Corporatizing sport for aboriginal girls: Connecting corporate social responsibility, the ‘Girl Effect’ and aboriginal-focused sport, gender and development programs

Project Summary This study explored how urban Aboriginal young women understand and experience their participation in a sport for development (SFD) program administered by the Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship Society Centre (VAFCS); and investigated how corporate funding and involvement in the VAFCS SFD program impacted targeted beneficiaries. The three specific objectives of the research were: To…

Courtside Evaluation

At MLSE LaunchPad, evaluation activities have gone courtside! Coaches and program leaders distribute tablets for survey completion and conduct mini interviews on the sidelines or in the bleachers, ensuring youth feel they’re still part of the action and not missing out on program time.

Understanding the influence of peer groups in sport on adolescent social development

Project Summary The primary objective of this research was to examine how the identities that youth form through membership on sport teams – their social identities – influence their social development. Specifically, the research examined the relationships between social identity and prosocial (e.g., helping an injured opponent) and antisocial behaviors (e.g., deliberately hurting an opponent)…

The Digital Gamification of Youth Sport Engagement

Gamification is the use of game techniques, such as the allocation of points and rewards, to provide incentive and fuel the competitive spirit in aspects of life outside of sport (Bunchball, 2020). Examples are abundant, and include Points Days at Shoppers Drug Mart, using an Aeroplan credit card to earn travel miles, or opening a…

Sociocultural barriers to women’s participation in sport: The role of self-objectification and stereotype threat

Project Summary Women and girls in sport have endured years of cynicism regarding their physical abilities, much of which is perpetuated via media portrayals that emphasize their appearance, femininity, and (hetero) sexuality rather than athletic competence. Although female athletes have made gains in international recognition, funding and opportunity, the negative representations and resultant stereotypes about…

Organized youth sport, parenthood ideologies and gender relations: Parents’ and children’s experiences and the construction of “team family”

Project Summary This study sought to understand how family relationships, interactions, and values are shaped by children’s sport involvement, and the social and cultural context in which their sport participation occurs. The themes that emerged from this study reflect the contradictory nature of organized youth sport, including the strengthening of familial relationships, as well as…

Using Sport to Accomplish Social Change

Have you heard the term Sport for Development and wondered what it means? Sport for development (also referred to as S4D and used interchangeably with sport for social change or sport for social objectives) involves tapping into what sport can do “intentionally” to address a range of community priorities, including community building, reduced youth criminal…

The Power of Sport

Sport for development refers to any initiative that uses sport to help improve or strengthen its community or helps assist people in need. However, when people talk about sport for development they are often referring to organizations like Right to Play and UNICEF who work in developing countries all over the world. What is often…