Winner: USA Swimming - Diversity & Inclusion Cultural Inclusion Resource Guides
USA Swimming is committed to a culture of inclusion and opportunity for people of diverse backgrounds. This year, the organization created resource guides for athletes, coaches, clubs and parents to help engage new members from under-represented communities and provide a safe and inclusive environment for all swimmers. Five separate guides were launched around significant dates on swimming’s sports calendar to maximize readership. Additionally, there were multiple programming and education sessions around the topic of inclusion at the annual U.S. Aquatic Sports Convention, like an LBGTQ Alliance Breakfast and a Q&A with the first openly transgender athlete to compete in any sport on an NCAA Division 1 men’s team.
The USA Swimming Foundation commissioned two research studies to identify key barriers to urban minority participation in swimming. These studies sought to expose and eradicate the key barriers to urban minority participation in swimming. An internal group of USA Swimming employees were also asked to provide edits and suggestions in the creation of the guide based on their areas of expertise. The USA Swimming Task Force was then created to keep diversity, inclusion initiatives and collaboration at the forefront of the organization.