Using data to plan and deliver programs with gender equity in mind
This blog post recaps the second webinar in the 4‑part Engaging Girls and Women in Sport mini-series. SIRC and Canadian Women & Sport co-hosted the mini-series, which you can access and learn more about by visiting our SIRC Expert Webinars page. — With the rise of big data and analytics, organizations across all industries are…
Hockey for all
“There are reasons why Black, Indigenous, people of colour, persons with disabilities, 2SLGBTQ+ and new Canadians are not picking hockey, and we really needed to hear from these individuals in order to inform and effect positive change,” says Dean Smith, Chair of Hockey Nova Scotia’s Diversity & Inclusion Task Force. More than 800 people weighed…
New True Sport Report sheds light on the potential power of sport in a changing world
On February 1, the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport (CCES) published “Power of Sport: The True Sport Report.” The new publication builds on “What Sport Can Do: The True Sport Report” (2008) that provided conclusive evidence of how good sport can be used intentionally to positively influence a wide range of societal goals. Those…
2021 year in review: How SIRC embraced the “new normal”
After 2020 surprised us all with a global pandemic, many of us looked to 2021 with hope for a gradual return to our pre-pandemic “normal.” And with the widespread rollout and uptake of COVID-19 vaccines across the country, the activities that we put on hold as the pandemic unfolded, from social gatherings to travel, began…
Cultural competence
Culturally competent sport and physical activity program leaders, staff and volunteers are the cornerstone to creating welcoming and inclusive environments for all participants, regardless of their background. Culturally competent individuals are culturally aware, value diversity and align programming with the cultural values of program participants.
Women’s sport coverage
In an analysis of sports news on Twitter, less than 4% of tweets focused on women’s sport. Of the women athletes that were featured, the majority competed in “gender-appropriate” sports. More coverage, and diverse coverage, of women’s sport is needed to challenge gender-related biases and promote gender equity in all forms of sport media.
Considerations for strategic planning in community sport clubs
Sport leaders can use strategic planning to help identify their organization’s current position, where it plans to go, and how it intends to get there (O’Brien et al., 2019). Strategic planning has been linked with improved organizational change processes as well as enhanced organizational effectiveness, resilience and performance (for example, Hu et al., 2014; Liao…
LGBTQI2S inclusion
Young adults who identify as LGBTQI2S are “game to play” sports, but frequently report experiences of discrimination and exclusion. Sport programs that are not based around biological sex or gender, but rather provide inclusive and affirming spaces that celebrate diversity, have strict zero-tolerance approaches to homophobia, biphobia and transphobia, and emphasize fun help to create…
Beijing to Birmingham: Thinking outside the Para sport classification box
The Tokyo 2020 Summer Paralympic Games are in the books, with the 2022 Winter Paralympic Games (Beijing) and Commonwealth Games (Birmingham) just around the corner. Our 128 Canadian Paralympians competed in Tokyo, bringing home 21 medals. Canada’s team joined 4,275 high performance Para sport athletes from 62 countries for 12 days of competition in 22 Paralympic sports. Despite the unprecedented challenge of hosting…
National Day for Truth and Reconciliation
Today marks Canada’s inaugural National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, an opportunity to recognize and commemorate the legacy of residential schools in Canada. Take some time to learn and reflect by visiting the National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation (NCTR), an online place of learning and dialogue where the truths of residential school victims and…