Postgraduate and final-year undergraduate students at ACU member universities joined us in Leeds, UK from 31 July – 8 August 2022 for the ACU Summer School. Hosted by Leeds Trinity University, UK, the event brought together students from across the Commonwealth to explore themes relating to 'Sports and regeneration: Driving sustainability, community and wellbeing'.
By taking part in this event, students experienced:
- Social events
- Engaging and challenging group project work
- Sports sessions
- Networking opportunities
- Intercultural sessions and cultural sharing
Speakers
Jo Clarke
Dr Jo Clarke
Senior Lecturer in Sport Business Management
Sheffield Hallam University, UK
Jo is a Senior Lecturer in Sport Business Management at Sheffield Hallam University and the Collaborative Course Leader for BSc (Hons) Sport Business Management programme in Hong Kong, with SHAPE/VTC (School for Higher and Professional Education). She is also a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (now AdvanceHE) and holds a teaching qualification, Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education (PGCHE).
Jo brings an applied focus to her teaching and research, having worked in the public and voluntary sport sectors in the UK, New Zealand and Africa. Her global work experiences have inspired her to conduct internationally focused research, bringing together a range of international perspectives. Her current research focuses on the delivery of sport interventions to achieve social and health-related goals, partnership relations and practices, and volunteer tourism within the sport for development sector.
Professor Charles Egbu
Professor Charles Egbu
Vice-Chancellor
Leeds Trinity University, UK
Professor Egbu joined Leeds Trinity University as Vice-Chancellor in 2020. He leads on the university’s strategic matters, including ensuring financial sustainability to allow the delivery of the university's strategic plan, and the overall vision and values of the university. He represents the university externally at various groups including Universities UK (UUK), Million Plus and the Cathedral's Group, and works closely with industry and professional bodies, especially in the built environment sector, and with local communities.
Professor Egbu’s research interests focus on project management, construction management and sustainable development; subjects about which he has written 12 books and contributed to more than 350 publications in various international journals and conferences. He has supervised over 25 PhD students and examined over 100 PhD candidates world-wide. In addition, he has acted as an external examiner to many undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in universities all over the world.
Mr David Geldart
Mr David Geldart
Founder and Chairman
Bambisanani Partnership, UK
David Geldart is a passionate advocate and campaigner for high quality physical education and sport. Over the past 35 years, he gained national and international acclaim for his school-based work which has also seen him hold key public appointments with a number of government departments.
David was a founder member of the Sport England Lottery Panel and, subsequently, a board member of Sport England. He has travelled extensively, lecturing and speaking throughout the world on various aspects of physical education and sport. He is a Fellow of the Physical Education Association of Great Britain, the Royal Society of Arts and the Institute of Leadership and Management. In 2006, David founded the Bambisanani Partnership which uses sport to promote education, health, global citizenship and leadership in one of South Africa’s poorest communities. This project has now developed into a multi-award winning charity which David leads.
Nigel Harrison
Nigel Harrison
Chief Executive Officer
Yorkshire Sport Foundation, UK
Nigel believes in the power of sport and activity to change people’s lives. He has over 30 years of experience of working within the sports industry from facility management through sports development. He has extensive experience in drawing up strategic plans for physical activity, making a major contribution in many Yorkshire districts and across a wide range of local, regional and national partners.
He is chair of a sport and leisure group for the Policy Yorkshire think tank, generating policy ideas for the region, and is a previous Chair of Oldham Community Leisure. He is also currently Acting Chief Executive of the national Active Partnerships.
Nigel plays tennis and coached and organised a junior tennis club for 20 years. He plays football and golf along with running to keep active; he took part in his first marathon in 2017.
Mr Rich Hayden
Mr Rich Hayden
Managing Director
SevenSun, UK
After leaving university, Rich set up his first media agency which he grew to a multi-million business. The agency worked on digital marketing products for some of the largest blue-chip brands across the globe, spanning eCommerce website solutions, brand development and video production. In 2018, he established and now manages the creative agency Sevensun which has so far partnered with over 150 creatives on all continents, delivering the full range of creative media products to clients across the world.
As well as working in the creative field, Rich is a seventeen-year member of Business Network International (BNI), the largest networking organisation in the world.
He is also a partner in the publishing house, Fisher King Publishing, as well as being a key team member of the mentor group, supporting business owners and directors across the UK.
Mr Sarthak Mondal
Mr Sarthak Mondal
PhD Scholar in Sport Economics and Governance
Sheffield Hallam University, UK
Sarthak is a second-year doctoral researcher in Sport Economics and Governance at Sheffield Hallam University. His research looks at developing a multi-level model of governance for Asian professional football by analysing financial sustainability and exploring stakeholder perceptions of governance in the region, under the supervision of Dr Daniel Plumley and Dr Rob Wilson. Due to his excellent academic performances and ability to demonstrate research acumen, he was given the opportunity to pursue his doctoral studies straight after his undergraduate degree. He has published over five academic journal articles, commentaries, and book chapters so far.
Dr Bernadette Nakabazzi
Dr Bernadette Nakabazzi
Lecturer, Department of Biochemistry and Sports Science
College of Natural Sciences
Makerere University, Uganda
Dr Bernadette Nakabazzi is a Lecturer in the Department of Biochemistry and Sports Science, College of Natural Sciences, Makerere University Kampala. She is an early career researcher with interest in health behaviour, particularly physical activity and sedentary behaviour across the lifespan. Dr Nakabazzi focuses on topics that include objective measures of physical activity using wearable technology, the built environment and physical activity, active urban design, active travel and the school, workplace and community. She is also interested in physical activity programmes and sport and recreation for all. Dr Nakabazzi is an active member of the Uganda Society of Sports Science and Physical Education, the International Society for Physical Activity and Health, and the International Society of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity.
Dr Nakabazzi holds a PhD in Exercise and Sports Science from Kenyatta University, Nairobi and an MSc in Sport and Exercise Medicine from the University of Exeter, UK, and BSc in Sports Science from Makerere University.
Sarah Todd
Sarah Todd
Sport Development Manager
Leeds Trinity University, UK
Sarah is the Sport Development Manager, and Dual Career Coordinator at Leeds Trinity University. She has worked within sport development and Higher Education for 14 years across a range of projects in high performance sport, sport for development, physical activity and behaviour change, leadership, and volunteering.
Sarah has worked on regional and nationally funded programmes such as the Sport Universities northeast England project which won the 2009 BBC Power of Sport award, as well as Sport England’s University Sport Activation fund.
She has worked within sport for development for several charities and NGO’s such as The Perfect Day Foundation, Sport in Action, and EduSport, Zambia. As part of her work in Zambia, Sarah worked on the UK Sport IDEALS (International Development through Excellence and Leadership in Sport) project as both a student volunteer and a project team leader working alongside the International Federation of Netball Associations (now World Netball).
Dr Leigh Hoath
Dr Leigh Hoath
Associate Professor (Professional Practice) in science education
Dr Hoath has worked in Higher Education since 2006 following on from a successful teaching career. Leigh is an author and regular conference presenter and is nationally recognised for her contributions to science education through the Association for Science Education (ASE) and STEM Learning awards. As well as being a very active member of the ASE Leigh is Chair Elect of the national association.
Leigh works as the education consultant for the world’s largest chemical company, BASF, where she develops their educational outreach provision with a clear focus on widening participation. She was the education consultant to the BBC’s Blue Planet Live lesson and teacher resources, and also led the content development of their education campaign, The Regenerators, which focuses on climate change education.
Most recently Leigh has published (with Heena Dave from the Teacher Development Trust) a report titled Sustainability and Climate Change Education: Creating the Foundations for Effective Implementation. This is an evidence-informed framework to support meaningful teaching and learning of these key areas.
Dr Mark Fogarty
Dr Mark Fogarty
Director of Academic Partnerships
Leeds Trinity University
Dr Mark Fogarty is an expert and pioneering researcher in the field of Oxidative Stress and DNA Damage. His early work was the first to detect the presence of free radical species in human biological samples, alongside damage to DNA from white blood cells. Dr Fogarty has a keen interest in the role that nutrition plays in promoting a healthy happy life, but also attempts to delve deeper into the basic components that many foods are made of to create potential medicines of the future.
Dr Fogarty’s current work is attempting to develop a cell model that is reflective of the human biological matrix to make experimentation with chemical extracts from food faster, safer, and more sustainable compared to conducting full human trials using invasive methods such as muscle biopsy. Dr Fogarty’s group have successfully designed an exercise mimic cell line using human skeletal muscle cells to enable the development of the next phase of this work.
Welcome session
Lecture: Sustainability and the SDGs – Professor Charles Egbu, Vice Chancellor at Leeds Trinity University
Orientation and campus introduction game
Visit to Leeds city centre
Social activities
Morning yoga (optional)
Lecture: The role of sport in tackling the sustainable development goals - Dr Jo Clarke
Group project brief
Good governance and financial sustainability within the global sport sector – Sarthak Mondal
Sport and regeneration: the legacy of the 2014 Grand Depart
Intercultural workshop
Social activities
The Bambisanani Partnership - David Geldart
Case study: Presentation by Think Pacific
Workshop: How to pitch like a pro
Group project work
Social activities
Morning Yoga (optional)
Group project work
Lecture: Physical activity for healthy, sustainable, and inclusive communities – Dr Bernadette Nakabazzi
Case study: Presentation by Cricket Without Boundaries
Workshop: Practical Cricket session
Fun quiz
Mindfulness session
Lecture: Exercise, nutrition and sustaining your health for the future - Dr Mark Fogarty
Field trip to Otley Chevin with wellbeing walk
Wellbeing walk
International night: sharing our talents
Group project presentations
An afternoon of sports and activities
Closing dinner and award ceremony
Day trip to York
Departures day