The intersectional cost of youth sport participation
The increasing cost of youth sport participation has long been a concern for parents and policymakers alike. How issues of affordability show up varies depending upon intersectional realities of income, geography, ability, accessibility of appropriate spaces and more. The Maple Leaf Sport and Entertainment (MLSE) Foundation Change the Game research program, in collaboration with the…
How youth athletes can support their own life skill development through sport
Sports help to develop crucial skills on and off the court, field, or ice. Participating in sports can help youth athletes stay physically healthy, build positive relationships with coaches and other players and learn valuable skills. While coaches often play a critical role in supporting athletes’ development, it is also important to consider how athletes…
Using life skills to promote social justice: Youth sport as a vehicle for social change
As youth sport researchers, we seek to understand how youth develop and transfer life skills. In recent years, cultural issues have urged us to evolve our understanding of life skills. For instance, the Black Lives Matter and #MeToo movements continue to raise awareness of inequities within sport and beyond. Additionally, the climate change movement has…
Putting the ‘work’ in ‘teamwork’
A review of team dynamics literature showed that teamwork activities are most successful when individuals are given tasks where their contribution feels essential, while also fostering connection with others. This promotes the most effort among team members, even in the least meaningful tasks.
Guard your mouth
Wearing a properly fitted mouthguard is important to help prevent mouth and face injuries. Not only can injuries to the mouth and face impact an individual physically, they can also have psychological and social consequences. Research shows that mouthguards reduce injuries to the mouth and face by absorbing impact.
Trying a new sport
Trying out a new sport skill or exercise routine? Seeking feedback from others — whether health or fitness professionals, or friends and family — can increase self-confidence and help motivate you to achieve your goals.
Exercise and immunity
Regular physical activity, as little as 30 minutes of activity, five days a week, can strengthen the human immune system and reduce the risk of falling ill and dying of infectious diseases by 37%.
Expecting the unexpected
Unexpected stressors happen often and are more challenging to manage than expected stressors. However, they can be managed. One way to manage them is by expecting them. To help athletes “expect the unexpected” during competition, work with them to identify potential stressors before competition. Then establish strategies to manage those stressors.
The True Sport Experience: Bringing physical and ethical literacy to life in and out of the classroom
Physical and health education teachers and coaches are experts at helping kids learn new skills. By patiently walking students through each learning step, they build the blocks of learners’ physical literacy. However, sport and recreation experiences aren’t built on physical skills alone. Instead, the experiences are wrapped in life lessons, personal growth and a few…
Building capacity for evaluation with students and volunteers
An essential part of improving sport service delivery is program evaluation. Program evaluation allows sport organizations to understand how their programs or initiatives work in different ways. However, many organizations receive insufficient training or lack the capacity (staff, funding or time) to engage in evaluative work (Carman & Fredericks, 2010). One way that sport organizations can boost capacity for evaluation is to involve students and volunteers. Indeed, there are many examples of graduate students partnering with…