The Citizenship Through Sports Alliance believes that the effort to heighten awareness of citizenship must extend beyond the sports community. The reason that the CTSA has emphasized sports as a means for enhancing citizenship is because so many of the attributes of citizenship can be found within the sports experience: respect for self, respect for others, discipline, and a sense of fair play.

By reaching beyond the sports community, you are sharing the many rewards of great citizenship to a wider spectrum of people. To bridge the gap between sports and non-sports activities, it's necessary to be ready to demonstrate how the two can work together to build better communities.

In the sections that follow, the focus is on involving individuals and groups outside the sports community, including the media, schools and community-based organizations. Opportunities abound to involve older adults of influence, as well as children, in mentoring and a variety of other activities. Involving others outside the traditional sports community, and involving athletes in co-curricular activities with others, helps highlight the connections between sports and citizenship.

Use your imagination and personal connections to generate community-specific projects that raise the consciousness about the importance of citizenship. The key to the successes of these efforts it to network: to harness the talents and resources of existing groups and other entities to help address their needs. Your success is fostering the cause of citizenship in your community.