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Coaches are the most visible and influential leaders in sport, but unfortunately, we know that women are under-represented in coaching roles (Canadian Women & Sport, The Rally Report, (2020).

We’ve partnered with the Coaching Association of Canada (CAC) to combat this issue by creating the Gender Equity in Coaching Framework and Self-Assessment Tool which helps organizations to identify areas of strength and opportunities for improvement. The new interactive tools will provide organizations with the resources they need to cultivate a more equitable coaching landscape within their communities. To learn more and to access the tools, visit our Gender Equity in Coaching webpage.

Check out our latest blog post about the current state of women coaches in the Canadian sport system! Learn where women coaches currently stand in community and high-performance sport and what impacts girls’ participation in physical activity has on these statistics.

Hold November 23 at 12pm ET in your calendar for an upcoming webinar to learn more about Gender Equity in Coaching. Stay tuned to our social for more details.

Upcoming Opportunities to Apply for:

• Call for partners: Sport for Life, in partnership with Canadian Women & Sport, are looking for three local sport organizations (LSOs) or community-based organizations who are keen to engage and empower self-identifying racialized and/or newcomer women, girls, trans women, trans girls, and femmes through quality sport opportunities. All local sport organizations or community-based organizations or groups are eligible to participate in this initiative. Selected organizations will receive $8,000 to compensate for the time spent reviewing and sharing feedback on the resources provided by Sport for Life and Canadian Women & Sport and designing and delivering an initiative with support from the resources and mentorship. The application deadline is November 10, 2021, 11:59 pm EST. Click here to learn more.

Upcoming Learning Opportunities:

• We’ve partnered with the Canadian Parks and Recreation Association to deliver a six-part interactive workshop series that will provide recreation and sport leaders with practical information on how to get and keep adult women active. In each 90-minute session, participants will learn about what motivates women to participate, and how to apply strategies to increase the participation of adult women in active living programs. Each presentation will highlight unique programs as case studies and feature regional guest speakers with expertise in leading successful recreation and sport programs for women. Visit our website for more information on the six workshops.
• We’ve partnered with the Sport Information Resource Centre (SIRC) to deliver the Engaging Girls and Women in Sport Mini Series. Did you know 1 in 4 Canadian girls are not committed to returning to sport after the pandemic? (COVID Alert: Pandemic Impact on Girls in Sport). That means over 350,000 girls could end up sitting on the sidelines in the post-COVID-19 world. Part 1: Getting Girls Back in the Game will look at the impact of COVID-19 on women and girls in sport. Panelists will explore research on the current situation and share strategies to help girls feel comfortable and confident to get back into the game. This webinar will take place on Wednesday, November 17th at 1:00pm ET. Register now. 
• Our Resources page on our website contains a wealth of learning opportunities for the sport sector. Did you know that women performance athletes are 2X more likely to face maltreatment in sport and report more harmful resulting health outcomes? Learn how gender equity may help to reduce gender-based violence in sport. Download our infographic.

Organizational Updates:

• We’ve concluded our Board of Directors election and are excited to welcome Lara Rooke, Senior Program Advisor, International Visits and Protocol at the Government of Canada to the board. Rooke brings a wealth of knowledge and experience from 18 years as a public servant across several roles. Rooke joins Canadian Women & Sport alongside, Natalie Marcuzzi—a Young Director with FORA: Network for Change’s Girls on Boards program. Marcuzzi works in capital markets at RBC and brings a strong athlete lens to the board as a recent player with the Toronto 6. We are delighted to welcome Marcuzzi to the board for a one-year term in an ex-officio capacity to support her development as a leader in sport. Read the release for details.

Gender Equity Initiatives From Our Friends:

• Fast and Female is running their 8th Virtual Summit Series across Canada. The 2021 Virtual Summit Series will be a 5-session program hosted over 5 weeks (every Saturday, from November 13 until December 11) focused on physical activity, hearing from their REAL (Relatable, Empowering, Active Leaders) Role Models, interactive workshops, and more! Participants will enjoy high-quality time with role models. This series is targeted for girls (8-14 years old) and leaders-in-training (15-18 years old). Registration closes November 10th at 11:59pm ET. If you have questions, please e-mail summit@fastandfemale.com.
• Girls & Women in Motion has officially opened their Pen Pal Mentor program through their 2021 WISE Grant Funding. The Pen Pal Mentor Program will pair girls, ages 10-16, with women mentors/role models, aged 20+, from the General Toronto Area (GTA) for a 6-month period to allow girls to see a future for themselves within sport. This FREE program is still looking for 12 girls aged 10-16 that live in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) to be mentees. For more information to share with those in your community, please click HERE. Registration can be found HERE.

Have a gender equity initiative or event that you would like to share? Fill out the following form and it could be featured in our upcoming newsletter(s).

Thanks for reading!