Building connections – the importance of role models in sports
08 March 2021
Carol Glenn has been active within motorsports since 1988 as a volunteer licensed Motorsport UK Official, and is a pioneer in the world of Motorsport. As the first Black woman to become a UK race official, we wanted to provide a platform for Carol to share her inspiring story with as many young people as possible. Carol founded the Next Racing Generation Academy, a Black-owned motorsport team that will support young people from diverse backgrounds to enter racing, and was excited to share her new initiative with our members.
In December, we brought Carol together with three London Youth Members for a Q&A about her journey to becoming a Formula 1 Race Official.
One of the young leaders on the call, Renedi, had this to say about the experience:
‘The session with Carol Glenn was amazing. From her story to her career and being one of the only women in her profession, she did not fail to inspire or motivate all of us to strive for our goals and be happy whilst doing so. A key takeaway from the Q&A with Carol Glenn was that if I am passionate about a sport or career, it should not matter what gender or race are predominantly in the profession, I should keep striving to be a part of it.’
Carol felt equally enriched by the experience, and was keen to continue sharing her story:
‘It was so uplifting to hear from so many young people about the work that they are doing, who were also interested in what I have been doing for the last 30 years and who were interested in my new initiative Next Racing Generation Academy.’
Following the Q&A, Renedi got in touch to see how we could connect Carol with the youth club she’s part of, Badu Sports, to continue the conversation and share her story with the other young people in her mentoring group.
To celebrate International Women’s day, London Youth will facilitate another Q&A later this month with Carol and Badu Sports, where young women and girls will have a chance to share their experiences and learn more about how Carol has worked to define her place in a male dominated sport and workforce.
Carol’s story highlighted the importance of having diverse role models, and the impact that this can have on sports participation. Our aim is to continue to provide spaces for young people to engage directly with these role models, and develop the next generation of inspiring role models in sports.
– Liona Bravo, Sports Development Officer
Read more of our International Women’s Day blogs here.
