Sport, Social Justice & Development Podcast

About Sport, Social Justice & Development Podcast

Exploratory and in-depth conversations with practitioners, researchers, organizational staff, and participants involved with sport, social justice and development programs. Listen in as we critically explore the utility of sport and other forms of physical activity, recreation, and leisure used around the world for developmental pursuits. Hosted by Lyndsay Hayhurst, Mitch McSweeney, Julia Ferreira Gomes, and Jessica Nachman.

Publisher

Lyndsay Hayhurst, Mitch McSweeney, Julia Ferreira Gomes, and Jessica Nachman

Category

science

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

20 Jan 2021

Latest episode

25 Mar 2026

Latest episodes

26 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   25 Mar 2026

   Symposium Series: Exploring Climate Justice and Sport (for Development)

   In our latest episode, we feature another recorded panel from the Advancing Mobility Justice, Gender Equity, and Climate Action through Sport Symposium. This episode, called 'Exploring Climate Justice and Sport (for Development),' brings together leading scholars working to critically explore and unravel the assumptions that underpin ‘sustainability;’ while also considering what happens when sustainability is mobilized without justice. Other key tensions explored in this conversation include: How climate action in sport for development is often fragmented The persistence of global North-South power dynamics in through SDP and environmental politics Why we need to move beyond technical fixes toward more ecological and relationship understandings of sport Importantly, this episode challenges us to rethink sport not simply as a tool for change, but as part of the material and environmental systems we are trying to transform. For those working across sport, development, climate and policy - this is an invitation to ask: 1) What are we sustaining, and at what cost? 2) Whose knowledge and priorities are shaping climate agendas? What is the role of the education sector in all this? 3) What might more justice-oriented approaches actually look like? Panelists featured in this panel include: Dr. Brad Millington, Associate Professor of Sport Management at Brock University; Dr. Brian Wilson, a Professor and the Director of the Centre for Sport and Sustainability in the School of Kinesiology at the University of British Columbia; Dr. Simon Darnell, a Professor and Director of the Centre for Sport Policy Studies at the University of Toronto. Dr. Christina Kwauk, Co-Founder and Chief Technical Officer at Unbounded Associates. Ultimately, this conversation invites us to see sport not simply as an ‘intervention’ - but as a site of struggle, responsibility, and possibility in the face of the climate crisis. Dr. Brad Millington's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brad-millington-a0312149/ Dr. Simon Darnell: https://www.linkedin.com/in/simon-darnell-569abbb9/ Dr. Christina Kwauk: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christina-kwauk/ Featured in this podcast: Dr. Brian Wilson, Dr. Brad Millington, Dr. Simon Darnell, Dr. Christina Kwauk, and Dr. Lyndsay Hayhurst. Music by: Kevin McLeod and Broke for Free via the 'Free Music Archive' Album artwork: Keiron Cobban

2. 

   8 Mar 2026

   Symposium Series: Climate Action and Leisure: Grassroots Perspectives

   In honour of International Women’s Day, we are sharing one of the most moving conversations from our 'Advancing Mobility Justice, Gender Equity, and Climate Action through Sport Symposium.’ In this powerful dialogue on 'Climate Action and Leisure: Grassroots Perspectives,’ four remarkable women share lived and deeply personal experiences that remind us sport and movement can be more than programming - it can serve as an infrastructure for dignity, survival, and community building - especially for girls, women, and gender-diverse people whose opportunities and mobilities are too often constrained. This panel through together activist, practitioners, and scholars working across diverse contexts, including Afghanistan, Iraq, and Kenya. This was a really profound, relational exchange that is grounded in a feminist ethics of care about what activism look like when it simply exiting in a public space and how that space itself becomes active resistance. First, we hear from Sana Mahmud, the Program Director for Free to Run in Iraq, Afghanistan and Palestine. Sana is an athlete and development practitioner with a Master’s in International Development from Ohio University. She has managed and facilitated sport-for-development projects, workshops, and events across Pakistan, Ecuador, Russia, and Qatar, while partnering with organizations such as UN Women and Oxfam. A former captain of Pakistan’s national women’s football and basketball teams, Sana is passionate about advancing gender equity, youth development, and social change through sport. Next, we have Alison Carney, a Gender Inclusion in Sport Consultant. Alison is an independent consultant, facilitator, and researcher who supports community sport organizations to build inclusive, just practices that contribute to social change. Her research explores gender equity in sport, LGBTQI+ experiences in Sport for Development, and pathways to gender inclusion. She is currently collaborating with the UN Climate Change (UNFCCC) Sport for Climate Action team to develop and deliver virtual courses on sport for climate action, including a course for grassroots sport organizations to learn about and discuss taking climate action. Finally, we hear from Cyprine Odada is an Urban Planner and passionate champion for livable, inclusive cities. She is the Founder & CEO of Women Shaping Cities, an organization advancing gender-inclusive urban planning and mobility, and holds an Executive MSc in Cities from the London School of Economics. This session is beautifully moderated by the brilliant Dr. Holly Thorpe, a Professor in the University of Waikato Te Huataki Waiora School of Health and a leading scholar in the sociology of sport, gender, and youth culture. Holly's research examines action sports, gender and embodiment, feminist approaches to sport and physical culture, and the relationships between sport, environmental sustainability, and social justice. Holly has authored and edited numerous influential books and articles and is internationally recognized for her work on feminist methodologies, youth cultures, and sport for social change. Sana Mahmud's LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sana-mahmud-02432482/ Alison Carney's LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alison-carney-5a170413/ Cyprine Odada's LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cyprine-odada-8524a530/ Dr. Holly Thorpe's LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/holly-thorpe-52024a8/ Featured in this podcast: Sana Mahmud, Alison Carney, Cyprine Odada, Dr. Holly Thorpe, and Dr. Lyndsay Hayhurst. Music by: Kevin McLeod and Broke for Free via the 'Free Music Archive' Album artwork: Keiron Cobban

3. 

   18 Feb 2026

   Symposium Series: E-Bikes: Policy Considerations and Environmental Costs

   Today, we are sharing another powerful recording from the 'Advancing Mobility Justice, Gender Equity, and Climate Action through Sport Symposium,' held at York University from October 15–17, 2025. Today’s featured panel - “E-Bikes: Policy Considerations and Environmental Costs” - delves into one of the more challenging mobility debates of our time. This is because  e-bikes are often celebrated as a cleaner, ‘greener' alternative to car dependence - an accessible pathway toward low-carbon mobility. But what happens when we look more closely at the environmental and social assumptions embedded in these sustainability claims? This episode presents two distinct yet interconnected perspectives. First, we hear from Darnel Harris, Executive Director of Our Greenway, a Toronto-based not-for-profit working to build sustainable, green, and equitable communities through low-carbon micromobility solutions. Drawing on over 15 years of work at the intersection of affordable housing, food justice, and local mobility, Darnel shares applied research on barriers and opportunities to e-bike adoption. He explores how infrastructure, socio-demographics, and lived realities shape whether e-bikes are truly viable mobility tools. Next, we hear from Dr. Courtney Szto, an Associate Professor in the School of Kinesiology and Health Studies at Queen’s University. Building on her documentary Revolutions, Dr. Szto challenges us to consider the environmental footprint of bicycles at their end-of-life stage. To do this, she examines issues of bike waste, lithium batteries, limited repairability, and how contemporary e-bike production may reproduce extractive logics and waste-intensive systems. Darnel Harris' LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darnel-harris-072296127/ Dr. Courtney Szto LinkedIn profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/courtney-szto-128aa222/ Featured in this episode: Darnel Harris, Dr. Courtney Szto, and Dr. Lyndsay Hayhurst Music by: Kevin McLeod and Broke for Free via the 'Free Music Archive.' Album artwork: Keiron Cobban

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Spotify

5.0 / 5

2 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 21 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

30

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

32

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Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.