Sport for Life April Newsletter

2023 Volume: Edition 4

To our Sport for Life champions,

When it comes to the work we do in mobilizing physical literacy and quality sport awareness, we always need to think about how we communicate our mission and vision to create lasting change. Since the ideas we’re promoting are universal, it’s imperative that we find the right way to get them across—and we’re always learning new ways to reach out and impact our audiences.

In this eNewsletter you can read about how the term “physical literacy” is being embraced in Quebec, as part of our coverage of this year’s Montreal Summit. In the Atlantic we have trainers training other trainers as they attempt to get school children active and moving. And in Calgary we check in with the Real ME program, offered by the Centre for Newcomers, in which New to Canada Participants receive mentorship and quality sport opportunities.

We also have opportunities to get involved with our International Physical Literacy Conference, coming up May 2-5, as well as a webinar on how to dismantle barriers for New to Canada Participants—which you can also learn about with our Campus offerings.

Physical literacy training empowers PL4C observers in Atlantic Canada

Thanks to mentors from the Physical Literacy for Communities (PL4C) project, teachers, recreation instructors and physical activity leaders are being trained in physical literacy observation in Atlantic communities using PLAY Tools.

Participants are being empowered to share what they’ve learned with other instructors using a train-the-trainer model, improving the leadership and culture around physical literacy awareness in Atlantic Canada.

The PL4C project, which is supported financially by the Public Health Agency of Canada and delivered by Sport for Life, has a mentor-led approach in 26 PL4C communities across Canada.

>>Read more

Montreal Summit hosts sell-out Francophone crowd

The organizers of this year’s Sport for Life Summit in Montreal are still glowing after a sold-out event of 170 delegates that featured hard-hitting talks on the importance of safe sport, how to create a collaborative environment and breaking through unconscious biases.

Held at Maison du loisir et du sport and organized by Réseau Accès Participation in collaboration with Sport'Aide, Réseau des unités régionales de Loisir et de Sport and Champions for Life , the Summit attracted quality sport and physical literacy professionals for multiple days of presentations in French, with a focus on equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility – making it the biggest Sport for Life-affiliated Francophone event since our organization’s creation in 2005.

>>Read more

TAFISA offers online course with Sport for Life's Manager of Indigenous Initiatives Mataya Jim

Do you know the best way to integrate cultural heritage, sport and physical activity into your programming?

The Association for International Sport for All (TAFISA) is offering a “Mission 2030” workshop with Sport for Life’s Manager of Indigenous Initiatives Mataya Jim in which she will share the resource Indigenous Communities: Active for Life, giving participants tips on how to work towards inclusion of Indigenous participants. The workshop will be held at 4 a.m. PDT on May 4.

To register, click here.

Calgary gang intervention program empowers New to Canada Participants through quality sport, mentorship

You can’t over-emphasize the power of having a good coach.

As far as Noël Bahliby is concerned, having a positive role model in a child’s life is crucial to their sense of well-being and self-worth. And as the Director of Youth Programs for the Centre for Newcomers in Calgary, he knows that offering newcomers to Canada the opportunity to get involved with a quality sport team and providing them with one-on-one instruction is one of the most powerful ways to keep them on a positive trajectory as they acclimatize to their new country.

>>Read more

Webinar aims to dismantle barriers for New to Canada Participants

Within the quality sport and physical literacy ecosystem, there are many barriers faced by New to Canada Participants. How can we dismantle them, so that everybody has access to these opportunities?

In this webinar, hear from panellists Noël Bahliby (Director of Youth Programs with the Centre for Newcomers), Kiruthika Rathanaswami (Adult Program Manager with Volleyball BC) and Craig Brown (Facilitator with Anti-Racism in Sport) as they discuss:

the important programs they each run in their communities to engage New to Canada participants;
the barriers New to Canada Participants face and ideas on how those barriers could be overcome; and
their insights on how the system overall can address barriers to participation, to create lasting change.

This webinar will be held on May 11 at 10:00 - 11:30 a.m. PDT/1:00-2:30 p.m. EDT.

>>Register here

Hip Hop Public Health brings the hype to International Physical Literacy Conference 2023

Delegates can expect to get active during the upcoming International Physical Literacy Conference May 2-5 in New York City.

Hip Hop Public Health founder and Board Chair Dr. Olajide Williams and Executive Director and CEO Lori Rose Benson will be delivering an opening keynote address on the evening of May 2. They will share how their organization creates research-based educational resources by harnessing the power of music, art and science to promote healthy behaviours, health literacy and health equity. Hip Hop Public Health routinely collaborates with internationally recognized artists such as Ashanti, Chuck D. and Doug E. Fresh.

The conference will feature several other keynotes, including Kevin Atlas, Sheelagh Quinn and Melanie McKee, and Rob Simmelkjaer.

>>Register now

Paralympian badminton powerhouse inspires Prince George Summit

Rishav Sharma really loves badminton.

As a passionate Para-badminton champion and recent immigrant from India, Sharma has made a huge impact on his new hometown of Fort St. John. Having formed his own badminton club and coached many local children to success, he had plenty of insight to share as a keynote speaker during this year’s Prince George Summit.

Sport for Life sat down with Sharma before the Summit on April 14-15 to talk about badminton, his intersectional identity and how his life as an immigrant has impacted his journey.

>>Read now

Online course teaches participants how to ensure inclusion for New to Canada Participants

New to Canada Participants require an individualized approach to enhance their own level of physical literacy through quality, stage-appropriate experiences. This course explores the barriers they face to participation and solutions to address those barriers.

This course was developed by Sport for Life.

As sport and physical activity leaders, we must make sure our programs are accessible to all Canadians. To do this, we must become familiar with and empathetic to the unique circumstances that prevent some New to Canada Participants from fully participating in sport and physical activity.

>>Register here