Running with Purpose
COLLECTIVE
MISSION:
Running With Purpose is an inclusive running and movement collective, dedicated to advancing social justice and social change through the intersectionality of sport and advocacy. Our athlete advocates use their platforms in creative ways to promote equality within and outside of the running and movement community. We all belong in running, in sports, and in community. We will continue to push the boundaries, encourage the industry to do better, and help make running and movement a more equitable and just place for everyone today, fostering a community that is inclusive, diverse and welcoming to all, and for the next generations to come to be unapologetically themselves and thrive.
We are focused on building and strengthening our communities through running, health & wellness, and advocacy. Our work is centered around running and the running community, however it’s not limited to just the running community, it’s intersectional, and we focus on all human rights, our entire community’s health and wellbeing, the health of our environment, all while highlighting the Black, Indigenous, and People of Color community and those who have been marginalized.
VISION:
Running With Purpose envisions a future in which wellness is accessible to all people and where individuals feel represented, respected, safe, and welcomed. We envision a running and movement community where voices are represented, visible, heard, and seen. We will utilize our collective to bring attention to social, economic, and environmental issues, ultimately creating a better world for future generations and will continue to advocate for diversity, inclusivity, safety, body positivity, accessibility, affordability and equity for the running and outdoor spaces.
How?
The collective will create a space for athlete advocates ingrained in the running and movement communities to come together under common goals of advocacy and inclusion, come together to mobilize their pillars of advocacy, host seminars and panels, content, and more.
The collective will focus their efforts on closing the visibility gap and create points of access in our sports for Indigenous, Black, Asian, Muslim, Two Spirit, and LGBTQIA communities, adaptive bodies, and others who may not see themselves represented..
By fostering the relationships between athlete advocates, corporate sponsors, elite athletes, brands, media, and coaches, the collective will create a space to start the process of dismantling the systems of oppression seen in the running and movement industries.
We demand accountability from those who support and sponsor our efforts in transforming the running and outdoor communities.
AREAS OF FOCUS + ADVOCACY:
Body Image, Safety, Inclusion, Diversity, Affordability, Climate Justice, Sustainability within the running spaces
Increased representation at trail and road races, Increased opportunities for visibility, Intersecting Running with Advocacy / Movement
Accessibility, Respect and building relationship with the land, Land Acknowledgements & Beyond, Enable and empower all Athlete Advocate
Health of our shared environment, Brand Relationships / Partnerships, DEI Consulting, Mental Health
Intersection of running and advocacy
In June 2021 - Rising Hearts formed a running collective focused on social change
and how we use running as a platform for advocacy and awareness of the things most important to us.
For some, it can be THROUGH prayer runs to raise awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Relatives,
Black lives, Representation, Next generations, and other issues.
We are here to help cultivate meaningful relationships and partnerships.
Meaning, Rising Hearts will help facilitate these conversations with individuals
and companies that will put sponsorship and exclusivity aside, to support
the community, our voices, lived experiences and more. We envision a world for the running and outdoor community,
that is inclusive, accessible, supportive, safe, diverse, visible and equitable for
Indigenous, Black, brown, Asian, Muslim, Two Spirit, LGBTQ+, Non-binary kin, and people with disabilities.
With the intentions and purpose set for this program, we had 33 Athlete Advocates part of the
early development of this program to call for meaningful action and representation as companies steer the
focus on Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion work. Now, we hope to bring more Athlete Advocates into this collective,
to learn from, to support, and to collaborate with. As many of us know, much is still missing from that
work from these companies and brands. Rising Hearts hopes to connect our advocates with the companies
in this work, to amplify the heart work across our collective and be a voice at the table.
#RunningForJustice x #RunningWithPurpose
Together we will use Running as
A PLATFORM FOR ACTION.
For the Athlete Advocates - what you can look forward to:
Monthly Zoom Calls
Community Support and organizing
Organize virtual runs/in-person per athlete’s cause/advocacy
with partner, EliteFeats
RWP Singlet
Rising Hearts Swag
Access to Coaching, Runner’s safety products,
Shoes, socks, gear, comped entries, your stories
amplified on platforms and more!
NEXT ROUND OF APPLICATIONS = TBD
Individuals, companies and stakeholders:
How can individuals or companies support?
We hope that the companies and individuals that support this team, the voices and the heart work - see this as an opportunity for growth and healing. Supporting the feet of our runners with your shoes, whether that’s through donation or offering discounts. Offering your social media platforms to host a conversation or writing platforms. Offering food, snacks, safety tools and technology to help promote runner’s safety. Offering apparel or discounts. Comped entries, scholarships, and more! We can be creative. Want to sponsor the remaining applicants, the next 30 or those wanting to join this community run club, consider supporting Rising Hearts financially, so we can offer them singlets, goodie bags and more.
WARNING: To be in this work with us, you have to be committed to building an intersectional future, be part of dismantling the current systems that oppress and marginalize communities and bodies, to stand strong in saying the words - colonialism, White Supremacy, Racism, systems of oppression, Indigenous Sovereignty, Black Lives Matter, and more. This is an opportunity for us as community, to work together.
We are running with purpose. We are running for justice. We are running in prayer. We are running for healing. We are running for community. We are running for the safety of our communities.