2022 Volume: Edition 7

Dear Sport for Life champions,

The summer may be coming to an end, but in this eNewsletter we have some exciting events and learning opportunities to share with you for the months ahead. We also have a couple of articles to share: an interview with Cherokee Washington on how to achieve truly inclusive sport, and a multi-sport article written by Long-Term Development advisor Paul Jurbala and published by SIRC. As well, PLAYBuilder continues to grow and develop – learn more below.

2023 Sport for Life Summit

Mark your calendars for February 6-12 to attend the 2023 Sport for Life Summit. Again this year we will be taking a multi-community approach to bring the two-day Summit to a community near you. Stay tuned for an announcement of the host communities and for more information about the keynotes, theme and specific community dates. 

Join people who, like you, are leaders in quality sport and physical literacy, as we come together around some of the year's most important topics, and share knowledge and best practices through engaging panel discussions and networking opportunities.

If you have any questions, please contact Tyler Laing at tyler@sportforlife.ca.

International Physical Literacy Conference 2023 New York

Start planning your trip to the 

International Physical Literacy Conference in New York City on May 1-5, 2023 which will be hosted in partnership with New York Road Runners and Physical Literacy for Life. Join experts from around the world to learn about best practices in program design, implementation and evaluation for developing physical literacy.

Watch for a call for presentations in the fall for an opportunity to share what your organization has been doing to develop physical literacy. As well, we will be announcing the theme, streams, and keynote presenters in the coming weeks. Stay tuned!

If you have any questions, please contact Tyler Laing at tyler@sportforlife.ca.

>>Read more

October Webinar

Building a Safe Sport Culture at the Club & Community Level

Building on and continuing the discussion on research, this virtual session will explore safe sport practices at the club and community level for participants in the early stages. Join Sport for Life and researcher Dr. Alison Doherty, coach Matt Thomas as well as two athletes to discuss sport culture and safety practices on and off the field of play. Recognizing volunteers and sport leaders working at the club have so much on their plates already, this session will also explore moving from research to action. What should safe sport culture look like for all participants? 

When: Tuesday, October 4 at 6:30 p.m. - 7:45 p.m. Eastern. This time includes a 15-minute linger opportunity to chat with panelists.

Register here!

How to achieve truly inclusive quality sport: A conversation with Cherokee Washington

When it comes to delivering true quality sport, collegiate volleyball player and anti-racist educator Cherokee Washington says that before we can move forward, we must continue to acknowledge our faults around inclusivity in sport. 

One of the most persistent issues within the Canadian sport and physical activity systems is how members of equity-deserving groups continue to be under-serviced and under-supported. Many sport and physical activity programs have not adequately engaged with these groups to design and deliver quality experiences that meet diverse needs.

Sport for Life works with content and context experts to build the detailed components needed for each sport organization to construct appropriate and meaningful Long-Term Development pathways for everyone.

>>Read more

The Importance of Multi-sport

Sport for Life’s Long-Term Development in Sport and Physical Activity resource document identifies personal, individual and system factors that contribute to athlete development. Two of these factors, Diversification and Appropriate Specialization, are key to ensuring well-rounded, successful athletes – those with a high level of physical literacy and skills that can be transferred across sports. The opportunity to engage in multiple sports helps ensure each athlete has the ability to reach their full athletic potential. 

Dr. Paul Jurbala, one of Sport for Life’s Long-Term Development advisors and an expert on quality sport, has written an article on the current perspectives on multi-sport participation, which was recently published by SIRC. This work was made possible by the support of Sport Canada. 

But further investigation is needed. 

>>Read more

PLAYBuilder

PLAYBuilder is a web-based tool that lets you deliver consistent programming, quality content and exceptional participant experiences, every time.

Professionally designed content:

Raise the bar for education and recreation with a growing collection of over 900 activities, designed by Physical Literacy experts and mapped to Canadian physical education curricula.

Deliver anywhere, on any device:

Custom activities let you deliver programs wherever your participants are, with simple tools that let your leaders build comprehensive lesson and term plans in minutes. PLAYBuilder’s On-The-Go mobile interface lets you carry today’s plan in your pocket, with printable plans for clipboard devotees.

Reach new participants:

Drive sport participation by working with us to put your grassroots programs in schools and rec centres across the country. A positive first experience with a sport can set the tone for the rest of an athlete’s career, and we help make sure it’s a good one.

Visit getplaybuilder.com to learn more and book a demo, or contact us at digital@sportforlife.ca.