Equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility (EDIA) are part of Sport for Life’s core values and align with our vision to effect positive systems change and societal impact by creating equitable opportunities for participation in quality sport and physical literacy experiences. This is also central to our mission: to create, share and mobilize knowledge to support sport, recreation, health, education, and government agencies through effective project management and quality sport and physical literacy resources, while breaking down barriers towards pursuing EDIA.

We celebrate different viewpoints and experiences to the benefit of our projects, products and services, thus contributing to breaking down the barriers preventing access to quality sport and physical literacy opportunities.

Read more about our EDIA strategy.

Credit: This video was made possible thanks to our partnership with the University of Victoria Community-Engaged Learning Department and the hard work of students Paul Voll and Terra Taylor.

Resources

Sport for Life strives for a sport and physical activity system that is a catalyst for change that centres the aspirations of equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility for everyone. Aligned to our Sport for Life values of collaboration, integrity, and pursuing EDIA to name a few, we have had the opportunity to work and partner with many groups to create resources that support equity-deserving people.

• Indigenous Communities: Active for Life
• Indigenous Long-Term Participant Development Pathway
• Sport for Life for Every New to Canada Participant 2.0
• Active for Life: Durable by Design
• She Belongs: Building Social Connection for Lasting Participation in Sport

As well, we have a Find Your Fit section of our website that offers additional resources and supporting information.

At Sport for Life we are guided in part by the Japanese philosophy of Kaizen, which means continuous improvement even when it is hard. So much so, we have included Kaizen as one of our Sport for Life core values. Therefore, we acknowledge that the Sport for Life Catalysts for Change landing page is in continuous improvement – we can always be improving. We strive to work towards equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility, which means this landing page is not an exhaustive list of all our projects, services and programs, because we strive to embed these goals into every single Sport for Life initiative.

In aspiring to be equitable, diverse, inclusive and accessible there is no one end point; instead it is an evolving, changing and growing ecosystem. Thank you for stopping by the Catalysts for Change landing page – join us as we strive to continuously improve.

Systemic and institutional racism continues to exist in Canadian society and around the world. Working within the sport and recreation sectors, we recognize that in order to combat racism we need to be anti-racist. Sport for Life (S4L) and Physical Literacy for Life (PL4L) charity believe that equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility are foundational to setting the stage for barrier-free participation in a welcoming and healthy sport and physical activity ecosystem.

We strive to be anti-racist. We are intentional in the use of “strive” because we know we have a lot of work to do towards creating an inclusive and positive environment for everyone to enjoy the benefits of sport and physical activity. To be just not racist perpetuates systemic racism, but by actively supporting anti-racist policies, programs and services, Sport for Life will work to disrupt, dismantle and abolish racism in the programs, services and resources we deliver, both alone and in partnership with others.

Sport for Life will be purposeful in adding our voice in a good way and when appropriate to the powerful messages of anti-racism around the world, while striving for our programming, services and resources to be inclusive of everyone. That includes people of all racial identities and their intersectional identities such as ethnicity, culture, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, varied ability, gender expression or national origin.

Stories

We believe storytelling has the power to change perspectives.

Every month, Sport for Life releases a newsletter with stories about the physical literacy and quality sport ecosystem, highlighting the good work being done in our country and beyond. Often these feature EDIA, whether we’re honouring a variety of days of significance or displaying equity in how we amplify the voices of community members that may have been marginalized. With our stories, we want people to know that a better and more inclusive system is possible. That way we can work towards making it a reality.

Here is a sampling of some of our EDIA-themed stories: