Quality engagement in sport and physical activity can support the integration of newcomer girls and women into their communities and positively impact their overall quality of life.

One in five women in Canada today was born outside the country. It is expected that this 20% will grow to between 24.5% and 30% by 2036. Groups that provide sport and physical activity must be ready to adapt their programs and services to better meet the needs of newcomer Canadians.

Canadian Women & Sport is proud to release a new handbook that outlines key considerations and provides recommendations based in practice so we can better engage newcomer girls and women in sport and physical activity.

Inside the handbook you will find:

• A snapshot of the Canadian Landscape and immigration trends,
• Key considerations for working with newcomer girls and women,
• Strategies to recruit and design programs for newcomer girls and women,
• Tools, checklists and how-to guides.

Download the handbook here.

The recommendations found in this handbook are based on the collective experiences and learnings from partner collaborations. With support from Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), Canadian Women & Sport worked with 20 organizations from across Canada who participated in a three-year project to help better engage newcomer girls and women in healthy living, sport and physical activity. Over the course of the three years, 162 projects were initiated, 320 partners were engaged, 4,025 newcomer girls and women participated, and 657 newcomer girls and women were trained to lead or support physical activity programs.

This project was made possible by the financial support of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.

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 systemic change, we partner with sport organizations, governments, and leaders to challenge the status quo and build better sport through gender equity.