As a catalyst for change, CS4L offers an opportunity to address the recognized shortcomings of the Canadian sport system. It is time to create optimal conditions and systems that support women and girls to be active at all stages of participation and competition, as coaches, officials, leaders and in other roles related to sport and physical activity.

Information in this resource will support national, provincial/territorial and community sport and physical activity organizations in enhancing their CS4L/LTAD implementation strategies. It will guide sport and physical activity leaders, coaches, educators and health promoters in developing and implementing quality programs and providing equitable support for women and girls as a priority. Parents and family members will find this resource helpful when making decisions about how to encourage and support the full and active participation of their daughters and female family members. 

Download the full resource.

Supplementary documents:

• Recommendations for Families and Caregivers (.pdf, 323 KB)
• Recommendations for Community Program Leaders and Coaches (.pdf, 323 KB)
• Recommendations for Educators and School Administrators (.pdf, 314 KB)
• Recommendations for High Performance Coaches and Leaders (.pdf, 315 KB)
• Recommendations for NSOs and P/TSOs (.pdf, 322 KB)
• Recommendations to Make Sport More Welcoming to Sexual and Gender Diversity
• FUNdamentals Stage Considerations for Women and Girls (.pdf, 303 KB)
• Learn to Train and Train to Train Stage Considerations for Women and Girls (.pdf, 301 KB)
• Train to Compete and Train to Win Considerations for Women and Girls (.pdf, 302 KB)
• Active for Life Stage Considerations for Women and Girls (.pdf, 302 KB)
• The “Three Rs” of Leadership Development for Women in Sport  (.pdf, 298 KB)
• Injury Prevention for Female Athletes Infographic (.pdf, 149 KB)

The post Actively Engaging Women and Girls: Addressing the Psychosocial Factors appeared first on Canadian Women & Sport.

Did you miss our Power of Positive Coaching webinar in April? Did you love it and want to learn more? To kick off National Coaches Week, Jane King is back on September 19 with another webinar about positive coaching practices that are fundamental to keeping girls in sport. This interactive webinar will include a presentation of strategies for coaching girls and enhancing long term athlete development, inspiring coaches to consider strategies to coach both the mind and body to keep athletes healthy and strong during training cycles.

Jane King is the Founder and President of King Sport Group, a group of experienced coaches, educators and health professionals who work in their communities to promote ethical, healthy, and positive coaching strategies. Jane specializes in coaching all levels of female students and athletes and has worked extensively with girls and women’s sport organizations.

The post Empowering Girls Through Positive Coaching appeared first on Canadian Women & Sport.

The social environment coaches and activity leaders create for their participants has a huge impact on how much girls engage in and enjoy sport. This conversation will focus on how to establish and support a positive sport culture for your team that prioritizes social connection.

Given the current realities of social distancing, how can sport leaders and coaches continue to promote social connection for their athletes?

In this conversation with Kevin Wilson, founder of the National Basketball Youth Mentorship Program, we will be exploring questions such as:

• What is the impact of positive role modeling in building a positive culture?
• How does NBYMP program successfully created social connection in a virtual environment?
• How are your mentors trained to build meaningful connections by creating a safe environment?
• How have the needs of the youth and athlete community changed?

The slides presented will be bilingual (English and French) but the conversation will be primarily in English.

Submit your questions in advance to [email protected]!

This conversation is part of our Experts Connect: Building Social Connection for Girls in Sport series, highlighting how organizations are bringing to life the guidance from our She Belongs resource. Each conversation focuses on a different principle for fostering social connection, with context provided by a guest expert who will discuss their current programming challenges and successes, as well as tangible tips and guidelines that sport and community organizations can use in designing their own programs.

Learn more about She Belongs.

Join the other conversations in the Experts Connect: Building Social Connection for Girls in Sport series:

• Creating a Safe Environment for All Girls (May 13)
• Redefining Risk-Taking (May 20)

The post Experts Connect: Building a Positive Team Culture appeared first on Canadian Women & Sport.

The social environment coaches and activity leaders create for their participants has a huge impact on how much girls engage in and enjoy sport. For girls who are LGBTQI2S+, the importance of social connection may be heightened at a time where they are unable to leave their home environment. This conversation will focus on how to create an inclusive and safe environment for girls that prioritizes social connection in a virtual setting, particularly for LGBTQI2S+ participants.

With the current realities of social distancing, how can sport leaders and coaches continue to promote social connection for their athletes?

In this conversation with Flags of Glory, we will be exploring questions such as:

• How do inclusivity practices in sport translate to virtual programming?
• How have the needs of your community changed?
• What supports/contingency plans exist for an athlete or program participant who is struggling with the current circumstances of physical distancing?

The slides in this webinar will be bilingual but the conversation will be primarily in English.

Submit your questions in advance to [email protected]!

This conversation is part of our Experts Connect: Building Social Connection for Girls in Sport series, highlighting how organizations are bringing to life the guidance from our She Belongs resource. Each conversation focuses on a different principle for fostering social connection, with context provided by a guest expert who will discuss their current programming challenges and successes, as well as tangible tips and guidelines that sport and community organizations can use in designing their own programs.

Learn more about She Belongs.

Join the other conversations in the Experts Connect: Building Social Connection for Girls in Sport series:

• Building a Positive Team Culture (May 6)
• Redefining Risk-Taking (May 20)

The post Experts Connect: Creating a Safe Environment for All Girls appeared first on Canadian Women & Sport.

One reason that girls often believe they don’t belong in sport is a fear of making mistakes. The potential to fail in front of their peers and jeopardize those relationships is perceived as more threatening than the potential enjoyment experienced in sport. Goal setting can help your participants to redefine risk as a means of taking control of their development as an athlete. This conversation will focus on how to lead activities that encourage your team and athletes to set productive goals that avoid productivity shaming. 

With the current realities of social distancing, how can sport leaders and coaches continue to promote social connection for their athletes?

In this conversation with Baseball Canada, we will be exploring questions such as:

• How are you staying connected with individuals on your team or in your program?
• How are you keeping your team/group connected with each other?
• What are the biggest challenges your athletes are facing?
• How have the teams’ goals and the goals of individual athletes changed/adapted to the current circumstances?

The slides in this webinar will be bilingual but the conversation will be primarily in English.

Submit your questions in advance to [email protected]!

This conversation is part of our Experts Connect: Building Social Connection for Girls in Sport series, highlighting how organizations are bringing to life the guidance from our She Belongs resource. Each conversation focuses on a different principle for fostering social connection, with context provided by a guest expert who will discuss their current programming challenges and successes, as well as tangible tips and guidelines that sport and community organizations can use in designing their own programs.

Learn more about She Belongs.

Join the other conversations in the Experts Connect: Building Social Connection for Girls in Sport series:

• Building a Positive Team Culture (May 6)
• Creating a Safe Environment for All Girls (May 13)

The post Experts Connect: Redefining Risk-Taking appeared first on Canadian Women & Sport.

The Need:

Whether we realize it or not, each of us looks at the world differently, through lenses that shape our perceptions, attitudes, and actions. Our lenses may include biases that impact how we move through the world, make decisions and build systems. Women and girls are underrepresented in sport partly because of a sport system that has been created without consideration for their needs.

The Solution:

The Gender Equity LENS framework is a four-step process developed to help sport leaders make more equitable decisions by taking stock of relevant issues and barriers, challenging assumptions, prioritizing ideas, and making an action plan for equity. This e-learning module is for everyone who has a role to play in making sport more inclusive for girls and women.

Through the Gender Equity LENS, sport leaders will:

• build an understanding of key equity and inclusion concepts, including gender, intersectionality, and unconscious bias;
• learn how embracing gender equity can make sport better for everyone;
• learn how to apply our LENS framework to ask the right questions and challenge assumptions that keep equity out of reach; and,
• learn how to create sport environments that support women and girls to participate and lead in sport over the long term.

The Impact:

The Gender Equity LENS e-learning module gives sport leaders the information and tools they need to act on their commitment to inclusion and make policy and program decisions that better serve women and girls in sport. In a recent survey, 98% of participants felt that the information and skills they learned through the Gender Equity LENS were valuable to their work.

Participants also reported feeling empowered to:

• Use the LENS tools to frame organizational change;
• Apply the Gender Equity LENS approach to governance structures;
• Seek different perspectives in decision making;
• Plan for diversity in materials and develop a review process with a diverse panel; and,
• Review employee handbooks and job postings through a gender lens.

“Taking steps to address gender equity doesn’t have to be overwhelming – it’s about identifying areas where you can make changes, setting your focus, and developing and implementing a plan – continuous improvement and learning!”

Program Participant

Contact us to learn how you can purchase a set of access codes for your organization.

Participants will receive two NCCP professional development points upon completion of the Gender Equity LENS e-learning module (for people registered with The Locker through the Coaching Association of Canada).

Have you taken the Gender Equity LENS training?  See our guidance on how to maximize the impact of online diversity and inclusion training!

This project has been made possible in part by the Government of Canada.

The post Gender Equity LENS appeared first on Canadian Women & Sport.

Studies have repeatedly shown that during adolescence, girls drop out of sport at a significantly higher rate than boys. According to the Rally Report, 1 in 3 girls drop out of sport during adolescence compared to just 1 in 10 boys.

The Solution :

In this e-learning module, coaches and activity leaders will build their understanding of how to:

• address common motivators and barriers for girls in sport;
• navigate the ways girls and boys experience sport environments differently throughout their development stages;
• foster positive sport environments for girls; and,
• ultimately keep girls engaged in sport.

The Impact :

Described by participants as thought-provoking and insightful, this module will help sport leaders create safe, fun and respectful environments that will lead to girls staying in sport and physical activity.’

“Keeping Girls in Sport is a valuable resource for all coaches and teaches them how to create safe and respectful environments, which will ultimately help girls become strong leaders themselves.”

Lorraine Lafrenière, CEO, Coaching Association of Canada

“Can I recommend this program for anyone coaching girls? I did it about two years ago and it was informative and really has had an effect on my coaching style.”

Eric Bernard

Keeping Girls in Sport was developed by Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities in partnership with Canadian Women & Sport and the Coaching Association of Canada.

The post Keeping Girls in Sport appeared first on Canadian Women & Sport.

Although there has been progress in making sport more welcoming to those who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans (transgender), two-spirited, queer or questioning (LGBTQ2S), much more work needs to be done. Coaches play a critical role in creating a sport environment that is safe and respectful for all, regardless of a participant’s ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation or gender identity. 

Leading the Way: Working with LGBTQ Athletes and Coaches is based on the lived experiences of Canadian athletes and coaches. The resource highlights current issues in Canadian sport, from playground to podium, and aims to make sport a more welcoming place for those who identify as LGBTQI2S. Leading the Way provides information to help coaches understand LBGTQphobia and the negative impact it has on everyone in their sport. It suggests best practices for creating a sport environment that is safe and respectful for all.

Other Resources

• Check out resources on sex and gender diversity designed for the Canadian sport community by the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport;
• Download ViaSport BC’s comprehensive PDF guide LGBTQ Resources for Sport Organizations;
• Re-watch our webinar ‘Experts Connect: Creating Safe Environment for All Girls’, where we chatted with Christine Hsu about how we can create braver sport spaces where LGBTQI2S youth can be their full selves;
• Share the LGBT Youthline with young people in your life so they know where they can access confidential, nonjudgmental, and informed peer support;
• Read  resources from Egale Canada, including mental health tips for LGBTQI2S folks, inclusive and affirming language guidelines, and tips on how to practice allyship.

The post Leading the Way: Working with LGBT Athletes and Coaches appeared first on Canadian Women & Sport.

As an enthusiastic and committed leader, this Handbook provides you with the opportunity to learn from others’ experiences to achieve gender equity in physical activity and sport and help the girls and young women in your community develop a foundation for active living.

In this Handbook you will find: 

•    An overview of initiative’s history, the OTM concept, and program objectives.  

•    Answers to common questions about sport and physical activity programming for girls and young women.  

•    Suggestions, Recommendations, Research Notes, and Notes From…which have been gathered from OTM experiences across the country and relevant research.

•     Appendices which include government policy initiatives, newspaper clippings, and guidelines for gender equitable practices. 

•    Evaluation tools which will assist in the critically important task of monitoring program results and adapting and improving the OTM concept to fit the needs of girls and young women in your community.

•     Lists of contacts, organizations, and resources, which will provide you with valuable information, and network you with those who have been involved in a variety of projects targeting girls and young women.  

The post On the Move Handbook appeared first on Canadian Women & Sport.

The Need:

Studies have repeatedly shown that girls and women drop out of sport at a significantly higher rate than boys. As girls enter adolescence, 1 in 3 drop out of sport compared to just 1 in 10 boys.  Beyond adolescence, women 19-31 years old participate in sport at just half the rate of men.

The Solution:

In this workshop designed for coaches, recreation leaders, teachers and sport administrators, participants will explore:

• the key factors that are central to supporting girls and young women as athletes and leaders, including training environments, injury prevention, and role models;
• how to holistically design programs to meet the psycho-social needs of girls to increase their participation and retention in sport and physical activity; and,
• practical recommendations for applying learnings in different environments.

The Impact:

This workshop will help sport leaders create lasting solutions for keeping girls and women in sport and physical activity.

In a recent survey of program participants:

• 94% of respondents reported that they learned specific skills on how to design programs for girls to help retain them in sport and physical activity;
• 97% of respondents reported that the workshop content was practical for their physical activity setting; and,
• 98% of respondents reported that they are confident to implement new ideas taken from the workshop.

“It was striking to learn that 90% of female CEOs played sports as children. The most valuable part [of the workshop] was a reminder of the biases I have had ingrained since childhood and to challenge my own thought patterns so I can empower the next generation.”

Program Participant

“I found it really interesting that for girls, the most important consideration is feeling socially accepted, while for boys it’s all about effort. As a mother of two boys, this has been helpful for me to reiterate to them how important it is for them to make girls feel welcome and confident in gym class and the co-ed sports they play – hockey and baseball.”

Program Participant

The post Retaining Girls in Sport & Physical Activity appeared first on Canadian Women & Sport.