Loka Heroes was initiated in 2016 by Loka and the Swedish Basketball Association to increase the health among youths in Sweden. Sport is not available to everyone and there are a lot of children and young people who want to play sports but don’t have the opportunity for various reasons.
Loka Heroes wanted to change that by finding and supporting passionate people around Sweden who made a difference in society with the help of basketball. Along for the ride, we had the basketball star and WNBA player Amanda Zahui as our ambassador. During seven years, 23 different projects have been supported, from Malmö in the south to Tärendö in the north. The projects have engaged girls in the suburbs, youths with intellectual disabilities, women living in asylum homes, and refugees have received education and jobs through the initiative. Our Heroes have been awarded and nominated for prizes such as “Svenska Hjältar”, Årets Eldsjäl and the Hedenius Prize. Our Ambassador Amanda Zahui received one of the most honorable prizes at the Swedish Sports awards, for her efforts in Loka Heroes. They have been frequently mentioned in national- and local media, television and radio. SBBF has welcomed a lot of new youths playing basketball, and Loka has increased the perception of itself as a sustainable brand as well as built strong internal engagement and new external relations.
Håkanson United was responsible for the concept, project management, activation, PR and social media. The concept and projects of Loka Heroes has been nominated and won multiple awards, such as Gyllene Hjulet and Svenska Hjältar.
