Bigger Than This

On episode seven of the Bigger Than This Pod, we speak to Olu Paynter, who is a Youth Mentor at Toronto's MLSE Launchpad, in addition to working as Youth Consultant for a new Toronto venture known as Emerging Youth Consultancy.  Born and raised in Toronto, Olu has leveraged both his deep understanding of the city's heartbeat and love for sport in to helping the city's youth overcome a vast array of challenges.   We discuss the incredible and unique array of support provided to the community by MLSE Launchpad, a facility owned the Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment (Owners of the Toronto Raptors and Maple Leafs), the challenge of supporting culturally and racially diverse youth through 2020 whilst processing events himself as a black man and what it is about Toronto that makes it so supportive of those from the city who go on to achieve big things. www.emergingyouth.info www.mlselaunchpad.org 

On episode six of the Bigger Than This Pod, we speak to Stella Lesic, the founder and president of Bushrangers Basketball - Australia and New Zealand's biggest LGBTIQA+ Basketball club. Inspired by a love for Basketball that developed at a young age, Stella would eventually ask questions of the game and it's inclusivity and in turn,  aim to create inclusive and accepting spaces within the sport.We discuss their journey towards the beginnings of Bushrangers Basketball, the importance of involving the club in mainstream leagues and associations, positive stories of those within the club and other ways the club has found to engage the community and keep people active.www.bushrangersbasketball.com

On episode 5 of the Bigger Than This Pod, we speak to Kein Chua and Damian Arsenis of Australian Basketball media out, The Pick and Roll. Through a long time love of the game, Kein and Damian started The Pick and Roll to simply cover Basketball. It wasn't long before they realised their true calling would be to focus on, and champion Australian Basketball and Australian Basketball players all over the world. This keen focus, paired with a fantastic understanding of Australia's pathways and ground level Basketball culture has helped The Pick and Roll deliver a wide array of stories. They've celebrated cultural diversity within Australian Basketball, told in-depth stories to help strengthen fan connection and cemented themselves as a part of the Australian Basketball fabric from their community level involvement, all the way up to their impeccable coverage of our elite talent. www.pickandroll.com.au

On episode four of the Bigger Than This Pod, we speak to Fitriya Mohamed. Fitriya has founded Toronto's Muslim Women's Summer Basketball League and works as a Basketball Ambassador for Toronto organisation Hijabi Ballers. Inspired by what she has described as a "love affair" with Basketball, Fitriya has worked tirelessly to leverage this love of the game and her experiences as a young muslim woman in to helping the next generation of young players find their way in to sport and development in a way that builds confidence and  belief in themselves. We discuss her journey, sport as a unifying factor in society (and the shortcomings of this concept) and her path towards  connecting Muslim hoopers all over the world. www.mwsbl.comwww.hijabiballers.com 

On episode three of the Bigger Than This Pod, we speak to Kuany Kuany. Kuany has spent time in the NBL (Australia), had a four year NCAA career and is a current representative of the South Sudan Men’s National Basketball Team. Inspired by experiences in his youth and a strong family Basketball connection, Kuany has worked to leverage his Basketball ability and its subsequent resources in to assisting a wide array of young people throughout Australia who face barriers in regard to their own pathways through the sport. We also discuss his family’s incredible journey to Australia and what representing the people of South Sudan at FIBA level means to him. www.kuanykuanyfoundation.com

On episode two of the Bigger Than This Pod, we speak to Renee Clarke. Long-time coach at Melbourne’s Helping Hoops program, Basketball junkie and advocate for women’s sport. Through Helping Hoops, Renee has spent countless hours mentoring young people from various backgrounds. Using a deep, personal understanding of the connection between youth sport and life skill development, she’s been able to create environments where everybody feels welcome to participate. We touch on youth sport in regional areas, maintaining the forward motion of women’s sport and the incredible privilege of being able to watch young people grow and achieve their goals through physical activity. www.helpinghoops.com.au

On the very first episode of the Bigger Than This Pod we speak to Vidal Massiah, founder of the Northern Kings AAU/Rep Basketball Club and The Hoop Factory. These two Toronto based programs have provided guidance and opportunity to countless young Canadian athletes, many who've gone on to have successful post-high school careers. Vidal's journey as a latecomer to the sport of Basketball, as well as his experience in a number of pro-leagues around the world has provided him unique insight in to how to help young people work on not only their own Basketball development, but help players and families navigate their way through the high intensity environment that is AAU Basketball and college/professional opportunities. In addition to this, he has experienced first hand Toronto going from a hockey city with a NBA team the city struggled to take seriously, to the vibrant breeding ground it is today. www.biggerthanthis.netwww.kingnationbasketball.comwww.thehoopfactory.com

An introduction to Bigger Than This - a different type of sports podcast. The coaches, community organisers - the people who gas others up. The Bigger Than This Pod is dedicated to hearing stories from the people who not only make up the heartbeat of sport, but who use sport as a tool to improve and empower their communities. Sport is a transformational thing, it changes lives on the playing field, in the stands, and even in people’s living rooms. These are the people who make positive change a reality.The Bigger Than This Pod is in conjunction with Bigger Than This, a youth advocacy organisation who aims to use sport to execute community-driven projects and events with the hope of breaking down barriers young people face both on and off the court.