Nike

As a young girl attending a Native American boarding school on the Cherokee Nation Reservation in Oklahoma, Dr.Christine Panther remembers being taught the cultural practice of rising before dawn to greet the sun. That daily reverence toward the natural world helped inspire Panther, whose origins trace back to Oklahoma’s Kiowa, Quapaw and Shawnee Nations, to take up running throughout high school and into her adulthood. Many Indigenous communities across the world share the same sentiment: Nature can be a conduit to movement, which, in turn, is a conduit for change.   “Indigenous communities across the world honor nature through movement and sport,” says Panther, a Sr. Manager, Social & Community Impact (SCI) at Nike. “Sport is medicine. Sport opens up a world of possibilities outside our door, especially for our young people. That’s why the N7 Fund’s connection to movement and sport is so vital, and so transformative.”   Among Panther’s responsibilities within SCI is to help facilitate the N7 Fund application process, which is now open through January 6. The program recognizes nonprofits at all scales, from grassroots to the national level, that are increasing access to sport for Indigenous youth across North America. Watching these groups use the power of sport to change lives for the better is a privilege, says Panther. Her work at Nike, she says, places her within a proud lineage of Indigenous leaders and organizations, past and present, who see movement as a pathway toward transformation.       “The N7 Fund follows the proverbial wisdom of Indigenous communities to consider the impact of our choices on the seventh generation,” says Panther. “The children from this and future generations are benefitting from the tireless work of our partners, which the fund helps support. Getting a front-row seat to see how they will change the world is an honor.”   Learn more about the N7 Fund and apply at https://lnkd.in/g-BSm_4B #SwooshLife #NikeN7Fund #JustDoIt

Nike’s employee-led networks are built on the diverse, intersecting identities of all our teammates. This month, Paralympian Beatriz Hatz visited Nike’s World Headquarters and sat down with members from two employee networks — the Disability Network and the Latino & Friends Network — to share more about her overlapping identities as a multi-ethnic, disabled athlete.   Erica Korpi, a Senior Administrative Assistant at Nike, serves on the leadership team for Nike’s Disability Network, and was one of the moderators who sat down with Beatriz for a heartfelt conversation about the athlete's career, her summer in Paris, and her intersectional identities. Beatriz’s personal story hits home for Erica.   “I consider myself both a runner and a disabled woman,” says Erica. “Connecting with others like me, especially someone as incredible as Beatriz, feeds my soul. Nike’s core belief — 'If you have a body, you’re an athlete' — is brought to life through visits like these. It was an honor to share her story with our Nike teammates.”   Learn more about our Nike United Networks: https://lnkd.in/gcxyit3S #LifeAtNike #DEAM #HispanicHeritageMonth #NikeUNITED

Check ball 🏀 We're covering all things hoops in this month's Swoosh Stories. #NikeBasketball #Jumpman #SwooshStories

How do you top an unforgettable summer in Paris? If you’re Faith Kipyegon, try being nominated for the 2024 Women’s Track Athlete of the Year. The awards and accolades may keep on coming, but the dominant middle-distance runner says she’s after something else: “When young runners from the next generation watch me compete, I want them to see freedom — the freedom to challenge themselves in new ways.” Hear more from Faith about her earliest running memories, how her identity as a mother gives her life, and more at https://lnkd.in/gKUK2CBj #NikeRunning #JustDoIt

In his first week back, our new President & CEO Elliott Hill immediately set the tone: We’re here to win as a team. Go bts and see Elliott describe what it’s like being back at the Swoosh and what's next for Nike: https://lnkd.in/guQUyijC #JustDoIt #SwooshLife #Team

Sweet collab, Converse. We’re big Billie fans too.  🎤 👟 🔥

Nike Running’s newest super trainer, the Zoom Fly 6, is designed to help runners push the pace during their most important workouts. Who better to put the shoe through its paces than the greatest marathoner of all time? Eliud Kipchoge delivered his wise, thoughtful feedback on the Zoom Fly 6 in a few different ways — perhaps none more fitting than his thorough handwritten notes. Eliud’s partnership embodies what happens when our athletes join us in refining our latest performance models. They become critical members of the Nike team. “We’ve started to call Eliud our 'Product Line Manager on the ground,' says Elliott Heath, Nike’s Sr. Expert of Running Footwear. “He’s doing hand sketches and writing dedicated notes about our prototypes — that’s his baseline. He’s the world’s best marathoner, but he actually feels like a member of our product team.” Hear more from our ultimate wear-tester on the Zoom Fly 6: https://lnkd.in/gZqXtsre #SwooshLife #NikeRunning #JustDoIt

Welcome home, Elliott Hill. NIKE, Inc.’s new President & CEO kicked off his first day by bringing together our Nike, Jordan and Converse teams around the world to talk about writing the next great chapter of our company. #JustDoIt

The torch has been passed: the LA28 Olympic & Paralympic Games are less than four years away, and community organizations creating the future of youth sport know there’s no time to lose. To kick off, in partnership with LA28 and the Center for Healing and Justice through Sport, we hosted 350 coaches and leaders from 35 Nike grantees and more than 100 LA-based youth sport organizations in Inglewood for the Nike Coach Summit. Last Saturday, they participated in coach training focused on creating a sense of belonging for all youth, especially girls, in sport. Youth sport leaders also spent time together as peer movement-builders in the City of Athletes. The moment inspires and fuels our Nike Social & Community Impact work. “The momentum we’ve created with our partners to power the future of youth sport in LA through the Nike Coach Summit is incredible,” says Jaime Guzman, Director of Social & Community Impact in Los Angeles. “Every organization now has a stronger sense of how they’re part of the movement to build inclusivity through coaching and sport equity for all our city’s youth.” Check out more ways we’re working to get kids involved in sports: https://lnkd.in/dvdVXYsQ #JustDoIt #LAOlympics #NikeCoachSummit

Couldn’t agree more, Brandis Russell. We’re better together.