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The 2024 Winter Cycling Congress: What a Ride!

Written by:  Tracey Coutts and Katie Mahon, Ever Active Schools   Has this ever happened to you… You invite people to your favourite place, maybe it’s a pizza parlour, a place known for its delicious pizza but, just as your guests start to pour through the door, the parlour runs out of cheese. Like, completely.…
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Shaping The Future 2024 Banner Image

SHAPING THE FUTURE 2024 RECAP

Different Location, Same Shaping the Future! 15 years of Shaping the Future. 15 years of memories, connection and learning all in the name of creating healthy communities and schools. This year, the annual Shaping the Future conference sponsored by Teach Nutrition and Belair Direct may have been held in a different location, but the atmosphere…
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Scooter rack full of scooters to promote active school travel

WHAT DO YOU GET WHEN AN ACTIVE SCHOOL TRAVEL CHAMPION FACES CHALLENGES? REALLY GREAT SOLUTIONS.

Writers:  Trevor Henderson, Black Gold School Division Wellness Lead, with support from Tracey Coutts and Shauna Miller-Shaker   Ever Active School supports many Active School Travel (AST) projects across the province which boast some pretty amazing outcomes, one of which continues to shine in Leduc, Alberta. In 2020/2021, Black Gold School Division Wellness Lead, Trevor…
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Ever Active Schools project work in action with Loose Parts Play

GET TO KNOW EVER ACTIVE SCHOOLS

Written by Kerri Murray, Director of Strategy and Innovation, Ever Active Schools Sometimes it is difficult to describe what we do. When asked by someone new, the conversation usually goes something like this: “So, what do you do?” “I work for a charity that does school-based health promotion.” “Are you a teacher?” “No.” “Are you…
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A Youth Advisory Council member supporting an EAS event.

YOUTH ADVISORY COUNCIL

In 2023, Ever Active Schools launched its Youth Advisory Council (YAC): a group of enthusiastic youth in Alberta and Saskatchewan who provide feedback and personal opinions, engage in discussions around the work of Ever Active Schools, represent the organization at events, and co-develop projects with the staff. Members of the YAC are between the ages…
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winter cycling on a fat tire bike

WINTER CYCLING IN ALBERTA

Winter cycling may seem exotic and strange, but if you’ve ever biked in the warmer weather, or cross-country skied, snowshoed, or even walked outside in the winter, you’re 89.6% prepared to ride your bike in winter! How so, you might ask? Well:  You already own the clothing. You know how to dress in layers so you…
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A group of people with bicycles stand in a circle during a consultation meeting in Leduc.

BUILDING THE LEDUC ACTIVE TRANSPORTATION CHARTER

The municipality of Leduc, Alta., has laid much groundwork to make it an active living superstar. From its 85 km+ of multi-use pathways, to Telford Lake, to its Parks, Open Spaces, and Trails Master Plan – when it comes to active living, Leduc has some good bones.  It is clear that Leduc prioritizes wellness, but…
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A NIGHT OF GIVING

The air was filled with excitement and anticipation as the doors to the 2023 Running Shoe Gala opened. It was a night of giving back, a night filled with laughter, games, and a healthy dose of altruism. Hosted for the first time in Calgary, Ever Active Schools welcomed over 100 guests to celebrate and contribute to…
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GRANTING PERMISSION TO TRY WITH CYCLING

Written by Tracey Coutts, Ever Active Schools Watching young cyclists discover the freedom and thrill that comes with learning how to confidently navigate new neighbourhood and community routes is the equivalent of reading about C. S. Lewis’ Lucy moving deeper into the wardrobe, brushing past fur coats that transform to fir tree branches, on her…
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RECREATION FOR THE GOOD OF COMMUNITY

On a chilly spring morning in March 2023 in Medicine Hat, Alberta, a group of new Canadian children and youth gathered to play, learn and connect.  As part of Ever Active Schools’ Resettlement Through Recreation project, supported by several amazing partner organizations, this celebratory day filled the cups of everyone present – quite literally for many,…
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School Sport for All

Side view of five teenage sprinters in sportswear lined up ready to race at the stadium

If School is for All, School Sport is for All.

Sport is a powerful mechanism for social impact, community engagement, cultural pride and self-worth. Participation in school sport has been connected to increased educational benefits, creating a strong sense of belonging, improving well-being and student attendance and the likelihood of attending post-secondary institutions.

Participation in sport provides students with opportunities to develop a lifelong love of physical activity and to practise some of the social and emotional skills that will help them later in life. Schools are an opportune place to provide sport programs as they act as an access point for students.

However, as it exists today, the middle school sport model is not equipped to encourage participation. Schools often lack the best facilities and trained coaches, and sports tend to cater to financially stable families who can afford to put their kids in sports in and outside of school, and those who can reliably get their kids to and from events. The students who play competitively have more opportunity to develop as athletes in quality facilities with trained coaches, therefore making them the better competitors and the ones chosen to play on the school teams. It’s a reality that leaves many students behind.

According to the Institute for Canadian Citizenship (2014), children of recent immigrants are less likely to participate in sports (32%) than children of Canadian-born parents (55%), limiting their exposure to the varying benefits. Schools can often be the first point of introduction between new Canadians and sport and recreation activities. The quality of that introduction is important in terms of generating interest, ongoing participation, quality instruction, and in enriching enjoyment. It is important to not only encourage more new Canadian participation in school sport but to increase school offering of school sport so youth who happen to be cut by a team still have a place to participate. 

Reimagining School Sport is a continuing project that aims to make participation in school sport a viable option for all students. If school is for all, school sport is for all (Säfvenbom, Geldhof & Hauge, 2014). In the 2018/2019 school year, Ph.D. student and middle school teacher Jonathan Mauro began working to develop a new school sport framework. Ever Active Schools and the University of Alberta supported the project by facilitating workshops with Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools and Edmonton Catholic Schools.

This framework centres the whole child, shifting the priority from academic achievement to long-term development and success. It is foundationally built on evidence, both formal and informal. The essential elements (inclusion, development, and quality) mean that school sport can’t be for all unless it meets the needs of the whole child; is based on evidence; is grounded in quality; is developmentally appropriate; and is inclusive.

We believe that redesigning school sport for inclusivity and improved participation would increase, not only the number of new Canadian youth but any youth who wishes to participate, as well as enhance the quality of their sport experience within a welcoming and healthy school sport environment.  Further (and most importantly) we have found that when a child or youth is involved in school sport they have increased school connectedness, improved academic success, and personal well-being through school sport opportunities.

Podclass Miniseries:

In an effort to increase new Canadian parent's understanding of the holistic benefits of school sport, a 3 episode podcast miniseries was created. Check the series out below! Great for parents, teachers, coaches and anyone interested in the lived experiences of school sport of new Canadian and Indigenous families.

“We know that there are many benefits, from physical to social and emotional, to life skills, from participation in school sport. The uniqueness of school sport is that  it reaches almost every single child. So if we’re able to use it to have these positive impacts on children, that is what we’re trying to aim for.”

- Jonathan Mauro, Teacher, St. Francis of Assisi Middle School 

“In an ideal world, we’d be able to offer a team or school sport program for every student who wants to participate and be on a team. That program would be able to still develop the skills of all of those kids, and yet offer competitive sport for those students who want to go that route… It wouldn’t hinder the ability for the other students to participate in sports as well. Whether that’s an intramural type program or a jamboree type of league where kids are showing up and still getting the same practice and skill development from qualified coaching but playing in just tournament type of play, and still offering that competitive side for the higher end athletes.”

- Gary Gylander, Principal, St. Francis of Assisi Middle School

“The successes that we’ve seen in our school has been amazing. It gives students an opportunity to have somewhere to go after school. The amount of values and characteristics that they get through school sport has helped our kids out so much. We’ve seen so much more respect and kindness toward each other. They’re getting those values of respect, commitment, trust, all that kind of stuff.”

- Kelsey Heatherington, Physical Education Teacher, St. Gregory the Great Catholic School

 

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