Sandnessjøen, a Norwegian town of about 6,000 inhabitants, is one of those places most of us need need a map to find. Situated on the windy Atlantic coast, about 1000 kilometres north of Oslo and not far from the Arctic Circle, the first thoughts its location brings to mind include “isolated”, “really isolated” and “end of the earth”.
But sixteen year-old athlete Edith Meek Allern, a member of the European Athletics Young Leaders Community, does not see it that way. Using her organisational skills and contacts in sport, she has found a way to help children in the faraway Philippines through athletics.
On 27 June, Edith organised a relay race in the streets of Sandnessjøen that raised more than € 1,100 for a charity based in the town, made her a local media personality and convinced the president of European Athletics, Svein Arne Hansen, to change his travel plans so he could support the event.
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Edith’s idea developed as she was taking part in the Norwegian athletics federation’s ung leder (Young Leaders) programme, which each year provides 100 selected young volunteers training and support with the aim of preparing them to take on key roles in athletics clubs or other organisations in sport.
“As a part of the programme we are required to make a project together with our club. I wanted to do something to show that even if we live in a small town we can make a difference in the world and that solidarity exists in sport,” explains Edith.
With help from her teammates at Sandnessjøen IL and the Bridgebuilder Foundation, which supports a family centre in Manila, she directed the preparations for the Brobyggerstaffett (Bridge Builder Relay) with the aim of raising funds for the foundation.
Her promotional work included interviews with the local newspaper, posts on social media and sharing her project internationally with fellow young volunteers through the European Athletics Young Leaders Community website.
“I am very pleased we could get 70 participants. Our town is not big, so that was a lot,” says Edith. “The weather turned out nice and the people were enthusiastic”.
Hansen, who knows a thing or two about organising athletics events as the long-time director of Oslo’s Bislett Games and President of the Norwegian athletics federations, was due to travel to Central America that weekend. But he changed his plans after being invited by Edith to give out the prizes after the race and instead he went to Sandnessjøen.
“How could I say no?”, he smiles. “We are so proud of Edith. It's amazing what she can do. She is not only a promising sprinter, she is also a talented singer and artist. And now to deliver on a project like this is just fantastic.'
“It is important to acknowledge the work that hundreds of young volunteers like Edith are doing in clubs and on projects in Norway and around Europe”, he adds. “The sport needs them and any support we can give them is well worth it”.
For her part, Edith was proud to have such a high profile guest: “It was pretty cool to have him be there for the race”, she says. “It made me feel like what we were doing was appreciated and worthwhile.”
To learn more, visit Edith’s project page on the European Athletics Young Leaders Community website by clicking here.