Call for Partners: Implementing Equitable and Quality Community Sport for Racialized and Newcomer Women & Girls
About the Project
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. Quality Sport opportunities means creating positive experiences in supportive environments through developmentally appropriate, safe and inclusive programs, led by trained and knowledgeable people, in fun and welcoming places.
We know there is a lot of great work happening in communities across Canada and we want to build relationships with your organization to support you in implementing quality sport programming that addresses barriers towards the participation of racialized and/or newcomer women and girls in sport. All local sport organizations or community-based organizations or groups are eligible to participate in this initiative.
Between November 2021 and April 2022, we will work with selected organizations to:
- Determine their needs (November)
- Develop and share tools and resources (December-January)
- Provide mentorship and guidance to support those needs (November-March), and
- Design and deliver an initiative to support quality sport opportunities (January onward).
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.
Sport for Life is honoured to have its headquarters on the traditional territory of the Lekwungen peoples. We have been developing strong relationships with local organizations in the community and to continue supporting our local community, hope to have one of the three selected LSOs based in the Greater Victoria area.
If interested in this opportunity, please complete the questions found below. The application deadline is November 10, 2021, 11:59 pm EST.
An informational webinar will be hosted on November 4 to discuss the project and respond to any questions about the selection process. Register here.
Successful applicants will be informed by November 15.
We would like to thank Sport Canada for funding this project and for their continued investment in gender equity. This collaborative initiative aims to meaningfully contribute to the Government of Canada’s mission to achieve gender equity in sport by 2035.
Have questions?
Feel free to contact Francesca Jackman, Manager Strategic Initiatives at francesca@sportforlife.ca.
About Sport for Life
As an organization that specializes in knowledge mobilization, resource development and project management, Sport for Life has amassed experience working in Canadian communities, through both the Physical Literacy for Communities and Quality Sport for Communities and Clubs initiatives, among others. Community engagement is a cornerstone of our organization’s activities, and has informed the development of a number of resources and digital services to support quality sport experiences and physical literacy development among Indigenous populations, newcomers to Canada, people with disabilities and other equity-seeking populations. These resources and digital services include Sport for Life’s Quality Sport for Communities and Clubs Resource, Workshop and Checklist and Sport for Life for all Newcomers to Canada resource.
About Canadian Women & Sport
Canadian Women & Sport 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 systematic change, Canadian Women & Sport works with sport organizations and sport leaders to create safe, welcoming and supportive environments to keep more girls in sport. The organization has produced community-based tools such as the Same Game Toolkit and Retaining Girls in Sport and Physical Activity Workshop, as well as a number of resources to support diverse women and girls including Engaging Newcomer Girls & Women: Physical Activity & Sport Handbook and She Belongs: Building Social Connection for Lasting Participation in Sport.
Definitions
We know when we use definitions to define people that they are in flux and are changing. Instead we use definitions in this context to be transparent about the groups we are seeking to work with. The Sport for Life Society is committed to fostering an equitable partnership as a source of excellence, cultural enrichment, and social strength. We welcome expressions of interest from those who identify with presently and historically underrepresented groups such as diverse femme gender identities and racialized minorities. We understand these definitions can be seen as heavy, triggering or imposing. If these definitions do not align to your self-identification, you are welcome to contact us to discuss how you feel your program aligns. To sum up, these definitions are a framework to be as accessible and transparent as possible, however we understand you may still need clarification – join us for an information session on November 4, 2021 to ask any questions you may have.
Femme
Femme is most often a term used to describe a lesbian who exhibits a feminine identity. It is sometimes used by feminine gay men, bisexuals, and transgender individuals. The word femme itself comes from French and means ‘woman’ (Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Femme).
Gender Equity
The process of allocating resources, programs, and decision-making fairly to all genders without any discrimination on the basis of gender, and addressing any imbalances in the benefits available to people of different gender diverse idenities/expressionss (Source: https://womenandsport.ca/gender-equity/what-is-gender-equity/).
Newcomers
When using the term “newcomer” in this project, we are referring to people who have immigrated, migrated, seeked refuge or asylum in Canada.
Racialized
When we refer to the term racialized what we mean are groups in a Western context that have gone through racialization, which is a political process of ascribing ethnic or racial identities to a relationship, social practice, or group that may not identify itself as such. Therefore, Racialization often arises out of the interaction of a group with a group that it dominates and ascribes a racial identity for the purpose of continued domination and social exclusion; over time, the racialized and ethnicized group develop the society enforced construct that races are real, different and unequal in ways that matter to economic, political and social life. These processes have been common throughout the history of imperialism, nationalism, racial and ethnic hierarchies (Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Racialization).
Quality sport
Sport that is developmentally appropriate, safe and inclusive, and well run. Another way of saying this is that quality sport consists of good programs, led by good people, in good places. (Source: https://sportforlife.ca/quality-sport/).