Canadian Association for the Advancement of Women and Sport and Physical Activity – Toronto, March 7th, 2018 – With International Women’s Day just around the corner, the Canadian Association for the Advancement of Women and Sport (CAAWS) is proud to present its bold three-year plan for leading change for women and girls within the sport and physical activity system.

CAAWS is committed to driving measurable impact that results in systemic change. To achieve this, the new strategic plan focuses the organization’s efforts and investment on two key pillars: retaining girls in sport and physical activity, and advancing female leaders in sport. CAAWS will also seize opportunities to influence governments, media and private-sector actors to affect positive change.

“We are motivated by a vision of achieving equity for women in society through the power of sport,” said CAAWS Chair, Sandip Lalli. “To this end, CAAWS is redoubling its efforts to create an equitable and inclusive sport system that empowers girls and women, within sport and through sport. We believe the time has come for real change in the sport and physical activity sector in Canada and we are poised to lead this effort in this new era, as we have for almost four decades.”

CAAWS is positioning itself to achieve its intended impact by enhancing its effectiveness in four priority areas: brand and communications, revenue generation, programs and operations. Modernization of these key functions will strengthen the conditions for CAAWS to serve its mission and its many partners and stakeholders, now and in the future.

A culture of innovation informs the strategic plan, according to Chief Executive Officer, Allison SandmeyerGraves. “We set out to challenge our own status quo at CAAWS. We started by clarifying our intended impact, which forced us to take a hard look at everything we do. This impact-led process resulted in a strategy that reflects an appetite for new approaches and emphasizes synergy and alignment across all business lines and activities.”

This strategic plan responds in part to broader changes in the environment that place increasing value and priority on gender equity and inclusion. In this new climate, CAAWS seeks to leverage its position as the leading authority and voice on women and sport to help sport and physical activity organizations make tangible strides towards full equity and inclusion for girls and women.

“Over the past 37 years, CAAWS has built a sterling reputation for leadership and expertise on gender inclusion in sport and physical activity,” adds Lalli. “Our new strategic direction builds on this foundation and aims to accelerate the pace of change, for the benefit of all.”

The full strategic plan can be found at www.caaws.ca.

About CAAWS

CAAWS is dedicated to creating an equitable and inclusive Canadian sport and physical activity system that empowers girls and women—as active participants and leaders—within and through sport. With a focus on systemic change, we partner with governments, organizations and leaders to challenge the status quo and to advance solutions that result in measurable change. Follow @CAAWS on Twitter and on Facebook. — 30 —

Contact: Terri Temelini

Manager of Projects and Communications

Canadian Association for the Advancement of Women and Sport and Physical Activity

416-901-0484 | terri@caaws.ca