THE Power of Sport is the title of the 2019 Scottish Women in Sport conference and it’s not about being the strongest or the fastest, in fact it is not even about excelling at sport! The title refers to the ability to make a difference in the lives of many people; those who for a variety of reasons find themselves “outside” society.

I think it will be an inspirational and emotional day as we hear from some of the people who have benefitted. People who have been homeless and alone, people who have struggled with addiction, people who have taken the wrong path and ended up in an institutions.

Of course this is not a cheap fix, it takes finance and investment and sportscotland have recently taken this sector in-house and offer support and advice. To a certain extent, they also offer funding to those organisations. However, what we really need to crack is the business world – those organisations who believe in corporate social responsibility and want to invest time, money and resources supporting the “sport for change” sector.

The programme on the day is varied as we look at the benefit to mental health through participation in sport and also we find out how we can educate staff to deliver their own projects, through Scottish Sports Futures, Education Through Cashback scheme.

We also look at how sport can empower you to be the best you can be in your academic or business life. Anneli Ritari-Stewart, MD of Iprospect will tell us about her journey and how sport is an important part of her life giving her the confidence to power through in business.

There are so many organisations with real dedicated staff who want to support individuals as they take their first tentative steps towards a brighter future and in this case, a little help does go a long way.

If you want to hear more from the amazing organisations that are presenting at The Power of Sport, you are more than welcome to join us on the day. Tickets are limited but still available and can be purchased by clicking this link.