2019 Volume: Edition 8

To Sport for Life champions worldwide,

We believe there's room for everyone in the physical literacy and quality sport movements, and that's why inclusion has become such a central part of what we do. If we want to move forward together, we can't leave anyone behind. In this newsletter you'll find a number of stories about the role of inclusion within our ecosystem. 
Four questions with Greg Henhawk

Greg Henhawk is a Mohawk of the Bear Clan from Six Nations of the Grand River First Nation in Southern Ontario. He spent 32 years working as a secondary school teacher in Ontario before transitioning into his role as Manager of Indigenous Projects at Sport for Life. We sat down with Greg to talk about the importance of Truth and Reconciliation, the current state of the education system in Canada and why physical literacy is so important. 

Talking physical literacy and mental health with Dr. Guy Faulkner

Dr. Guy Faulkner is a professor of kinesiology at UBC who has long been fascinated by the link between physical activity and mental health. He is the founding editor of the academic journal Mental Health and Physical Activity , and often presents his findings to conferences worldwide. Recently he was a keynote speaker at our International Physical Literacy Conference in Winnipeg. For this newsletter he chatted with storyteller Will Johnson about the nuances of his work, and the main takeaways for those aspiring to an active, healthy lifestyle. 

Developing Physical Literacy: A New Normal for all Canadians webinar

This webinar will introduce the concepts and content of the new Developing Physical Literacy resource, highlighting the changes that have occurred since the first edition was published in 2007, and pointing to the goals and potential of the new edition. 

Date:    Tuesday, September 17, 2019, 1–2:30 p.m. PST.

BC Hockey makes incremental Long-Term Athlete Development progress

When you’re first teaching children how to play hockey, it doesn’t make sense to use the entire rink. The kids aren’t ready for it yet, and it’s simply too big. That’s why BC Hockey began incrementally adapting their program to follow Hockey Canada’s Long-Term Athlete Development model, based on the framework introduced by Sport for Life, going against traditional methods to maximize participation and skill development.

Winnipeg researcher mobilizes physical literacy environmental assessment

Nathan Hall believes in the Physical Literacy Environmental Assessment tool, also known as PLEA. The associate professor at the University of Winnipeg has been researching physical literacy for years, and was one of the first users of the Sport for Life innovation. Now he’s using PLEA to compile data on movement environments in his home city, alongside his co-investigator Dr. Melanie Gregg.

Quality Sport for Community Clubs webinar

This webinar will introduce the concepts and content of Sport for Life’s new Quality Sport for Community Clubs resource. A brief overview of the five sections of the resource will be provided: focus on athlete growth and development, supporting long-term goals, using competition intentionally for development, a commitment to sport for all, and partnerships that prioritize development needs.

Date:    Tuesday, October 1, 2019, 10–11:30 a.m. PST.

Long-Term Athlete Development in Sport and Physical Activity 3.0

This resource provides a framework for the development of every child, youth, and adult to enable optimal participation in sport and physical activity. The objective of the framework is to promote both sporting excellence at the highest international level and life-long engagement in health-enhancing physical activity. This third edition brings a number of important updates and enhancements. Despite an unwavering belief that every child is born an athlete, Sport for Life has chosen to call this resource  Long-Term Development in Sport and Physical Activity.

How do we ensure newcomer girls are engaged in sport and physical literacy?

When University of Manitoba researcher Simrit Deol first set out to investigate the barriers newcomer girls face when engaging with sport and physical literacy in Canada, there’s a particular phrase her subjects used to describe the status quo: “the same thing, the same machine”. Many of them faced both societal and personal barriers, and most reported struggling to make new friends.

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We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada. 
Sport for Life Society |   (778) 433-2066 |   www.sportforlife.ca