Belonging means creating a community that embraces and values all its members and their backgrounds. For student-athletes, belonging shows up in the connections made with teammates, the support of coaches and mentors, and the impact they have on their communities. This campaign celebrates those authentic voices and experiences, inviting student-athletes to share what belonging and community mean to them.
The campaign was created in collaboration with the office of inclusion and the National Student-Athlete Advisory Committees.
Campaign Details
Coming soon!
Preparing for the Campaign
Before the Apr. 15–16, 2026 campaign, student-athletes, athletics departments and conference offices planning to participate should prepare by establishing clear communication and considering the following steps:
- Coordinate with campus leaders - Connect with your athletics department’s communications director, athletics director, senior woman administrator, and/or the administrator supporting belonging and well-being efforts.
- Engage your SAAC leadership - Encourage the campus SAAC president to notify the sports information director (SID) about the campaign. This ensures the SID can prepare content, monitor student-athlete posts, and amplify them on official school channels.
- Loop in media relations - Involving your campus media relations office helps boost social media engagement and improve the quality of campaign coverage.
- Inform teammates - Ask SAAC representatives to share campaign dates, themes, and ways to participate with their teams.
- Maximize social media reach - Use multiple platforms to broaden the campaign's audience and increase engagement.
After the Campaign
Keep the momentum going and continue the conversation by trying some of these suggestions:
- Create a feedback loop - Form a SAAC committee to gather input from student-athletes on how they’d like to make an impact in their communities.
- Connect with peers - Attend NCAA programming to engage with student-athletes from other schools.
- Give back together – Develop a strategy for an ongoing community partnership with your team or other athletes in your institution or conference, then reflect on the impact.
- Talk as a team - Use a team meeting to share what using your voice means to student-athletes and coaches, and brainstorm ways to strengthen it within your program.
- Seek inspiration - Watch a TED Talk or listen to a podcast on belonging.
- Dive deeper - Read Start With Why by Simon Sinek to continue your pathway to impactful leadership.
