The Sport and Recreation Alliance (SRA) is encouraging the sports sector to engage in a new consultation launched by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport (DCMS), which aims to help the government shape its strategy for civil society.

The consultation, launched in February by the minister for sport and civil society Tracey Crouch, will look to have an “open conversation” on the current state of civil society and what government can do to improve it.

The DCMS is looking to use the consultation as a building block to produce a Civil Society Strategy (CSS), which will outline plans to support people to play an active role in building a stronger society.

It will also look to “unlock the full potential” of the private and public sectors to support social good.

See a video below of sports minister Tracey Crouch announcing the consultation:

According to the SRA, there are strong parallels between the aims of the CSS and the government’s Sporting Future strategy.

James Allen, director of policy, governance and external affairs at the SRA, said: “The battle to define ‘civil society’ is one that many people wrestle with – and the government has taken what I believe is a wise decision to cast the net as far as possible.

“Sport and recreation is a key component of civil society and of the voluntary sector more specifically.

“I’d encourage members to engage in this exercise – both independently and collectively through the Alliance.

“This offers a great opportunity both to articulate the value of sport and recreation to building a stronger civil society and also to think about what government can do to help us engage more people in volunteering and social action.“

To find out more about – and to take part in – the consultation, click here for the DCMS website.