The challenge

UNICEF believes that all children have a right to survive, thrive and fulfil their potential – to the benefit of a better world. As a major global brand, UNICEF is one of the most recognised names in the world of sport, due to their partnerships with teams such as Barcelona and Manchester United, and superstars like David Beckham and Lewis Hamilton.  

CoCreate was engaged to support the creation of a global strategy for how UNICEF uses sport to tackle social problems worldwide. Although participants were working for the same organisation, UNICEF’s structure and lack of ownership for their global work with sport meant that in many ways this was about creating a collaborative network to drive this strategy forward.

The workshop

We worked closely with the team at UNICEF to design and develop a two-day retreat, bringing together over 60 key staff who are working with sport to improve the lives of children around the world. The purpose of the workshop was to explore and share good practice, and to build a more collaborative approach to the way that UNICEF engages with its global partners from the world of sport. 

There were significant challenges to alignment, which we identified through a consultation process. CoCreate facilitators were able to constructively move the group through some difficult conversations, building trust and identifying areas of alignment to build on.

Our work enabled some fundamental decisions to be made that set this global team up with the clarity and alignment they needed to progress their work.

A huge thank you for all your work in the build-up and during the workshop. It was a rollercoaster two days but ultimately we made good progress and achieved the outcomes we set out for the workshop. We couldn’t have done it without you!

Alex Lee, Sports Specialist, UNICEF