Sports for Change initiative of HCLFoundation

HCLFoundation's flagship initiative, Sports for Change, recognizes the contribution of sports towards personal and social development. It works towards harnessing the positive transformative potential of sports by increasing access and participation in sport at the grassroots.

Sports for Change views sports as tool for progress and leverages the potential and capacity of sports to foster inclusion and bring people together. As part of this initiative, HCLFoundation empowers young leaders from disadvantaged communities by channelizing their energy towards play and sports. We identify, train, and nurture talent and excellence in sports while making opportunities for play and physical education accessible to children and youth from the urban slum communities. It is an approach based on the belief that play or sport is not just an end in itself but also an effective way to help achieve larger development goals.

Sports for Change started as a volunteer led movement wherein passionate HCLites devoted their time and skill towards identifying and honing sport talent from the urban slum communities with support from the HCLFoundation team. Over the years, we have been able to successfully train 75,000+ students in various sports such as football, volleyball, kabaddi, athletics, basketball, girls cricket, badminton, athletics, chess, etc. Students have represented and won accolades at the District, State and National Level Tournaments.

In 2016, HCLFoundation launched an Annual National Level Sporting Event under the banner of Sports for Change. Every year, children and youth who have been part of HCLFoundation supported projects from across India contest to participate at the national level event. Regional qualifiers are organized to identify the most promising sports talent who represent at the National Tournament. The best performing players at the National Tournament are also awarded Sports Scholarships which supports their academic training as well as sports training through provision of coaching, sports gear and membership to sports clubs and facilities along with a small nutrition grant to support a healthy diet for the athletes. These scholarships are sponsored entirely through the voluntary payroll contributions made by HCLites under the Power of One program.

So far, 15,000+ children and youth from various states of India have participated in the National Level Sports for Change Competition and 250+ Sports Scholarships have been awarded across various sporting categories to promote excellence in sports.

Watch the video links below to further understand the scope and scale of the work being undertaken by HCLFoundation as part of the Sports for Change initiative –

Sports for Change 2017 - https://www.youtube.com/watchv=_OdUO8uKvWI&t=16s

Anita – HCLFoundation's Sports Champ: https://www.youtube.com/watchv=7BfZnflErXA

VACANCY DETAIL

Position: Program Officer - Sport

Location: Noida (Uttar Pradesh)

The incumbent will be responsible for supporting execution of Sports for Change initiative under HCLFoundation across locations.

The position will be responsible for:

Partner Management:

Monitoring & Evaluation of existing SFC projects across India
Conducting Monthly review meetings with the partners on the progress of projects.
Ensure reporting of partners as per HCLFoundation's requirements.
Conducting field visits to ensure proper implementation of projects

SFC Competition

Registrations of govt. schools for the Sports for Change Competitions across India. Work closely with the partner NGO's to ensure maximum participation at the District level competitions..
Implementing Sports for Change District/State/Regional & National competitions across India.
Handle logistics like participant travel, accommodation, Food, etc. during the events.

Other tasks included but not limited to

Preparing case studies, reports, presentations for reporting purposes.
Research on government scheme related to sports and linking them to benefit the program participants
Relationship building with State/District/National Federations/Associations and ensure regular participation of Sports for Change talented students in the competitions happening in respective states.
The role would require extensive travel across India.
Effective engagement of HCLTech employees at Sports for Change program and competition through creative and engaging strategies (employee volunteering).
Communication and coordination with existing partners and internal teams

Attributes and experience:

2-3 years of experience working with sports associations, agencies, NGO's, Sports Foundations working in organizing Sports programs and events, especially for children. Candidate having prior experience is mandatory.
Should have planned & implemented large scale sports events for children
Management & organizational skills: well organized and able to coordinate a wide range of concurrent activities, prioritizing workload effectively to meet deadlines. Self-motivation to act independently and also to work collaboratively in a team. Able to read and interpret instructions, policy, procedures, program information, etc. and provide guidance to others regarding implementation and application, as well as identify areas of improvement.
Communication skills: ability to network well and collaborate/ liaise with other stakeholders including District Administration and other Departments/ Agencies. Flexibility and adaptability to respond to changing circumstances.
Ability to independently deliver on time, to work with a range of stakeholders, to perform in a corporate environment and to present the work at various forums.

Sports Coordinator