TORONTO, ON (January 24, 2025): On Wednesday evening, MPP Kristyn Wong-Tam met with representatives from the Coaches Association of Ontario (CAO) for the launch of CAO’s latest cohort of its Aspiring Coaches youth mentorship program. In early 2024, CAO received a two-year, $170,200 Resilient Communities Fund grant from the provincial government’s Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF).
“Congratulations on receiving the Resilient Community Fund grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation. Sports is a vital means to empower youth to become the future leaders of our community,” said Kristyn Wong-Tam, MPP for Toronto Centre. “The dedication from the Coaches Association of Ontario in fostering growth, resilience, and teamwork is truly inspiring. Thank you for your work in delivering coaching programs and services that help shape the next generation, creating positive change and opportunity for all. We look forward to seeing the continued success of your initiatives and the lasting impact they will have.”
CAO is working with Ontario Soccer and several community sport programs to support youth from underserved Toronto neighbourhoods to become the next generation of sports coaches and community leaders. Beginning with the launch event on Wednesday, January 22nd, the 12-week program provides mentorship, equipment, support through CAO and free coaching and leadership training for participating youth. Funds from the grant are being used to help with multiple key staffing roles, creating coaches’ kits, delivering workshops, as well as hosting coaching development meetings for apprentices, and helping with some administrative costs.
“We’re pleased to continue to grow this program with the support of funding from Ontario Trillium Foundation,” said Jeremy Cross, Executive Director, CAO. “Connecting youth with the right supports and education is essential in developing community sport and enabling new coaches to get a great start in their coaching journeys.”
This is the second of four planned cohorts under the Aspiring Coaches initiative, which has received $170,200 in funding from the Ontario Trillium Foundation. The inaugural cohort ran during the summer of 2024 and supported a group of youth from Toronto Community Housing in working with a mentor and becoming trained basketball coaches in their community. The 3rd and 4th cohorts are planned for summer 2025 and Winter 2026, with sport partners to be determined.
The program ultimately seeks to break down barriers that youth living in underserved communities face in accessing sport leadership training. By providing financial, material and emotional support alongside technical training, apprentice youth coaches are empowered to become the next generation of sport leaders in their communities. The program also creates paths to employment for the youth involved by providing qualified training they can include on their resume, experience volunteering and leading sport, and valuable connections and networking through mentorship.
For more information about the Aspiring Coaches program please contact Sarah Kelly at sarah@coachesontario.ca.
About the Coaches Association of Ontario (CAO): The Coaches Association of Ontario is an independent, non-profit organization that supports coaches from community to high performance across all sports in Ontario. For more information, please visit www.coachesontario.ca, follow us on Facebook or Twitter.
About the Ontario Trillium Foundation: The Ontario Trillium Foundation (OTF) is an agency of the Ontario government with a mission to build healthy and vibrant communities across the province. Last year, OTF invested more than $110M into 1,044 community projects and multi-sector partnerships. Projects aim to enhance economic well-being, foster more active lifestyles, support child and youth development, provide spaces for people to come together and connect, and create a more sustainable environment. Visit otf.ca to learn more.
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Contact:
Sarah Kelly
Senior Lead Marketing and Partnership Strategy
Coaches Association of Ontario
sarah@coachesontario.ca.