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Giving kids a sporting chance
An anthology of stories on the power of sport in communities
“At the Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada, they say to be a better athlete I need to focus on school. When I come here, they help me do my homework and then after that, I can go play ball in the gym.� Patrick M, High School All-Star MVP and participant in Boys and Girls Club athletic program
Municipal World is partnering with Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities, sharing a series of articles to raise awareness about the program and the value it can bring to communities, and showcasing the power of sport in effecting positive social change. These articles (originally published in Municipal World magazine from October 2016 to April 2017), capture just a few of the great stories and positive impacts across Canada that have resulted from participation in the Jumpstart program.
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Q & A with Landon French In this first article in the series, Municipal World engaged in a Q&A with Landon French, President of Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities, to find out about the program and its relationship with municipalities.
What is Jumpstart? Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities is a nationally registered charity that helps kids from financially-disadvantaged families participate in sport and physical activity by helping cover the costs associated with registration, equipment, and transportation. Jumpstart delivers support to children and youth through a Canada-wide network of over 300 local Chapters and over 2,000 Community Partners, which include parks and recreation departments for the vast majority of municipalities. Local Chapters work to identify the needs of children in low-income families and to fund programs designed by Community Partners to meet those needs. So, although the program is national in scope, it is hyper-local in focus – because 100 percent of the funds raised by a local Jumpstart Chapter is reinvested in that community.
What is your relationship with Canadian Tire and other corporate partners? Canadian Tire Corporation’s community giving is concentrated through Jumpstart, and every Jumpstart Chapter is led by a representative from one of the Canadian Tire Family of Companies. Employees across the Canadian Tire Family of Companies coordinate fundraising activities, mobilize volunteers to support events like the Jumpstart Games, and help us recognize the Community Partners, community leaders, and local donors who support Jumpstart in their communities. Jumpstart also benefits from its relationship with Canadian Tire to provide unique opportunities for kids across the country. Whether it’s an opportunity 4
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to meet one of the company’s partner athletes, to attend sporting or cultural events, or to attend special events organized by our employees.
What initiatives are in place across the country? Jumpstart has a number of programs that can be accessed at the community level. Families with children in financial need who wish to participate in sport and recreation programs can apply directly to Jumpstart for support. Jumpstart will provide up to $300 per activity and up to $600 per year. A list of over 70 activities we support can be found online at <jumpstart.canadiantire.ca>. Our Community Partners can apply to Jumpstart for the funds needed to run community development programs. These programs help to support large numbers of children in new or existing community programs. For example, through the City of Ottawa, Jumpstart has been operating the “I Love To” program, which includes swimming, soccer, and skating, among others. The city registers children in these Jumpstartfunded programs and runs the programs itself. Jumpstart provides the funds needed to run the program, as well as equipment, where it is needed. Jumpstart also has a number of national partnerships that provide local opportunities for children: zz in partnership with Hockey Canada, Jumpstart runs “The Big Play,” which allows kids to play recreational hockey with their local minor hockey associations; zz in partnership with the Canadian Paralympic Committee, Jumpstart provides support to community groups to design programs for underprivileged children with physical limitations, and Jumpstart also provides direct support to underprivileged children with physical limitations who want to choose their own activity; and z z in partnership with the Boys & Girls Clubs across Canada, Jump-
Jumpstart harnesses the power of community sport
start supports a number of local community development programs.
What are you most proud of in the project’s 10+ year history? In 10 years, Jumpstart has continued to grow to the point where it has been able to help over one million kids in communities across Canada. Our growth is a testament to the importance of supporting sport and recreation for kids in need; and, it also shows the unwavering commitment of Canadian Tire employees across the country, who help
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Connor McDavid makes surprise appearance at Jumpstart Games for hometown kids in Newmarket, Ontario. Pictured from left to right: Landon French, President, Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities; Connor McDavid, Canadian Tire Jumpstart Ambassador and Centreman, Edmonton Oilers; John Taylor, Deputy Mayor, Newmarket; Wayne Ford, Canadian Tire Dealer, Newmarket, and his family.
us reach kids in every community from coast-to-coast-to-coast.
partnering with many municipalities to help new Canadian children feel more welcome in their new homes. What do you see as being And, we are working with community the greatest opportunities leaders in rural and remote comfor Jumpstart to continue munities to use sport as a means of making a difference? improving academic attendance and performance. As we think about the social imThe greatest opportunities lie in our pact of sport and recreation, we are ability to have significant and meaningstarting to work with Community ful impact through our existing proPartners to address very specific needs grams, as well as these new programs in their communities. For example, designed for very specific challenges Jumpstart is supporting youth crime that our partners are trying to address in prevention programs run by the City their communities. of Montreal police services. We are
What funding is available for municipalities and how is it distributed? Every Jumpstart Chapter has funds available to support individual families and to support programs designed by our Community Partners. To access these funds, municipalities must first become Jumpstart Community Partners and then apply to their local Chapter for support. To find out how they can become a partner, municipalities can contact <jumpstart@ cantire.com>.
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More than “Physical” Education
Students participate in Canadian Tire Jumpstart Academy’s afterschool program in Surrey, B.C. As with infrastructure or any other core asset, municipalities are wise to look to the future when investing in the citizens of their community. Of course, the human element can make investing in people a much more difficult proposition than a simple line in the municipal budget; however, communities that invest time and resources into their youngest citizens – their youth – can 6
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reap rewards not only immediately, but decades into the future as well. Community sport and physical activity programs offer a valuable opportunity to impact the lives of young people, with significant benefits. By now, we are all aware of the value that being active can bring – increased physical activity leads to positive health outcomes and decreased screen time. However,
Spo cata pos dev sport has also been shown to improve various psychological and social outcomes in both the short and long term. Research has shown that being involved in sport can yield positive results in terms of educational attainment, longterm job success, and even registering to vote.1 In addition, sport provides young people with the opportunity to develop the leadership skills that are
riences of various orders of government, community groups, and the private sector, when coordinated and combined, can achieve great results. As one recent initiative has shown, such partnerships can have a powerful impact on the local community.
Case Study: Surrey, B.C.
ort as a alyst for sitive youth velopment not only essential to individual success, but can also help drive communities forward. In short, sport and physical activity represent a sound investment for a municipality looking to build for the future. As with any initiative, the greatest successes are achieved when community organizations partner to pursue a common goal. The resources and expe-
The Surrey School District in B.C. reflects an economically and culturally diverse community, and is home to a large number of immigrant and refugee families. Almost 30 percent of its schools are classified as being “inner-city.” One of the school district’s projects provides a prime example of how coordinating resources across various groups and organizations can amplify success in community initiatives. Launched in 2010, Canadian Tire Jumpstart Academy aims to combat physical inactivity in vulnerable and at-risk youth populations in the community. Originally limited in scope to a handful of schools, investments from Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities and the province’s Ministry of Community, Sport and Cultural Development – along with partnerships with the City of Surrey and various other organizations – enabled the project to expand well beyond its original mandate to over 20 schools across the school district. Now, over 1,400 students from age six to 12 are involved each year. “From learning baseline skills for playing organized sports, to developing leadership qualities that benefit the broader community, the Surrey School District Jumpstart Academy helps kids become active for life,” says Rob Rai, Director, School and Community Connections, Surrey School District. “We are grateful to our generous partners for helping create an environment that provides consistent, continuous, accessible sport, movement and recreation programming for kids in Surrey.” Participants in the program clearly benefit from being physically active (by developing physical literacy as well as 1 Mark Hugo Lopez and Kimberlee Moore (2006), “Participation in Sports and Civic Engagement. Fact Sheet,” Center for Information and Research on Civic Learning and Engagement (CIRCLE), University of Maryland.
engaging in sport). But, an important leadership component has also been built into the program. Children as young as nine years old are given leadership development instruction to work with younger group members. Then, once moving to secondary school, a youth leadership development component allows students from age 14-18 to continue working within the program, while offering credential opportunities, access to mentors, and a chance to give back. Early results have been promising, with the following benefits noted among program participants: zz 72 percent of parents report increased physical activity; zz 82 percent of participants report making new friends; zz over 50 percent report increased confidence from participation; zz improved academic performance among students in the program; zz reduced playground conflict; and zz improved transition for immigrant/ refugee students. In addition, the leadership focus of the program helps to make it self-sustaining. Youth who have progressed through the leadership development training have already begun to work for organizations including the YMCA and the Surrey School District to lead Jumpstart Academy programs of their own. This ensures that future participants are afforded access to the same opportunities, and builds a base of quality volunteers with first-hand experience to support the continued success of the program.
Doing It Right One of the great misconceptions about youth sport is that it is a panacea; that by merely being involved, young people will develop the skills and the benefits that youth sport can provide. As has too often been shown, that is not the case – it takes a well-designed program, committed volunteers and supporters, and an emphasis on the right message to develop the desired outcome. As the initiative in Surrey has shown in just a handful of years, a properly-structured program can have significant benefits to a community’s young people, and will have an impact well into the future. 2017
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Jumpstart is about more than helping kids get active. It gives kids from families in financial need the opportunity to develop vital life skills â&#x20AC;&#x201C; like courage, confidence, and teamwork â&#x20AC;&#x201C; and foster self-esteem through sport.
The Skills for Success
The Hockey Canada Skills Academies in Northwestern Ontario leverage the power of sport to inspire kids to succeed in the classroom. If you think about the ideal community, there should be certain characteristics that come to mind. Hopefully, words like “engaged” or “inclusive” should be somewhere in the discussion of what that ideal community would look like. While every community strives to engage citizens and provide services for everyone, it takes particular care to ensure that those ideals are achieved and to help prevent individuals or groups from falling through the cracks. In the case of community’s youngest citizens, that responsibility must be treated with the highest importance. Youth participation in sports can help build life skills – courage, confidence, and teamwork – and, as touched on in the previous article (December 2016, p. 21), participation in sports programs can help build a community’s future leaders. Obviously, it represents a great added value for communities looking to do something to engage their youngest 10
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citizens. But, as this month’s case study demonstrates, engaging youth in sports can also provide something much more fundamental and valuable – the desire to succeed in education.
to help meet these challenges head on. Twenty-three students at the Beaver Brae Secondary School in Kenora were involved in a program that includes education, on-ice skills, off-ice strength and conditioning training, mental training, Case Study: Hockey and personal and team development. The Canada Skills Academy program replaces traditional physical education class, and gives students the The Keewatin Patricia District chance to be on the ice during the school School Board is a geographically day. Actual time on the ice is tied to atlarge board in Northwestern Ontario, tendance, participation, and behaviour in and it faces a unique challenge – namely, the graduation rates in the re- the classroom – creating a strong incengion are among the lowest in Canada. tive and personal onus for students to reIn addition, students face higher rates engage with their education. The initial implementation was a of poverty and substance abuse, as resounding success – 22 of the 23 stuwell as a decreased desire to engage in dents participating in the Skills Acadtheir education. The solutions to these emy went on to graduate from high problems are complex; but, without a school. Since that point, the program base in education, any efforts to create positive change face even tougher has been expanded – first in 2015 to about 300 participating students, and circumstances. more recently to nearly 800 students Launched in 2012, the Hockey in communities across the district. Canada Skills Academy was introduced
Students score big win with Hockey Canada Skills Academy As any parent with children involved in the sport knows, hockey fees and equipment can be expensive. With its mandate to remove barriers that prevent kids from being able to participate in sport and physical activity and to help meet the needs of neglected populations, Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities helped ensure that no child would be left behind. Jumpstart donated equipment to outfit 52 students that otherwise wouldn’t have been able to get on the ice due to financial limitations. More than just increased graduation rates, the program is already showing striking benefits in other areas. Attendance at one school has been up by 25 percent; and, the relationships between students and teachers are growing, with “teachers” becoming “coaches” (and, in many cases, “mentors”). Further, by capitalizing on the students’ love of hockey through integrating the subject
into the more traditional curriculum, teachers are able to further engage the students in traditional “academic” areas more successfully than in the past. The program is full of success stories, one of which is the case of a grade eight student named Jericho. Before being introduced to hockey, Jericho admits he didn’t care about school, often in trouble and skipping class with older boys. But, his love for hockey gave him a reason to want to come to school every day and the motivation to be engaged in class. Before and after the bell rings, he can be found outside the school practicing his skills. He keeps an orange hockey ball in his pocket at all times, and wants to play in the NHL someday. More importantly, Jericho is on track to be the first person in his family to ever graduate from high school. “We are incredibly proud of the positive impact the Hockey Canada
Skills Academy has had on our students: the chance to play hockey has inspired kids to be engaged in the classroom and set goals both on and away from the rink,” says Sean Monteith, Keewatin-Patricia District School Board Director. “We are grateful to our generous partners who help provide the opportunity to get more kids, who otherwise might not have the chance to play, on the ice.”
Benefits for Years to Come As important as sport can be in impacting positive youth development, there is no doubt that education is absolutely vital to ensuring success for both individuals and the community. Sports equip kids for life, and by leveraging the power of sport to build a foundation in education, the Keewatin Patricia District School Board is setting their students up for success for years to come. 2017
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Helping New Canadians to Feel at Home
Sport as a vehicle to integrate newcomers The previous article, “The Skills for Success,” highlighted the importance and impact of inclusion in community, and, more specifically in community sport programs. Communities help facilitate inclusion in important ways: through community programs for families struggling financially; by offering services that may be needed in the community; or through initiatives that help integrate newcomers into the communities where they settle. We all want to feel welcomed and supported 12
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in our communities, regardless of our circumstances. And, on the front lines of the immigration issue, with communities becoming increasingly diverse, municipalities are well positioned to be leaders in making newcomers feel at home.
Case Study: Ottawa’s “I Love to” Programs The City of Ottawa has certainly understood the importance of welcoming newcomers in recent years. With
Ottawa becoming home to more than 2,000 immigrants in 2016, the city recognized the need for community programs that help the integration process for newcomers. In partnership with Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities, the city launched the “I Love to” programs in 2006-2007 as a means of allowing children to enjoy physical activity in a variety of ways (swimming, cycling, hockey, etc.). These programs offer a positive approach to promoting inclusion and physical wellbeing.
and develop confidence and skills for life through four programming pillars: education; physical activity and healthy lifestyle; leadership and social skills; and creative arts. BGCO offers after-school and weekend programs that have been successfully adapted to meet the unique needs of new Canadians. The programming at each location is developed strategically to serve the needs of the community. Because many of the neighbourhoods served by BGCO are ethnically diverse with a high immigrant population, cultural and language barriers are a unique challenge facing program leaders. Although member self-identification is voluntary, BGCO estimates that at least 25 percent of their members are new Canadians. Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities contributed $100,000 to help fund programs specifically for new Canadians. BGCO worked with an agency to help program leaders and volunteers learn and understand the cultural differences they could expect with these children. The employees are now trained in best practices for working with new Canadians, and BGCO works hard to maintain a staff reflective of the populations they serve. Representatives from the club even travelled to the city’s Donald Street Apartment complex (where many of the Syrian families now live) to Case Study: Boys and outline the options available for the Girls Club of Ottawa children. BGCO also features a culServing the community since 1923, turally-diverse staff who speak many languages, something that immedithe Boys and Girls Club of Ottawa ately helped the children feel more (BGCO) has been a Jumpstart Community Partner for 10 years. “The Boys comfortable and welcome. and Girls Club of Ottawa provides a Moving Forward positive, safe environment for kids The programs profiled in this arfrom high-risk neighbourhoods, and ticle show the important initiatives the programs help new Canadians feel welcome in the community,” says underway in the nation’s capital to ensure that newcomers feel welcomed. Colleen Mooney, BGCO’s Executive Director. “Donations and funding from Ottawa’s example shows how sport can be used increase social connectedpartners are essential for growth, and allow us to adapt our programming for ness and provide a sense of belonging. It is no surprise, then, that sport can an ethnically-diverse, culturally-rich Canadian population.” BGCO provides be one of many vehicles to effectively welcome new Canadians - particularly a supportive place for children to experience new opportunities, overcome young newcomers - and help them feel at home. barriers, build positive relationships, cluding resume writing, cash handling, leadership, and volunteer experience. Graduates are given a letter of recommendation from the City’s General Manager of Recreation, Cultural and Facility Services. Frempon Bafi-Yeboa, Recreation and Community Development Officer at the City of Ottawa, notes, “Our partnership with Jumpstart helped us implement a model that reaches as many children in Ottawa as possible, including new Canadians. From I Love to Swim to I Love to Mentor, the programs not only give kids a strong foundation, but continue to develop skills for success in life.” An example of the program’s success is highlighted by a young man named Nour. A Syrian refugee, Nour’s ability to speak English served to be a huge asset to the program organizers. Being able to translate information between program staff and newcomers unable to speak English was immensely helpful to all involved. Upon Nour’s graduation from the I Love to Mentor program, he was hired to help with several programs, including a cycling education program for 27 Syrian families. Nour has been employed with the City of Ottawa for six months. While newcomers are not the only group to be helped by these programs, the invaluable experience of being welcomed to a new country is certainly a testament to the “I Love to” initiatives.
The “I Love to Mentor” program also offers a different inclusive platform in which newcomers and youth in low-income and priority neighbourhoods can participate. Through the program, youth aged 15 and older receive 50 hours of training, including specific certifications for employment in recreation programs: Standard First Aid and CPR, High Five (healthy child development training), and Fundamental Movement Skills. They also receive employment preparedness training, in-
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A Better, Brighter Future
Le Club de L’Espoir gives kids hope and opportunities to chart a new path For kids, the opportunity to participate in sport is about more than getting active. Sports equip kids for life by fostering selfesteem, developing pro-social behaviours, and teaching them important skills like courage, confidence, and teamwork. For kids from high-risk neighbourhoods, sport can be a catalyst for a change in trajectory toward success. That shift in trajectory can impact not only youth, but also bring about larger societal change to benefit the community as a whole. However, there are many well-defined barriers that exist to getting kids active and involved in physical activity and sport. The mandate of Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities is to help remove some of those barri14
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ers. In recent years, Jumpstart has funded a unique and effective program run by City of Montreal Police Service officers in St. Michel, Quebec, the impact of which has benefited those enrolled, as well as the larger community.
Case Study: St Michel’s Le Club de L’Espoir In the heart of Montreal is the community of St. Michel – the third poorest neighbourhood in Canada. With a population of just over 55,000, the community – made up of mostly low-income apartment housing – has very little green space. Because of this, kids spend much of their summer vacation loitering in
the street to escape non-air conditioned apartments; during the winter months, the lack of extracurricular programming results in restlessness and boredom, which often leads to anti-social behaviour, including aggression and bullying. Many financially-disadvantaged youth are at high risk for dropping out of school and joining local gangs because, unfortunately, gang life is often the only alternative to the realities of poverty and exclusion. Previous police efforts to fight and disband the gangs were unsuccessful; and, kids who ended up in prison typically came out tougher, due to contact with other criminals, perpetuating the problem for police and the community.
In 2011, the introduction of a new program offered positive opportunities for the community. After numerous unsuccessful attempts to rehabilitate youth and fight gang presence, the local police officers decided to take a different approach; instead of working against the gangs, they began to work with them. With the help of funding from Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities, Montreal police officers at Station 30 implemented a program called Le Club de L’Espoir (The Hope Club), which offered soccer and basketball programs for local youth in community parks. The parks, which had previously been overrun by the gangs, were now host to games for the local kids. Since many of the gang members had younger siblings participating in the new program, they did not interfere during the activities. The parks quickly became much safer, and the success of the soccer and basketball programs led to the inception of the Contact Martial Arts Club. This provided dozens of youth with further options for physical activity in the community.
into the school, the soccer program would be cancelled. This was not a threat, it was simply the truth. And, it was a major incentive that worked. The bullies immediately ceased their bad behaviour to save the program, either for themselves or their younger siblings who were benefitting. The good behaviour extends beyond the walls of the school and into the community. For example, the Canadian Tire store in St. Michel had previously experienced serious and ongoing problems with theft; but, that has decreased dramatically since the program’s inception. According to police, the sentiment among the kids is to respect the store since the soccer, boxing, and summer camp programs wouldn’t exist without funding from Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities. The success is evident for the individual children as well. Not only do they have a safe place to get active, but the activity is led by positive role models, whose presence no doubt changes the trajectory of their lives for good. Annie, a member of the kickboxing program for the past
“Providing positive programs for youth in St. Michel has created major changes in the community, the schools, and, most importantly, the lives of the kids,” said Sergeant Aniello Infante. “Thanks to the hard-working officers who volunteer their time, and our partners who provide funding, these kids have access to positive role models and the opportunity to develop skills that will get them, and keep them, on the right path for life.” The program has caused a paradigm shift: police officers in full uniform often attend the boxing classes to watch and support the kids. These officers are no longer seen by the community as an imposing and intimidating presence, but as supportive coaches and mentors. The community is now a unified force for change thanks to the power of sport.
Conclusion As this and previous articles have shown, there is little doubt that sports can be used as a force for positive social change in the community. The impacts on
The success is evident for the individual children as well. Not only do they have a safe place to get active, but the activity is led by positive role models, whose presence no doubt changes the trajectory of their lives for good. Since the programs began, the streets of St. Michel are much safer. Although gangs still exist, they now work alongside police officers to ensure the activities continue for their siblings. Gangs are also having a harder time recruiting new members, because the sports programs are now a more attractive extra curricular alternative. The park, once a dark and dangerous place, is now a safe, welcoming recreational space with synthetic turf and stands where kids meet to play. Now, the police officers have the ability to encourage good behaviour. Prior to the club, many kids who acted out had nothing to lose, and were therefore hard to punish. However, that has changed. After a recent incident of bullying at the local elementary school, the police officer who was called to the school to assist, told the bullies that dealing with issues at school would cut into his availability to run the soccer program. In short, if the bullying didn’t stop, and the police officer was continually called
four years, is able to continue kickboxing outside of school thanks to Jumpstart funding; and, with the addition of two extra practices per week, she is now a brown belt. Beyond the obvious physical benefits, the program also helps foster transferrable skills such as leadership. Many of the kids from the soccer and boxing programs are employed at the summer camp, illustrating how kids who have positive role models can become positive role models themselves. Le Club de L’Espoir’s success is the result of multiple organizations coming together for the greater good. Jumpstart has provided the funding since 2011, and has invested nearly $125,000 to help more than 1,500 kids register. The police officers give a considerable amount of their own free time to coach and run the programs; the officers at Station 30 have completely bought into the idea, going so far as to get support from the union, and change shifts and vacations to accommodate practice times.
the lives of children can be phenomenal – including the development of social and leadership skills, enhanced educational opportunities, improved community safety, a sense of belonging, and much more – and, such benefits last well into the future. As Plato said, “the moral value of exercise and sports far outweighs the physical value.” Investing in youth early can create a snowball effect of positive impacts that can last for generations. And, as shown, communities do not have to do it alone. Programs run successfully when multiple groups can invest time, resources, and expertise to help maximize success. Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities has proven to be an organization dedicated to helping youth sport in communities across the country, with over 1.3 million kids impacted to date. By working with Community Partners going forward, the hope is that more children can overcome the barriers that are in place, allowing sports’ positive impacts to be felt by all. 2017
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