Defining why belonging is important in order to foster inclusive excellence on a team or within an athletic community.

Refer to the bullet points below to gain a better understanding of the purpose of this theme and help you start thinking about how to create content.

• Focus on how we define and identify belonging.
• What belonging looks and feels like, then why that feeling is important.

Day 2 of the campaign (Wednesday, Oct. 18) is aimed for student-athletes to define what belonging looks and feels like to them and how that ultimately affects how they navigate spaces around them. Building off Day 1, student-athletes should think about their identity, as well as those around them, and consider why all student-athletes belong in their community regardless of the differences among them. How does belonging contribute to the growth of inclusive environments? 

Example post: “We’re back with Day 2 of the NCAA Diversity and Inclusion Social Media Campaign! Today we want you to use #NCAAInclusion to share why all your identities and experiences belong in the spaces that you enter.”

Activity ideas

Lunch & Learn

Invite folks to a space in your athletic community to have lunch and discuss the term belonging. Have student-athletes as well as administrators and coaches discuss why they feel as if they should embrace the sensation of belonging. What does the act of belonging encompass? Why is it important for people in your community to feel as if they belong despite a diversity of identities within the group? How is your athletic community aiming to achieve belonging for those of all identities?

Personal video/statement

Film a video of yourself using this year’s social skin and discuss the value in belonging. We encourage you to be vulnerable and maybe talk about a time where you felt left out. What did that feel like? How did you navigate it? Talk about what you hope those around you could do to ensure that no one else on your campus feels this way. 

Host a team discussion

Invite your team to participate in a team discussion surrounding their own experiences of belonging within the team. Be vulnerable with each other and identify how your teammates can continue to move toward creating an inclusive environment for everyone. Discuss some team goals to ensure that no one feels left out.

Make a TikTok skit

Use your creativity with social media platforms such as TikTok! Grab members of SAAC or your teammates and make a skit surrounding what belonging should look like within a team or campus community. Within the skit, define why you belong and why it is important to foster spaces of belonging.