Sports diplomacy programs are an effective way to engage priority audiences, including at-risk youth, women, minorities, people with disabilities, and non-English speakers. The Sports Visitor and Sports Envoy programs use sports to support U.S. foreign policy goals and promote key U.S. values on and off the field about the importance of education, community engagement, and respect for diversity. The focus of all programs must be on both male and female Sports Envoys, non-elite youth athletes, coaches, and/or administrators. This program gives further direction on the substance of the program. The Sports Visitor and Sports Envoy Program is designed to achieve the following goals: a) Showcase and enhance American expertise, leadership, and lessons learned in the sporting arena, from community-based recreational youth play to professional levels; b) Increase and deepen understanding of U.S. society, culture, and history, and dispel stereotypes; c) Promote cross-cultural and mutual understanding, and appreciation for diversity, between U.S. peers and communities and program participants; d) Cultivate leadership and develop capacity for participants to build stable communities in the U.S. and abroad; and e) Address U.S. foreign policy goals.
In designing the Sports Visitor and Sports Envoy Program, applicants should demonstrate their understanding of, and commitment to, the following guiding principles:
- Demonstrating an original and flexible program design that is balanced with consistently high quality implementation;
- Designing an expandable model that allows for U.S. embassies and consulates or other partners to buying, increasing participant numbers, above and beyond those afforded through this program;
- Planning for a cost efficient program that builds on effective sport for development and sports diplomacy initiatives;
- Valuing the narrative power of sports and promoting the exchanges through multiple media formats;
- Demonstrating leadership, expertise, and strong networks with American and international sport based youth development organizations; and
- Maximizing peer-to-peer interaction and creating opportunities for meaningful engagement with, and for, a diverse array of U.S. populations, especially outside of the D.C. metro area (specifically for the Sports Visitor Program).