Scotland First Minister Nicola Sturgeon and actor Michael Sheen Support HWC Day
June 30 2020Scotland’s First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon will join a panel alongside Hollywood actor Michael Sheen where they will talk about bringing together leadership to put an end to homelessness.
The discussion will be facilitated by Mel Young, MBE, founder of the Homeless World Cup and will be the first of three debate sessions about solutions to the issue of global homelessness and the role of social entrepreneurs.
The panel will kick-off at 17:00 (UK), on July 5th as part of Homeless World Cup Day, aimed at celebrating the work of the foundation and its partners.
The discussion will be followed by two more sessions delivered in partnership with the Schwab Foundation and Catalyst 2030.
First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “Even though this year’s tournament can’t take place I am pleased that discussions around how we can work together to end homelessness will continue regardless.
“The Homeless World Cup demonstrates the power of sport to bring people together and change lives for the better, something which I saw for myself first-hand when the tournament was held in Glasgow in 2016. The positive effect it had on the players lives and the inspiration they took from it was hard to miss.
“Everyone deserves a warm, safe home that meets their needs and although people facing homelessness in Scotland already have some of the strongest rights in the world we know we have more to do.
“I look forward to what I’m sure will be an interesting and insightful discussion about solutions to tackling homelessness not just at home here in Scotland but around the world.”
Michael Sheen said: “It was an honour to be part of bringing the Homeless World Cup to Wales last year. It really can be a transformational experience for some of the most marginalized and excluded people in the world.
“I’m delighted to be involved in these HWC Day discussions and committed to looking for effective ways to tackle issues around homelessness and social exclusion.”
Mel Young said: “It is wonderful to welcome the First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon and Michael Sheen to this session. Both have seen the Homeless World Cup first-hand when it was held in past years in Glasgow and Cardiff and witnessed the power football has to change lives.
“The First minister and Michael Sheen are committed to trying to end homelessness in their own way and I look forward to a positive and constructive discussion about how we can work towards ending homelessness throughout the world.
“At the same time, we will celebrate the success of the Homeless World Cup over the years and salute the efforts of people experiencing homelessness across the globe who are trying to change their lives.”
Homeless World Cup Day aims to highlight the work of the organisation and its partners as it continues with its mission to combat homelessness through football. Combining creative talent and various digital media, the event will kick-off at 13:00 and will showcase players stories, engaging talks and fun challenges for people wanting to participate from all over the world.
All discussions and the rest of Homeless World Cup Day programme will be available to watch across the foundation’s channels and website: homelessworldcup.org
ENDS
NOTES TO THE EDITOR:
ABOUT THE HOMELESS WORLD CUP FOUNDATION
The Homeless World Cup Foundation is a pioneering charity that uses football to inspire people who are homeless to make positive changes in their lives. They work with a network of Street Football Partners across 70+ countries and every year organise an inspirational world-class street football tournament for men and women experiencing homelessness around the globe.
ABOUT HOMELESS WORLD CUP DAY
Homeless World Cup Day – a virtual celebration of the work of the Homeless World Cup Foundation and its partners, will take place on July 5. The day is being organised in response to the cancellation of the 2020 Homeless World Cup in Tampere, Finland due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a symbolic gesture, HWCDay will take place the day the finals would have been played at the now cancelled 2020 Tampere Homeless World Cup.
ABOUT THE DISCUSSION SESSIONS:
SESSION 1 “CELEBRATING THE HWC AND ENDING HOMELESSNESS”
The Homeless World Cup has been a huge success since its inception in 2003. With the annual tournament being cancelled this year due to COVID-19, we are continuing the discussion around ending homelessness by bringing together leadership from past host countries.
Participants: First Minister of Scotland, Nicola Sturgeon, and Michael Sheen, Hollywood actor and activist
Facilitator: Mel Young, Social Entrepreneur and Founder of the Homeless World Cup
SESSION 2 “PUT US OUT OF BUSINESS: HOW TO END GLOBAL HOMELESSNESS” IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE SCHWAB FOUNDATION.
Homelessness manifests itself in every country in the world and is set to increase as a result of COVID-19. But in this modern world, homelessness shouldn’t exist at all. This session will examine how homelessness can be eradicated completely through system change.
Participants: Miloon Kothari, Former UN Special Rapporteur on Adequate Housing, Elizabeth Hausler, Founder and CEO, Build Change; and Rosanne Haggerty, President and CEO, Community Solutions.
Facilitator: Mel Young, Social Entrepreneur and Founder of the Homeless World Cup
SESSION 3: “SOCIAL ENTREPRENEURS LEADING THE CHANGE” IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE SCHWAB FOUNDATION AND CATALYST 2030
Social entrepreneurs across the globe bring practical solutions to some of the most challenging issues – are they emerging as the new leaders who can change the world completely by creating system change?
Participants: Francois Bonnici, Facilitator, Director, Schwab Foundation; Jeroo Billimoria, Founder Catalyst 2030, Founder Childline India and Childline International; Sue Riddlestone, Co-founder and CEO Bioregional; Luvuyo Rani, Co-founder and Managing Director, Silulo Ulutho Technologies; and Martin Burt, Founder and CEO, Fundacion Paraguaya.
ABOUT THE PARTICIPANTS:
NICOLA STURGEON
Led by First Minister of Scotland Nicola Sturgeon, Scotland has a vision to end homelessness. Having hosted the Homeless World Cup in Glasgow in 2016, Scotland takes a housing-led response to homelessness, including public perception campaigns to change the conversation around homelessness. This, plus Ending Homelessness Together programmes and establishing Housing-First cities across the country, has made Scotland a leader in the path to ending homelessness.
MICHAEL SHEEN
Actor and activist Michael Sheen has seen the power of football, bringing players confidence, social inclusion, dignity, pride, and new friends. After witnessing this transformational approach, Michael knew that the Homeless World Cup had to come to his home country of Wales and led the local organising committee in 2019. He is an ambassador of the Homeless World Cup, sharing the vision of a world without homelessness.
MEL YOUNG
Mel is a serial social entrepreneur who founded the Homeless World Cup in 2003 with Harald Schmied. Passionate about the power of sport to change lives, he has set up various social initiatives over the years. Mel is also an Ashoka Fellow and Senior Fellow of the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship. He is the Chairman of Sportscotland, the national sports agency in Scotland.
MILOON KOTHARI
Serving as the UN Special Rapporteur on Adequate Housing from 2000-2008, Miloon Kothari is also a lecturer, guest speaker and professor. He has played a major role in writing, compiling, and editing institutional publications, such as training manuals and policy papers, in addition to having written for an international human rights journal.
ELIZABETH HAUSLER
As founder and CEO of Build Change and an expert on resilient building and post-disaster reconstruction, Elizabeth’s emphasis on rebuilding to withstand future disasters has profoundly impacted global development policy by making resilience a major consideration for reconstruction efforts. Building on this, Build Change also brings together money-technology-people Theory of Change to disaster-prone countries. She is the 2011 Social Entrepreneur of the Year award by the Schwab Foundation, 2017 Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship, and the 2018 University of California, Berkekey’s Campanile Excellence in Achievement award.
ROSANNE HAGGERTY
Rosanne Haggerty is the President and Chief Executive Officer for Community Solutions. Rosanne is a globally recognized leader in housing and human services innovation. After volunteering at a youth homeless shelter in the 1980s, Rosanne founded Common Ground, growing into one of the nation’s largest builders and operators of housing for homeless people. Rosanne is an Ashoka Senior Fellow and a MacArthur Foundation Fellow. In 2011, Rosanne co-founded Community Solutions to scale the ideas she developed at Common Ground nationwide.
FRANCOIS BONNICI
Head of the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship. Physician, professor and the former Founding Director of the Bertha Centre for Social Innovation & Entrepreneurship, University of Cape Town, the first academic centre dedicated to social innovation in Africa. Experience spans over two decades of working across multiple systems, sectors and scales, deeply rooted in context and frontline work, while also working extensively with public sector, multilaterals, civil society, business and foundations in progressive and catalytic partnerships. Rhodes Scholar, South Africa (1999); Global Leadership Fellow of the World Economic Forum (2005); Archbishop Tutu African Leadership Fellow (2013). Member of the Board, Tshishimani Centre for Activist Education.
JEROO BILLIMORIA
Jeroo Billimoria is the founder of several innovative and award-winning NGOs and has over twenty years’ experience running systems change organizations. She is a Skoll awardee, an Ashoka and Schwab Fellow. Among her organizations are Child and Youth Finance International (CYFI) and Aflatoun International. CYFI has created a global network of partners who have collectively created meaningful change in financial inclusion and Economic Citizenship Education for young people in over 160 countries, while Aflatoun International has succeeded in working with global partners to provide social and financial education to over 1 million children in 100 countries. Prior to this, Jeroo founded Childline India and Child Helpline International, which have facilitated a global movement for protection of children and youth.
SUE RIDDLESTONE
Sue Riddlestone is the Chief Executive of Bioregional, an international award-winning social enterprise and sustainability charity. Sue and her team work with partners to create zero carbon homes and communities, eco-products and services which enable us to live a good life with a sustainable carbon footprint, within the natual limits of our one planet. In addition to her work with Bioregional, Sue was the London Sustainable Development Commissioner from 2002-2014, is a Schwab, Skoll and Ashoka award winning social entrepreneur, and in 2013 was awarded the OBE by the Queen for her work on sustainable businesses and the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
LUVUYO RANI
As Co-Founder and Managing Director of Silulo Ulutho Technologies, Luvuyo Rani started by repairing phones and laptops,before opening an internet café in 2006. By providing training, including computer training courses, internet café and business centre services, and IT and retail repair, Luvuyo and Silulo Ulutho Technologies are known for empowering and creating opportunities for people through IT knowledge and affordable access to technology. Known as a passionate and socially responsible entrepreneur that has created a brand that is the envy of multi-nationals and a business with the potential to transform life in South African townships, Luvuyo was awarded the 2016 Schwab Social Entrepreneur of the Year award.
MARTIN BURT
Dr Martín Burt is a world-renowned social entrepreneur who has developed various anti-poverty and educational social innovations that are currently being implemented in five continents. He is the founder (1985) and CEO of Fundación Paraguaya, a social enterprise named Latin America’s most impactful and innovative development organization in 2018 by the Inter-American Development Bank. Dr Burt is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurship at the World Economic Forum, the Global Foodbanking Network, and Teach a Man to Fish. In public service, he has served as Chief of Staff to the President of Paraguay, was elected Mayor of Asunción, and was appointed Vice Minister of Commerce. He has received awards from organizations including Avina Foundation, Skoll Foundation, Schwab Foundation, Synergos, Eisenhower Fellowship, Inter-American Development Bank, World Innovation Summit for Education, and Nestlé.