Beyond Sport

Award Entered:
Best New Project
Parent Organisation:
Global Youth Leadership Institute, Inc
Project Host Nation:
United States
Overview of Project:
Step It Up is open to Step and Dance Teams of all types (Modern, Ballet, Jazz, Hip Hop Urban, Fraternity Step, and Break). We consider all entries that reflect the theme of the contest: Step It Up; Empowering youth to use step and dance as a catalyst for social impact and public service. The scope of the contest is to encourage innovative solutions that use Step and Dance to increase public service, improve community, accelerate development and drive social change. This project specifically addresses the issue of public service by incorporating it into every phase of the competition. In the pre-competition phase, teams select from causes such as Environment, Inequality, Health, Poverty, Violence and Education. Teams participate in workshops that include the use of social media in cause marketing, and community service project development as well as sharpening dance skills. In the judging phase the performance score is 30%, Social and Community Impact is 40% and Online Activity is 30% (Number of people rallied around the cause). During the competition participants answer questions about their cause and project, submit written plans, execute the community service project and create public service announcements all while using Step and Dance to support the cause.