We began 2022 with the looming uncertainty of what was to come as we approached the 2-year mark of the COVID-19 pandemic, but as the year has gone on, we’re happy to have reclaimed some sense of normalcy in community sport.
To start, the Ottawa Sport Council would like to recognize the commitment of the many sport leaders throughout the community who support our initiatives, including the OSC Board of Directors. Volunteers are central to community sport everywhere and very important to the success of the Ottawa Sport Council.
We would especially like to thank Laurie Cairns, a long-time member of the Ottawa Sport Council Board of Directors for her leadership and expertise as she moves on from her role on the Board. We are also happy to welcome Aaron Lee to the Board of Directors as Secretary.
The 2022 Ottawa Sport Council Foundation True Sport Community Grant
For the Ottawa Sport Council, the year began with the launch of the 2022 Ottawa Sport Council Foundation True Sport Community Grant program in partnership with the Ottawa Community Foundation and True Sport. By early April, we were thrilled to announce the two grant recipients: Active Newcomer Youth Ottawa and the Ottawa River Canoe Club.
- Active Newcomer Youth Ottawa’s Coping Mental Health through Soccer program provides a safe space where lower and middle-income black and racialized newcomers, refugees, and immigrant children and youth (8 to 29 years old) in Ottawa’s lower-income neighbourhoods participate in free community soccer tournaments to promote positive mental well-being, physical health, social and emotional health.
- The Ottawa River Canoe Club’s I CAN Paddle program brings together youth between the ages of 15 and 30 who have recently arrived in Canada whether that be as an immigrant or refugee. Over the course of six weeks, this free program not only provides participants the opportunity to develop their paddling skills (kayak, canoe, dragon boat, sprint boats, SUP) in a safe and fun environment, but also the chance to enjoy the beautiful summers we are so lucky to have out on the Ottawa River.
The Ottawa Safe Sport Toolkit
At the same time, the Ottawa Sport Council and 12 pilot organizations were also busy finalizing the contents of the Ottawa Safe Sport Toolkit, which was launched in mid-April. This free online toolkit with more than 30 custom resources would not have been possible without the generous funding from the Ontario Trillium Foundation. The Ottawa Safe Sport Toolkit includes information and tools in 4 key areas:
- Policies – How to protect community sport organizations and their members
- Training Requirements – How to ensure everyone understands their role
- Engagement & Communication – How to ensure the safe sport culture exists and anchor the policies and training in behaviours
- Resources – Complimentary information and resources to promote awareness
If your sport organization is just beginning its Safe Sport journey, we recommend starting with the Safe Sport Essentials. These foundational policy and culture pieces are good first steps in your Safe Sport journey.
Our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Journey
Not only is the Ottawa Sport Council committed to supporting community sport organizations in creating safe sport environments, but we are also committed to supporting diverse, equitable, and inclusive sport spaces. We have embarked on an evolving DEI journey this year in the hopes of creating accessible resources for community sport organizations to become more welcoming and inclusive.
This journey began in June when the Ottawa Sport Council partnered with INclusion INcorporated and launched a community survey – the intention of which was to learn more about how the OSC can support community sport organizations to create inclusive and accessible sport environments, including the identification of tools and training.
Next, on November 26, the Ottawa Sport Council convened 40+ community sport organizations to map the participant experience in sport. Community leaders from a variety of equity-deserving groups shared their experiences which provided valuable input for the group to identify barriers to access, participation, and retention in sport.
The combined results of the DEI survey and the 2022 Ottawa Sport Summit will help to inform the development of resources to support community sport organizations, work which will be led by INclusion Incorporated in 2023. We are very appreciative of the generous support from Canadian Tire Jumpstart for this work.
Welcoming New Community Sport Heroes
In 2022, the Ottawa Sport Council welcomed six new community sport heroes. Community sport relies heavily on the contributions of staff and volunteers and the continued involvement of many different sport organizations. We have celebrated many significant achievements in our community sport sector over the last year, including:
- Tennis Centre West Ottawa who received grant funding from the Ontario Trillium Foundation to provide sustainable programming in partnership with schools, special needs organizations, and equity-deserving communities.
- City of Ottawa Public Health who worked tirelessly with the Ottawa Sport Council and the community sport sector to build a trusting relationship to keep community sport safe in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Boxing Without Barriers who offers boxing programs in non-contact environments for children, youth, and young adults with disabilities.
- Cumberland Panthers Girls Tackle Football who attracted more than 60 players in Ontario’s first ever community tackle football program exclusively for young women between the ages of 10 and 18.
- Ottawa Shooting Stars Basketball – a basketball club that seeks to increase access and inclusion for marginalized communities in older inner-city neighborhoods in Ottawa.
- Sarah Kennedy of Petrie Island Canoe Club who is committed to introducing the sport of canoe through the learn-to-paddle program and as the club’s Head Coach.
As we look back on 2022, the Ottawa Sport Council is fortunate to have made meaningful connections with leaders in community sport who share our vision to create positive sport experiences for all. We look forward to continuing this work in 2023 in the Ottawa community sport sector.