Sport for Life enewsletter

2020 Volume: Edition 8

To our Sport for Life champions,

As an organization, we believe in the concept of Kaizen — a Japanese concept that means constant self-improvement. That means every time a quality sport or physical literacy initiative that we’re involved in comes to an end, we’re always asking “what could we have done better?” and “where could we go next?” And as we embark on some of our most ambitious projects to date, we’re working hard to always improve.

In this newsletter you can read about the new School Physical Activity and Physical Literacy Project, and learn about some of the great work being done by partners such as Association Québécoise d'Aviron (AQA) and Softball BC. We also have a great webinar opportunity, and a call out for abstracts to present at the 2021 Virtual Sport for Life Canadian Summit!

Softball BC commits to Indigenous Long-Term Participant Development implementation

Amidst a global reckoning about systemic racism in North America and beyond, sport organizations are increasingly looking for ways to create in-roads into under-serviced communities and to create better cultural awareness.

Softball BC is one example of a provincial organization putting in the time to incorporate the Indigenous Long-Term Participant Development Pathway (ILTPD) into its programming, stemming from the Calls to Action of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, to better attract and retain Indigenous talent.

>>Read more

Quebec Rowing innovates with competition restructuring

Rowing is undergoing a cultural shift in Quebec.

Until recently, there weren’t many opportunities for rowers under the age of 14. Competitions often required extensive and expensive travel, but didn’t provide athletes with meaningful match-ups or much time on the water. The Long-Term Development infrastructure required to provide quality sport experiences simply wasn’t there yet, though there were plenty of people interested in getting involved. That’s when the Association Québécoise d'Aviron (AQA) began looking at restructuring their competitions.

>>Read more

Introducing the School Physical Activity and Physical Literacy Project

It's one of the largest scale endeavours Sport for Life has ever embarked on — the School Physical Activity and Physical Literacy Project — and when it’s completed it will have reached over 100 elementary schools in British Columbia.

“This is a unique opportunity for us to prototype different professional development opportunities for teachers related to physical activity and physical literacy. The end result will be a program that empowers elementary school teachers and support staff from K to 7,” said Project Lead Alex Wilson.

>>Read more

PLAY North Vancouver encourages community connection through physical literacy

When you attempt to put together a cross-sectoral working group of physical literacy advocates, sometimes you end up with allies you wouldn’t have expected.

For JoAnne Burleigh of Vancouver Coastal Health, who has been spearheading Sport for Life’s Physical Literacy for Communities (PL4C) initiative across the North Shore of Vancouver, some of the most surprising organizations that came out of the woodwork were North Shore Table Tennis Club, BC Floorball, and Capilano University.

>>Read more

"No Ref - No Game” Reframing Long-Term Officials Development Webinar

Participation in sport officiating in Canada is dwindling to crisis levels in many sports. Through the development of Sport for Life’s Long-Term Officials Framework/Guidelines, we've learned that Canada’s 600,000 + officials often feel disconnected from their sport organizations and frequently suffer harassment and abuse. This webinar explores the critical role officials can play in reaching Sport Canada’s goals for safe quality sport opportunities for all Canadians.

This webinar will be led by Meredith Gardner, Long-Term Development Advisor, Sport for Life LTOD lead, and founder of “Count Us In” training for the inclusion of children with hidden disabilities in sport.

Date: Thursday, October 22, 2020, 10:00–11:30 a.m. PST / 1–2:30 p.m. EDT.

>>Register here

Present at the 2021 Virtual Sport for Life Canadian Summit

We are calling on leaders from across the sport, recreation, education, and health sectors to share their leading-edge work at the 2021 Virtual Sport for Life Canadian Summit. The Summit will be delivered virtually across a total of six days, from January 26 through 28 and from February 2 through 4.

Our call for presentation abstracts will be open for one more week, so don't hesitate to share with us your great ideas and work! If you'd like to present, please submit your abstract by Friday, October 2.

>>Submit your abstract here