses play an important role in supporting this work because ultimately young people are their future workforce. Employers of course look at the academic achievement of young people – but I think they are also interested in the life skills and interpersonal skills that they have and are keen to see evidence of what motivates and interests them.
Social action is a great way for young people to develop all of this. It encourages them to broaden their experiences and engage with a cross section of their peers but it also provides an opportunity for them to do something that is appreciated and valued – and importantly tackle difficult social challenges. In doing all of this they will learn new skills, which can only be of benefit to them in an increasingly competitive world.
The London 2012 Games gave us lots of great examples of people, at all stages of life, who found the Games Maker experience gave them increased self confidence in dealing with a wide variety of people and situations, which they have been able to translate into employment post the Games.
Do you think there been a change in the willingness of businesses to engage in this agenda since the Olympics and Paralympics?
Many companies in the UK got behind the Olympics and Paralympics and many of those have stayed involved. The work EDF Energy has done with Hackney Community College to link youth social action and environmental change is a great example. I would like to think that their positive experience with the Games encouraged them to do this. Importantly though lots of other businesses – who didn’t have a formal relationship with the Games have also shown an interest in helping to sustain the legacy.
To read more about social action check out PM's August issue feature titled ‘Why another summer of riots is HR’s business’
And visit the Youth Social Action website