BELONG
MY COMMITMENT
© David Lupion | UpWind by MerConceptI will use my role as leader to build an exemplar team that creates opportunities, engenders belonging, and protects the environment.
I will share my experiences, include that of others, and drive innovation through collaboration to establish a high performing team that competes to win well – for the planet, for people, and for the prize.
© Guillaume Gatefait / MerConceptAs a leader, my mission is to build a team that not only excels in performance but also creates opportunities for everyone to feel included and valued, while protecting our environment. By sharing personal experiences and driving collaboration, we aim to build a high-performing team that competes not just for the prize, but for people and the planet.
Our goal is to cultivate a community, within the sailing world and beyond, where everyone feels they belong. Let’s connect, foster empathy, and celebrate diversity to create spaces where everyone is welcome. Now is the time to act—reach out to someone, share your story, or advocate for inclusivity in your community.
Belonging is the deep-seated need to feel valued, accepted, and supported within a community—a feeling that isn’t always guaranteed. When you don’t feel like you belong, it can be a lonely, disheartening experience, one that many can relate to.
“Together, we can create a world where everyone belongs.”
“Let's build connections, foster empathy, and celebrate diversity together.”
“Help us to create a community both within the sailing world, and beyond, where everyone feels valued, accepted, and supported.”
Together, we can create a world where everyone belongs
Why does this matter to me?
When I was a kid, I was so lucky to find a place in my sailing club and in sport where I felt totally accepted, people took me as I was, and didn’t judge me, but I have been part of other places where it was definitely harder. I grew up in Italy in the 1990s in a Catholic family and we spent a lot of time around the church and I definitely didn’t feel I belonged. I wasn’t in a place where I could express myself truly and I had to be someone and something I was not. And at school as well - I wasn’t always super open about the person I was until pretty late in high school.
In sport I found a community where we were sharing something together, we were all passionate about the sport, passionate about getting together, going sailing and swimming, and sport was the glue for the whole group.
Leadership in every organization has a massive role in how you create a safe environment where everyone feels they belong, and they can then perform at their best for who they are.
I knew I could never win races or be good at school without being true to myself - it doesn’t enhance performance hiding parts of you. Even 25 or 30 years ago, my coaches understood that. They had 15 kids who were all different and our coaches recognized they had to embrace the differences. Of course we have to work together, but at the same time we need to address each person for who they are, what they bring to the team, their personality, their background, and I know that can be really successful within both sports teams and businesses.
My coaches and sports directors created a safe place where every kid was really welcome and I want to support people to be able to create this in their own organizations whether they are at a grassroots level and just starting out or at the very highest levels of the sport.