At the end of June 2024, members of the Coalition for Sports for Social Impact gathered for their final meeting of the activity year. The event was generously hosted by the ILAN Spivak Sports Center for the Disabled in Ramat Gan, where Boaz Kramer, the association’s CEO, shared with coalition members about the organization’s activities and its immense significance for people with physical disabilities.
Danny Hakim, the program’s founder, opened the meeting by sharing with participants his vision for promoting social sports in Israel. Galit Gal, CEO of Philanthropy at the Azrieli Foundation Israel, informed participants about the foundation’s activities since its establishment by the late David Azrieli and its efforts to advance the State of Israel and Israeli society.
Sefi Shalam, the program’s professional manager, presented results from the “Mapping of the Social Sports Field in Israel,” an initiative undertaken by the program to map the organizations operating in this field in Israel, their methods, and scope of activities. The mapping identified 281 organizations in Israel using sports as a tool for social advancement. A booklet with the full results will be published soon. Following the mapping, several new organizations joined the coalition, including Maccabi Haifa Carmel, Shalva, and Ilai, who participated in a coalition meeting for the first time.
The meeting continued with activities aimed at deepening familiarity between coalition members and various organizations, fostering connections and collaborations. Participants then split into several roundtable discussions for guided consultation regarding the formulation of a strategy for the coalition’s future activities and the promotion of social sports in general. Topics discussed at the roundtables included the benefits member associations received from coalition membership over the past year, and additional ways the coalition could support its member associations and advance the field of social sports in Israel.
To conclude the day, Hila Gabai, the program manager, presented a summary of the program’s activity year, reviewing the special events held as part of the program to promote social sports in Israel, coalition meetings, financial support for associations following the war, support for team peak days in associations, support for professional training for coaches, and more.
Despite the challenging year, the activity year of the Sports for Social Impact (SSI) program in Israel was full of meaningful activities that contributed to the advancement of society in Israel, even in emergency situations.
We look forward to seeing you in the next activity year!
