Our Shared Leadership Ambition
Physically activity has profound impacts on individuals and communities physical, mental and social health and wellbeing. It is one of the four biggest proximate causes of ill health nationally.
We are often a collective of passionate and experienced leaders, organisations and individual(s) who want to improve the lives of people, but we can sometimes look confusing to the outside world, with fragmented key messages to local place and in advocacy to decision makers.
In order to better embrace the breadth of partners and expertise across the physical activity system, and encourage real change, a range of partners have come together to collaborate as the Place-based Physical Activity Leadership Network (PPALN).
This emerging network will focus on finding the best and most effective and efficient ways of raising levels of physical activity; particularly addressing the stubborn inequalities that exist in many local communities where activity rates are much lower than other areas. Local government’s role as place leaders will be at the heart of the network.
To enable this ambition, PPALN will act as a leadership system through which stakeholders, can better collaborate nationally, regionally, sub regionally and locally.
The PPALN will seek to work closely with stakeholders to compliment the wider national strategic landscape, where meetings are sometimes convened, but with a sub-set or part of a complex system e.g. The Swimming Alliance, the NHS Horizon’s work, Sport for Development Coalition, or the National Sector Partners Group for Sport, and many more. We must not duplicate, but build connection, inclusivity, and a selfless ‘togetherness’ to deliver our shared ambition.
Scope of work - A Systems Approach
The physical activity system does not have organisational boundaries and therefore implying that there can be a sectoral approach (i.e. a “physical activity sector”) is not helpful. Raising levels of physical activity is a shared challenge across many stakeholders that occupy this space nationally, regionally and locally. It is a complex system, and oversimplifying it is unrealistic.
Our task will be to support the efforts of others by clarifying language and understanding, influencing national policy and regulation, lobbying for resources, building relationships (across professions and agencies), identifying and sharing good practice, encouraging innovation, encouraging the role of communities and citizens in solutions, developing leadership, workforce skills, competencies and diversity, and encouraging the better use of our physical and human assets.
The PPALN is on a journey, and so at the time of writing, the term of reference have been agreed by the initial convening partners (many of whom were part of the Local Government Physical Activity Partnership), plus lots of other stakeholders embraced on the journey.
