The second coalition meeting for sport for social impact of 2024 focused on creative thinking in social sports. Haredim Laketzev hosted the meeting in Bnei Brak, and approximately 40 social sports leaders attended.
The main portion of the meeting included a workshop on “Practical Creativity” led by Dr. Eyal Doron, a researcher and developer of creative thinking and an expert in creative strategy and management in an uncertain world. In the workshop, Dr. Doron presented several key concepts in the field of creative and strategic thinking, such as the distinction between talent, super-talent, and founder. He also presented tools for creative thinking, such as “exaggeration” (inflating the problem beyond its current dimensions in order to solve it) and “key concept” (the basic concept whose new definition can bring about a revolution in the field, such as the reinvention of the concept of “hotel” by Airbnb). Dr. Doron also suggested new ways of thinking about other familiar concepts, such as moving from a perception of “cooperation” to a perception of “interdependence” between organizations.
Following the workshop, which provided participants with theoretical and practical tools, the coalition members were divided into six working groups. The division was based on common challenges faced by the organizations, which they identified in a preliminary questionnaire sent to them prior to the meeting:
- Retention and management of part-time instructors and trainers
- Recruitment and management of volunteers
- Developing an educational-pedagogical framework alongside/within the sports activity
- Creating sources of self-generated income
- Working alongside and with formal education systems
- Expanding activities and increasing the number of participants
In the working groups, the coalition members discussed the common challenges, their underlying causes, possible solutions, and future collaborations.
In addition, the coalition members welcomed two new organizations, Etgarim and Homebase. They also heard from MamaNet and Special Olympics Israel about their creative ways of dealing with challenges.
