To our Sport for Life champions,
We’ve been doing some reflecting lately.
Our movement has grown and evolved for over two decades now, and during that time our mandate has broadened significantly. We’ve extended beyond the sport system, launching physical literacy initiatives first in communities and now in schools. More recently we’ve made significant efforts to beef up our digital offerings with webinars and eLearning opportunities.
In this newsletter we have a lengthy story about the genesis of Sport for Life, as well as an announcement about our recently created Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Accessibility (EDIA) Committee. Learn about the exciting work being done by Softball Canada, PLAY Kimberley and other organizations as they lead the way through this disruptive pandemic. We all need to learn from each other so that we can move forward together.
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A Brief History of Sport for Life
He wondered if they could turn their ideas into pictures.
In the early 1990s, while Richard Way was working as a coordinator of coach education for the B.C. government, he encountered the visionary work of Istvan Balyi, a defected Hungarian sport pioneer. Balyi had been brought to the west coast by Bob Bearpark of the B.C. government's sport branch to work with Team B.C. and the National Coaching Institute.
At the time, he was the only sport scientist in the country considering planning and periodization in relation to athlete training, and his work was beginning to gain traction internationally.
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Sport for Life Introduces Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Accessibility Committee
Sport for Life is proud to announce the inauguration of an internal Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Accessibility (EDIA) committee. In alignment with its vision for everyone to have the opportunity to participate in quality sport and physical literacy experiences, Sport for Life’s EDIA committee will drive discussion and advancement for under-serviced groups in sport and physical activity.
The committee is led by individuals who are fiercely passionate about advocating for Indigenous Peoples, people with disabilities, women and girls, the LGBTQI2S community, and newcomers to Canada.
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Kimberley Embraces Physical Literacy
The small mountain town of Kimberley, B.C. is known for its epic wilderness, its skiing opportunities and the local hockey team. It’s a cultural hub of the Kootenays, with a tight-knit community that is fiercely proud of their home. But due to its size and location, it also has limited access to healthcare programs and resources.
So in 2014 the town launched a non-profit called Healthy Kimberley with the goal of "making the healthy choice the easy choice". Shortly later project lead Shenoa Runge came across the Physical Literacy for Communities (PL4C) initiative, a Sport for Life project which was looking for applicants.
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Softball Canada Activates Long-Term Player Development at Grassroots Level
It’s not always easy for parents and coaches to understand.
Softball Canada was one of the earliest adopters of Sport for Life’s concept of Long-Term Athlete Development (LTAD), which the national sport organization used as the inspiration behind its own sport-specific
Long-Term Player Development
(LTPD) framework. The organization has made it the basis of its programming over the course of the past decade, but that doesn’t mean all of its members can wrap their heads around all the subtle tweaks and innovations that have been introduced, or why they’re necessary. It can be difficult for some to see the big picture.
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Return to Physical Literacy at the Community Level Webinar Envisions Way Forward
We all have to learn from each other.
That was the message shared by four industry leaders during Sport for Life’s Return to Physical Literacy at the Community Level webinar in June. Over 500 participants signed up to hear from Robert Bettauer and Chris Wright of Victoria’s
PISE (Pacific Institute for Sport Excellence)
, Cynthia Watson from
Vivo in Calgary
, and Andrew Clark of the
Richmond Oval
.
Each of them detailed the experiences they’ve been through since COVID-19 hit, sharing best practices and envisioning a way forward for the sport and physical activity ecosystem.
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Sport for Life Maps Out Elearning Ambitions
As organizations worldwide contemplate how the outbreak of COVID-19 has affected their work and their futures, many are now embracing new technologies and innovations that don’t require face-to-face interaction.
Though some sport and physical activity environments across the country remain closed, Sport for Life has taken this opportunity to double-down on its digital deliveries, funneling content through its
online campus
.
Between April 1, 2019 and March 31, 2020, over 2,400 eLearning courses were purchased.
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Integrating Long-Term Development and Coach Education: Things Are Changing! Webinar
Understanding the importance of Long-Term Development (LTD) in coach education, Canadian sport organizations have been integrating LTD into NCCP for years. But in 2020, everything’s changing. Today’s realities, including the impact of COVID-19, have led to a re-think of how we deliver coach education, how we “re-open” sport, and what it means to coach in today’s world. How does Long-Term Development fit into this re-think? Are there new ways to integrate LTD into coach education and sport delivery? This panel discussion with coach education and sport organization leaders examines what’s new and what’s next.
Wednesday, August 19, 2020, 10-11:30
a.m. PST
/ 1-2:30
p.m. EDT
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Impacts of COVID-19 on Local Sports Organizations Survey Report and Webinar
As a catalyst for lasting change within the sport and physical activity sector, Sport for Life recently conducted a national survey, based on Sport Calgary’s recent work, to measure the operational and financial impacts of COVID-19 on local sports organizations. Data was collected from 1,300 respondents representing nearly 4 million members and more than 56 sports.
Full national survey results can be found here:
Provincial/Territorial Reports and sport-specific reports for the five sports with the highest response rates can be found by clicking
here
.
Call to action letters for local sport organizations to send to their provincial/territorial government representatives or sport-governing bodies can be found by clicking
here
.
Please contact
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Si vous voulez consulter nos infolettres en français,
cliquez ici
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We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada.
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