Check-In: Where are you experiencing change & innovation in the NS sports system?

PURPOSE + OUTCOMES

• To inform and (re-)engage our community of stakeholders (new and already engaged).

• To illuminate and learn from the innovative work already underway.

• Provide a summative overview of our history, achievements and learnings

• Involve you in the next steps of the work ahead.

• Met a woman from Zimbabwe who would like to work with our local cultural associations to design a program for “cultural” play whereby immigrants and newcomers can teach us how to play from their cultural experience.
  

• We are offering two multi-sport programs in our community that includes 60 kids. How do we infiltrate outside of the 60 into the grand population?
  

• There are resource challenges and barriers for small sports. How do you grow when there are other sports dominating?

Research, Data & Evaluation

• Invest in having the evidence available.

• Develop the info - help to gather research, data, community stories. Ability to collect information from all stakeholders and easily accessible to sport/rec providers.

• Centralize resources & data (i.e. portal, shared drive).

• Promote a hub of success stories and tools (physical & virtual).

• Need to evaluate “gaps” across the sector - supporting prototypes early on is important.

• Where’s the go-to? Creating/capturing the data, research, success stories, practices, training, etc in one place for public access.

• Increase evaluation capacity (increase money, university partnership, increase HR, knowledge transfer plan).

• Capacity development for grassroots data on access & retention.

• Generic SNS registration form - collect key demographic data (re: participation).

Collaborative Approach

• Structured and intentional community level support.

• Collaborative leadership with health/happiness as major outcome.

• Collaborative sport and rec in communities (one entity).

• Collaboration - share and connect stories, resources, best practices. Accessible hub.

• Collaborate - access & inclusion, safe sport, research, future in sport, school sport, community sport, hubs.

Education & Awareness

• Celebration, awareness, role-modelling, best channel (medium)?

• Have conversations - tell stories, create space every 2-3 years across NSO, PSO, CSO, rec depart, club, etc.

• Education - bottom to top, know what you have and what is accessible to you.

• Increasing awareness and inspiration through storytelling (video, visual analytics), prototypes, spotlight, etc.

Funding Priority

• Advocate for all facilities, sport/rec to be publicly funded as vital contributions to public heath, environment, etc. Allocation should be prioritized to support accessibility.

• Funding - where to get it, how to use it efficiently.

• Prioritize resource allocation - human, money, research.

Shift Sport Culture

• Re-define our NS culture of sport - clearly articulated, holistic view of success/excellence, values-based, campaign.

• Move to athlete-focused evaluation/delivery. Happy Participants Stay. Measure “happy” over performance-based indicators.

• Changing the mindset of parents, coaches, officials, CSOs, PSOs, Boards. Making it a safe environment and inclusive environment that we are trying to evolve and change.

• Shift sport from elitism and business to accessible… fundamental.

… For ALL. Participation & Inclusion

• Equity - the deeper dive into - for all means everyone! =inclusive.

• Prioritize participation - ensure that everyone has the chance to participate in recreation - less emphasis on winning. Increase value of play.

• Eliminate the “isms.” Racism, elitism, agism, ablism, sexism, regionalism. Challenge decision-making through this test. Who does this benefit?

• Leadership/Mentorship - people who are on the ground/running (i.e CSOs). Feeling safe in the environment. We all end up coming back to rec. sport (Active 4 Life).

Sport & Recreation Synergy

• Focus on, and enhance, collaboration for multi-sport to eliminate administration and allow more focus on tech & athlete development.

• Foster synergy between recreation and sport. Bridge gaps - results metrics (awards vs health), all sport is recreation but not all recreation is sport.

Direction & Focus of reSPORT

• Community-level reSPORT council (relevant, frequent, intentional).

• Communicating the direction of reSPORT.

• Commit to one goal - as suggested by the prototypes. What is one thing that reSPORT can set out to implement?

• How will reSPORT be more than Sport NS strategic plan? Need to recognize that it is more than SNS.

• Support prototypes - economically, training, guidance.

Other Great Ideas

• Success for reSPORT is connected to a strong base of volunteers (cost-neutral training, support courses, etc).

• Create after-school Junior High programs for all students.

• Strategic planning for local sport organizations.

• Co-existing partners - sport, rec, school, work together. NEED NSSAF rep at the table.