Brock University & the Canada Games: An Academic Legacy

Dedication

This report was made possible by the volunteer efforts of those who served on the Brock-Canada Games Academic Committee, sub-committees, and various working groups. This membership included faculty, staff, students, and administrators.

We would also like to thank the many members of the Brock staff and administration who served on various Canada Games operational committees.

Introduction

Dr. Anna H. Lathrop

Vice-Provost and Associate Vice-President, Students (On Leave) Professor, Department of Kinesiology

Brock University was proud to be the Official University Partner of the Niagara 2022 Summer Games. This partnership built upon Brock’s longstanding support for the 2022 Canada Games, which began with assisting with the original bid and included contributing a parcel of land for Canada Games Park and the Walker Sports and Abilities Centre, $3.5 million in in-kind support through the use of University facilities during the Games, and a $500,000 financial contribution. In addition to these contributions, Brock University also committed to establish an academic legacy for the 2022 Games. This academic legacy was designed to maximize experiential learning opportunities for our students and promote partnerships with our community through curricular, research, and community engagement activities. This report highlights these academic achievements which both promoted the Canada Games and served to forward the academic mission of Brock University’s Strategic Plan, Niagara Roots—Global Reach, 2018-2025).

In order to fulfil Brock University’s commitment to build academic synergies with the Canada Games, members of the Brock University community formed a Brock-Canada Games Academic Committee to liaise with the Niagara 2022 Canada Summer Games (CSG) Host Committee, and partner with community organizations and individuals. The Academic Committee was a campus-wide collaboration involving faculty, staff and students from all Faculties and many academic support units. The Games presented the opportunity to connect with multiple disciplines that included art, education, management, science, social studies, and sport. The University worked to establish goals and secure project funding to expand teaching capacity, initiate new research projects and foster enhanced community partnerships. This report illustrates and celebrates the nearly 2,000 months of collective commitment by faculty, staff and students over the four years leading to the Canada Summer Games in Niagara.

Dr. Julie Stevens

Special Advisor to the President – Canada Games Professor, Department of Sport Management

Our academic legacy: A campus-wide achievement

From Saturday, Aug. 6 to Sunday, Aug. 21, Niagara welcomed athletes, coaches, managers, officials and administrators affiliated with the 2022 Niagara Canada Summer Games — Canada’s largest multi-sport event. Brock University enthusiastically served as the Athletes Village for 5,000 athletes and hosted several events on campus including diving, swimming, cycling’s criterium competition, and the first-ever women’s rugby sevens competition in Canada Games history.

Beyond these contributions, members of the Brock community also contributed their knowledge, skills and disciplinary expertise toward the development of a lasting academic legacy. Brock’s new “Canada Games Model” was initiated well before the Games began and now stretches beyond the end of the 2022 Niagara Canada Summer Games. This innovative model provides a template for future Canada Games partnerships with post-secondary institutions across Canada.

“Through the Games, we built the University’s capacity to innovate across the campus. Our academic legacy will continue in ways that enhance student experience, expand teaching and research, and extend community engagement.”

Julie Stevens, Special Advisor – Canada Games

Alignment with Brock’s academic mission

In 2018, the Brock University community formed a Brock-Canada Games Academic Committee to liaise with the 2022 Niagara Canada Summer Games Host Committee and partner with community organizations.

These volunteer faculty and staff identified the following goal for their committee:

“The Brock University Canada Games Academic Committee serves to bring together stakeholders from across the University and Canada Games Host Society to collaborate on shared academic goals and activities and thereby facilitate a successful 2022 Canada Games in Niagara.”

Curricular Sub-Committee

Canada Games Committee Research Sub-Committee Community Engagement Sub-Committee

In alignment with the three priority areas of the University’s academic mission, and with the express purpose to include a transdisciplinary campus-wide call for Games-related academic activity, three additional sub-committees were formed. Each committee reflected three specific priorities:

Curricular committee

To build teaching capacity across the campus through the generation of course and academic program initiatives with a Canada Games focus. These theoretical and experiential course offerings will provide students with credit and non-credit course opportunities — including experiential education and work-integrated learning — in order to become more fully engaged with, and knowledgeable about, the Canada Summer Games.

Research committee

To build research capacity across the campus through the generation of research projects with a Canada Games focus. These research initiatives and projects will generate and disseminate new knowledge about Games-related themes and thereby further enhance the research capacity of faculty, graduate students and undergraduate students.

Community engagement committee

To build linkages between the University and the community of Niagara through the development of student volunteer placements in the community. These opportunities, with a Canada Games focus, will expand and enrich Brock’s “Experience BU” co-curricular engagement program for students.

Campus-wide engagement

A major success of the Canada Games Legacy initiative was that it attracted critical involvement from a wide variety of Brock community stakeholders across all academic disciplines and administrative support units. The Games remains a phenomenon that connects to multiple disciplines such as art, mathematics, history, culture, communication, management and science. Given this breadth, we identified specific goals and allocated funding to initiate new research, expand curricular and experiential education programs, and foster community partnerships across the campus.

Committee participants comprised 66 faculty and staff from each academic Faculty, the library, and 28 administrative units. This collective commitment lasted more than four years, involving more than 50 meetings to plan and deliver the Brock-Canada Games academic goals and community partnerships.

Evidence of the breadth — Campus-wide engagement:

From 2018 to 2022, sixty-six faculty and staff have served on the Brock-Canada Games Academic Committees.

Academic, administrative, and service areas committee representatives:

• Aboriginal Student Services

• Alumni Relations

• Ancillary Services

• Associate Dean’s Office – Applied Health Sciences

• Associate Dean’s Office – Business

• Associate Dean’s Office – Humanities

• Associate Dean’s Office – Social Sciences

• Brock International Services

• Brock LINC

• Brock Sports

• Brock-Canada Games Academic –Special Advisor

• Centre for Pedagogical Innovation

• Child & Youth Studies

• Classics & Archaeology

• Computer Science

• Conference Services

• Co-op, Career & Experiential Education

• Dean’s Office – Business

• Dean’s Office – Social Sciences

• Facilities Management

• Finance and Administration

• Government & Community Relations

• Kinesiology

• Library

• Marketing, International Business & Strategy

• Modern Languages, Literatures & Cultures

• Office of Research Services

• Office of the President

• Office of the Vice Provost & AVP, Students

• Office of the Vice-President, Administration

• Office of the Vice-President, Research

• Office of the Vice-Provost & AVP, Academic

• Office of the Vice-Provost & AVP, Enrollment

• Psychology

• Sport Management

• Student Life & Success

• Teacher Education

• University Marketing & Communications

Increased capacity in teaching, research and community engagement

CANADA GAMES TEACHING

Dr. Laura Cousens Associate Professor, Department of Sport Management

Dr. Laura Cousens drew upon her passion and knowledge of major sport events to enhance the sport management curriculum. SPMA 3V92: Canada Games Spectator Engagement provided opportunities for students to assist in facilitation and promotion of positive engagement and experience with the 2022 Canada Summer Games in Niagara. SPMA 4P25: Strategic Alliances included group “partner pitch” projects presented to 2022 Niagara Canada Games sponsorship and marketing staff. During the Games, more than 60 students from a variety of programs registered in the SPMA 4P98 — Major Games Field Course served in specialized volunteer planning roles in areas such as the Athletes Village and polyclinic, media relations and the “Social (media) Squad.” The diversity of the experiential learning opportunities was created in collaboration with 2022 Niagara Canada Summer Games staff.

Teaching highlights

The Brock-Canada Games Curricular Sub-Committee supported innovative teaching by Brock faculty. Recognizing the immense opportunity a local major games of this size offered, many faculty integrated Canada Games-related subject matter into their courses. The Canada Games were truly brought to life in the classroom.

The committee encouraged all Faculties across Brock University to find ways to include Canada Games content in their courses. Toward this end, one representative from each Faculty was selected to serve as a Faculty Champion to reach out to colleagues and promote curricular opportunities and support offered through this Committee. The Special Advisor and Curricular Committee Chair continued to dialogue with Deans and Associate Deans to spread the message and worked with Experiential Education staff to identify courses that would be suitable for Canada Games content. Faculty were encouraged to apply to the Brock-Canada Games Teaching and Learning Innovation Grant program, provided by the Office of the Provost and Vice-President, Academic.

A total of 16 Brock-Canada Games Teaching and Learning Innovation Grants were awarded, and an additional 26 courses integrated Games topics. This expansive curricular legacy enabled faculty to explore new ideas to augment, enhance or redesign their courses. Instructors drew upon future events and community partnerships in Niagara as a way to test new teaching practices and enhance student learning.

The breadth of innovation was substantive. Curriculum development included content related to: Canadian studies, child and youth studies, communications, computer science, history, kinesiology, language and literature, marketing, mathematics and statistics, marketing and strategy, recreation, and sport management.

Examples of course development

CANA 2P92: Culture and Power in Canada II – Cultural Institutions

Course development timeline

CLAS/KINE 2P40: Ancient Sport and Spectacle

CHYS 2V91: Children and Youth in Sports Contexts COMM 3Q97: Event Management

COSC 4P01: Software Engineering 1 COMM 3V50: Applied Projects in Communication

COSC 4P02 Software Engineering 2

COSC 4P83: Reinforcement Learning

FREN 4V21: Documentation and Terminology

HIST 3P02: Making History in Niagara

COMM 4F00: Internship in Comm, Popular Culture or Film

DART 2P21: Drama in Education

EDUC 5P98 : Independent Study

FREN 3P05: Business French I

HIST/CANA 3F02: Making History in Niagara FREN 4P05 : French Internship

ITAL 2P98: Italians in Canada and Italy-Canada Relations FREN 4P21: Documentation and Terminology

IELP Level 5: Intensive English Language Program Level 5

IASC 3P98: Directed Project

KINE 2P19/4P19: Coaching Theory and Advanced Coaching Theory IASC 3P99: Directed Project

KINE 4P61: Sport, Development and Sustainability

MATH 1P98: Practical Statistics

MKTG 4P93: Internet and Social Media Marketing

RECL 4P35: Current Issues in Community Recreation

SPMA 3P99: Spectator Experience Practicum

SPMA 4P10: Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Sport

MARS/ENGL 2P95: Reading the Middle Ages – The Heroic and the Chivalry

MGMT 4P90: Business Strategy

MKTG 4P23: Marketing Communications

NUSC 4Q90 : Foundations of Collaboration and Teamwork

OBHR 4P94: Human Resource Planning

OPER 4P31: Simulation of Business Systems

RECL 3P70: Financing Community Recreation Services

SPMA 1P92: Intro to Sport Management

SPMA 2P06: Sport Policy

SPMA 2P91: Public Relations and Communications for Sport Management

SPMA 3P98: Sport Event Critical Issues Management

SPMA 3P99: Special Studies in Sport Management

SPMA 4F02: Sport Management Internship

SPMA 4P25: Strategic Alliances in Sport Management

SPMA 4P98: Major Games Field Course

Brock-Canada Games Teaching and Learning Innovation Grant courses

Additional courses with Canada Games integration

Student experience

Student community placement opportunities

Our Canada Games academic partnership supported student work-integrated learning opportunities as a key part of career preparation connecting students to the Games through community partnerships.

“I have been able to grow as a young professional during my work term. When I reflect on it, I place the most importance on the opportunity I was given to be a leader to my peers, and a point of contact for the 2022 Canada Games. I feel proud to have represented the Canada Summer Games here in Niagara, and truly feel that people in the community will recognize me in the future because of my involvement in community events this summer.”

Danielle Roy Public Health Co-op Assistant Coordinator Community Relations, Spring 2018

Canada Games and Experiential Education

Brock University was the first university in Canada to develop a list of Senate-approved experiential learning definitions. As such, the Canada Games provided yet another opportunity for experiential learning course development within the 21 categories identified by the University. This integration of Canada Games content took the form of direct, indirect and subject matter integration. Students in programs across 20 departments incorporated Games content within a variety of courses and programs. These included: individual and group project activities; consulting and service-learning with community and business partners; and in-the-field experiences, practicums and internships. The Games were leveraged to help students learn how to apply skills and knowledge in their various courses.

As part of an Interactive Arts and Science (IASC) experiential learning course, Brock students created a looping visual presentation highlighting the evolution of Canada Games medals of the past while also setting the stage for the reveal of the new medal design for the Niagara 2022 Canada Summer Games.

Research development

CANADA GAMES RESEARCH

Dr. Elizabeth Vlossak, Associate Dean, Research and Graduate Studies, Faculty of Humanities and Associate Professor, Department of History

Dr. Elizabeth Vlossak brought the Games to life through both teaching and research. Students of History learn about the past and how events, ideas, individuals, groups and states have shaped the world we live in today. In HIST 3F02, students drew upon the Canada Games to think historically about how sports shape and are shaped by culture, society and politics, and how these events are remembered and commemorated. Two highlights were student legacy projects “Backhands, birdies, boats, and bowls”, with the NOTL Museum, and “Canada Games @ Brock History” with Brock University.

To drive research innovation utilizing the Canada Games theme, the VP-Research Canada Games Research Grant program was created. From 2019 to 2022, $200,000 was awarded for 30 research grants spanning all six Faculties and the library.

Brock research and the Canada Games

Sport AI Enabled by Multi-Agent Deep Reinforcement Learning Approaches

Math, Computer Science and Technology

Canada Games Athletes Village software application (AV app)

Using Data Science to Predict Golfer Performance

History, Archives and Collections

Marketing

Youth Experience & Education

Performance and Training

Canada Games Research Collection/Support and Digital Storytelling Initiative

Digitizing the photographic legacy of the Canada Games

Where's Mom? Investigating the Intersection of Motherhood and the Under-representation of Women in Coaching through a Major Games Event

Development of an objective video-based athlete assessment tool for performance optimization and injury prevention

Translating Behavioural Momentum to Athlete Performance

Developing Athletic Expertise Based on Motor Learning Practice Structures

PARTicipation Niagara 2022: A Celebration of Sports and Art through the Eyes of Niagara’s Young Artists

Understanding the Impact of Participation in the Canada Games on Individual Ontario Athletes

Society and Community

Reaching and Engaging Canada Games Fans With Augmented Reality

Circus on the Canal: Exploring the connections between water sports and circus performance”

– Phase 1 and Phase 2

Dramatic Arts

Exploring Female Sport Leaders' Journeys to the Canada Games Using Digital Storytelling

Gender Equality at the Canada Games: A Historical Perspective

Women and Girls

Sport Injuries during the Canada Games: Informing a standardized prospective injury surveillance system

The Economic Burden of Injuries across 10 years of Canada Games competitions, 2009 to 2019

Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic on Injuries and Illnesses in Canada Games Competition

Injuries and Illnesses across 10 years of Canada Games Competitions: 2009 to 2019

Injury Awareness and Prevention

Municipal collaboration in regional event hosting processes: The case of Niagara 2022

Social Media and Large Sporting Events: Social Media Crisis Monitoring of the Niagara 2022 Canada Games

Competency Awareness and Articulation in 2022 Canada Games Volunteers

Dietary energy intake, energy balance, nutrition knowledge and supplement use among youth athletes participating in the 2022 Canada Games

Focusing on the positives: A test of the embodiment model of positive body image in elite athletes

Prioritizing Mental Health: An Investigation of Canadian Olympic Sport Organizations

"Brock Project Lacrosse" – Small Walker Press

Visual Arts

"Movements Across the Waterways"

"Painted Turtles"

17 Mental toughness and injury rehabilitation behaviours in elite youth sport in Canada

Knowledge mobilization

The University committed $25,000 to share Canada Games research through knowledge mobilization and activations at the Niagara Place festival site, Niagara 2022 sport venues and community events, such as the one hosted by the Town of Lincoln.

Annual Two Days of Canada Conference

Brock University | March 25-26, 2022

PARTicipation

PARTicipation

PARTicipation Niagara 2022: A Celebration of Sports and Art through the Eyes of Niagara’s Young Artists

PARTicipation Niagara 2022 was a community art project that engaged eight Brock Faculty of Education students in hands-on teaching and leadership experiences in schools and education sites across the Niagara region. Working with classroom teachers and their students, Brock students co-ordinated and led art workshops on the theme of “Art and Sports” at eight schools and Indigenous youth programs throughout the region.

To register: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/292695117977

Two Days of Canada @ PLAY Conference and “Keepers of the Game” Film Screening

Two Days of Canada at Play

In anticipation of the Canada Summer Games being held in Niagara in 2022, participants at this gathering will explore the many ways that Canadians play.

Featuring a public screening of "Keepers of the Game" on Friday March 25 at 7 p m followed by a panel discussion

Keynote Presentation

Dr Courtney Szto, Queen's University, "Playing Through Pain: Racism, Sport, and Canadian Mythologies of Multiculturalism"

Participants from around the world learned about “Canada at Play,” the theme of the 2022 Two Days of Canada conference hosted by Brock’s Centre for Canadian Studies. Participants explored issues of diversity in sport, power dynamics, and inclusion and exclusion. The Social Justice Research Institute collaborated with the Centre and the Canadian Sport Film Festival to host a public screening of Keepers of the Game, a 2016 documentary on women’s lacrosse.

Saturday March 26 | 4:30 p m

Athletes Corner — Sport Oral History Canada Games Collection

This event will be presented in a hybrid format It will be in person at Brock University, but participants may attend virtually through MS Teams

Co-Directors Dr. Elizabeth Vlossak and Dr. Julie Stevens, along with a student research team, are collaborating with the Canada Games Council to create an openaccess oral history archive about their partnership with the Council, which also includes a long-term project to digitize the photographic legacy of the Canada Games.

Courtney Szto is an Assistant Professor in the School of Kinesiology and Health Studies at Queen's University She has published widely on racism in hockey and consults with the Professional Women's Hockey Players Association and Hockey Diversity Alliance on their anti racism efforts Association (PWHPA) and Hockey Diversity Alliance on their anti racism efforts

Sponsored by the Centre for Canadian Studies the Social Justice Research Institute Faculty of Humanities Faculty of Applied Health Sciences, Humanities Research Institute (HRI), and the Council for Research in the Social Sciences (CRISS)

Working with the theme

students from both

during

The Brock–Canada Games Showcase

The Brock-Canada Games Academic Showcase was held on Oct. 5 and 6, 2022 after the Games were completed. With Dr. Bruce Kidd, Professor Emeritus, Sport and Public Policy, University of Toronto, as the invited plenary speaker, this two-day event brought together faculty, staff and students who showcased their research and teaching focused upon the Canada Games and community engagement experiences with the Games. The event served as both a culmination and celebration of the teaching, research, and student engagement academic legacy that the Brock-Niagara 2022

Brock University Volunteer Association

As a result of the Canada Games Academic initiative, the Brock University Volunteer Association (BUVA) was formed in order to create a formalized student volunteer club that would serve as a model for the Canada Summer Games and for future university-community engagement projects and initiatives. Matching students and community partners, BUVA increased a spirit of service through peer-to-peer mentorship, professional development sessions, and social activities.

Community engagement highlights

CANADA GAMES AND

“This opportunity has increased my network and will help me with references and relevant experiences as I start my career. I have also met people from places I had never been to or thought of visiting. By communicating with these athletes and coaches, it really makes me want to explore more and go see those people in their home provinces and territories.”

Neerav Vaidya

Master of Business Administration student from Puna, India

Where did students volunteer?

BUVA members volunteered for and supported

ORGANIZATIONS

EVENTS & ACTIVITIES

Community organizations

• Bear Clan Patrol

• Best Buddies

• Big Brothers Big Sisters of North and West Niagara

• Brock Cancer Awareness Society

• Brock HOSA (Health Occupations Students of America) Club

• Brock IHI (Institute for Healthcare Improvement) Open School Club and Pathstone Mental Health

• Brock International Department

• Brock Lab Links

• Brock Leaders Citizenship Society

• Brock Learning Lab

• Brock Student Alumni Association

• Brock Student Wellness and Accessibility Services

• Brock University Human Rights and Equity

• Brock University Leadership Summit

• Brock University Recruitment and Liaison

• Brock University Volunteer Association

• CAMMI (Community Association Managers of Marco Island)

• Canada Games

• Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation — Hamilton Chapter

• Career Education/ Career Zone

• Community Care

• Community Support Services Niagara

• Cyber Seniors

• Downtown St. Catharines

• Falls Pharmacy Limited

• Goodman School of Business

• Heartland Forest

• International Day for Girls

• Kids Help Phone

• KINterns

• Learning Disabilities Association of Niagara Region

• London Food Bank

• Meals on Wheels London

• Niagara 2022

• Niagara Falls International Marathon

• Niagara Folk Arts Multicultural Center

• Niagara Grape and Wine Festival

• Pens to Friends

• Pflag Niagara

• RCCG (The Redeemed Christian Church of God) Royal House

• Ridley College

• Rotary Club Niagara

• SNAP Brock University

• Social Justice and Equity Studies

• Southridge Shelter

• Special Olympics Ontario

• St. Mary the Assumption Catholic Church

• Start Me Up Niagara

• The Kristen French Child Advocacy Centre Niagara

• Tomorrow's Voices Choir

• Wrestling Canada Lutte

• YWCA

International student engagement

A significant 41 per cent of BUVA students hailed from 21 countries from across the globe. BUVA has proven to be a valuable way to meet peers and integrate into the campus life.

Student

BUVA conducted a survey of student members asking them for feedback about their experience. This word cloud and the survey results below indicate the impact this volunteer association had on their lives, and how they would strongly recommend other students become engaged in community volunteer activities while pursuing their studies at Brock University.

Alignment withBrock

Alignment with the Strategic Plan goals

Brock University is a committed partner who supports regional and community vitality, research, scholarly and creative activities, and a culture of inclusivity and a transformational student experience. The University is also a proud Niagara institution that pursues a global reach through leadership in experiential education and work-integrated learning,

Key to the success of the Brock University-Canada Games Academic endeavour was its alignment with the four key priorities of the university’s 2018 to 2025 Strategic Plan:

Brock University’s Strategic Plan identifies four specific priorities:

1. Provide a transformational and accessibility academic and University experience

2. Build research capacity across the University

3. Enhance the life and vitality of our local region and beyond

4. Foster a culture of inclusivity, accessibility, reconciliation, and decolonization

MEMO-CIRCLE-CHECK LIST-TIMELINE

Highlights of inclusion, accessibility,reconciliation and decolonization:

Brock Canada Games Community Engagement: The Brock University Volunteer Association (BUVA) student activities included participation and leadership in:

• An Indigenous workshop entitled, “Volunteerism: A Cree Imperative”

• Events and organizations related to Black Heritage Month (sponsored by the Office of Human Rights and Equity).

• Days for Girls International (sponsored by Brock Volunteerfest)

• The Reading Rock Program (Learning Disabilities Association of Niagara)

• Niagara Social Justice Forum (Brock University Student Life and Community Experience)

• Special Needs Activity Program: Supporting Neurodiversity through Adaptative Programming (Brock University)

• Marist Support Centre for Migrants (CAMMI in Quertero, Mexico)

Brock Canada Games Research:

• Funded research projects included a range of equity, diversity and inclusion topics such musculoskeletal injuries & health and wellness topics related to female athletes and Indigenous sport

Brock-Canada Games Curricular Development: Funded projects

• Canada Games course content related to culture and power and children and youth, inclusive of BIPOC and culturally distinct populations

Sharing our story

Research Profiles and Teaching Spotlights highlighted the Canada Games achievements of 59 researchers and instructors. Brock News published 165 stories covering 45 departments and units on campus and the activity of each Canada Games academic committee. Brock’s Canada Games partnership attracted tremendous interest within Canada and around the world with a total of 43,800 users visiting our Games website.

Passing the torch: A new academic legacy model

The 2022 Canada Summer Games presented an opportunity for Brock University to leverage this national sport event in order to build academic synergies across the campus. Framed in concert with the pillars of the Strategic Plan, these Games enhanced the research, teaching, and student engagement mission of the University.

As we look to future Canada Games, we trust that the Canada Games Council (CGC), with its well-developed Transfer-ofKnowledge program, will share the “Brock Academic Model” with other post-secondary institutions in order that they, too, might partner and mutually benefit from the academic opportunity provided by the Canada Games.

University

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