Projects

At Sport for Life, we’re in the business of changing lives through the power of physical literacy and quality sport. We’re based in Canada, but our work is on a global scale. Though our work is complex and multi-faceted, our primary objectives can be boiled down to project management, knowledge mobilization and resource development. 

Knowledge Mobilization

By sharing our knowledge and expertise of physical literacy and quality sport with community, provincial/territorial, national and international organizations, we promote the ideals of Long-Term Development in Sport and Physical Activity and work towards creating a society that is more healthy and movement-oriented. 

Resource Development

We propose, develop and share resources that organizations use to guide their programming and inform their strategic planning. These resources promote physical literacy development and aim to improve the quality of sport programming.

Project Management

Working with a variety of partners, we oversee projects all over the globe that help to create opportunities for quality sport experiences accessible to and inclusive of everyone, and the development of physical literacy. 

Below you can see some of the recent projects we’ve worked on. If you’d like to learn more about these projects, or if you would like to hire Sport for Life to lead a project within your organization or community, email us at info@sportforlife.ca.

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• Knowledge Mobilization
• Project Management
• Resource Development

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Active for Life: Durable by Design

Physical Literacy

This resource explores the fact that physical literacy, increased activity and recreational sport – being “fit for life” – can be the gateway to a healthier Canada. The benefits of regular physical activity are well documented: sustained long-term health, increased social connectedness, improved general mental and physical well-being and better quality of life. Yet in spite of the clear evidence demonstrating numerous benefits associated with regular exercise, particularly for mature adults, only 15% of Canadian adults meet national physical activity recommendations (Colley et al., 2011) and rates of sport participation have declined in the past several decades among Canada’s growing population of older adults.

Appetite to Play

Physical Literacy

The Physical Literacy Division of Sport for Life creates strategic relationships and directs projects that develop physical literacy within the community, provincial/territorial, national and international organizations. This partnership with Child Health BC covers health eating and physical activity in the early years. Appetite to Play is an initiative designed to support early years providers in the promotion and encouragement of physical activity and healthy eating. Appetite to Play provides healthy eating and physical activity recommended practices and practice support resources for early years providers to use in a variety of settings including: daycare centres, family based childcare, preschool and parent participation programs. It involves an interactive website for early years providers and training opportunities including workshops.

Building Social Legacies

Quality Sport

This resource provides the background and process for host committees, social agencies and governments to plan and deliver initiatives that leave social legacies. The resource defines social legacies, provides examples and introduces an eight-step framework for event hosts to use in planning and delivering social legacies. Hosting sport events can bring many positive benefits to the community. Traditionally, many of the benefits that motivate event hosts, governments and sponsors have focused predominantly on creating economic or sport impacts. More recently, mega, major and signature sport event organizers are being asked to help communities address long-standing social issues and to leave the community better than before. The case can be made that social legacies such as greater community cohesion, improved accessibility, additional community programming, enhanced volunteerism, greater overall sport participation, increased physical activity and improved health of citizens are just as relevant as and perhaps even more important than other event legacies. These social legacies have been difficult for event hosts to understand, let alone deliver or measure. In addition, the resources and expertise of host organizations are too often focused and consumed with executing the logistical demands of a competition. Hosts need the expertise, partnerships, funding and organizational capacity to specifically target social legacies.

Developing Physical Literacy: Building A New Normal for All Canadians

Physical Literacy

This document describes the essential components of physical literacy, outlines how to support the development of physical literacy in all stages of life, and discusses strategies for delivering coordinated physical literacy programs for Canadians of all ages, genders, ethnicities, and abilities. This resource is not a programming guide but rather a rationale and road map for all citizens to enjoy greater health, well-being and inclusion by choosing an active lifestyle founded on physical literacy.

Get in the Game Project

Quality Sport

“Get in the Game” is a five-year project funded by Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities. It supports a partnership between the Boys and Girls Club of Canada (BGCC) and Sport for Life to build and enhance inclusive out-of-school physical activity and sport programs for children with disabilities at Boys and Girls Clubs. Through training and mentorship, the objectives are to: develop a common understanding and practice of inclusion at Boys and Girls Clubs, with a strong focus on supporting children with disabilities; build the capacity of Club staff to deliver quality, inclusive sport and physical activity programs; enable BGCC to provide grants to Clubs to run inclusive sport and recreation programs for all children; and provide BGCC staff with access to PLAYBuilder to support activity selection and delivery.

Long-Term Development in Sport and Physical Activity

Physical Literacy and Quality Sport

This resource provides a framework for the development of every child, youth and adult to enable optimal participation in sport and physical activity. The objective of the framework is to promote both sporting excellence at the highest international level and life-long engagement in health-enhancing physical activity. This third edition brings a number of important updates and enhancements.

Newcomer Sport Program in Victoria

Physical Literacy

Linking into community sport and accessing the resources available is often complex, yet sport can play a vital role in newcomers’ sense of belonging. The Newcomer Sport Program in Victoria, BC has helped get newcomer (refugee and immigrant) children and youth into existing quality sport and physical activity programs as soon as basic needs such as housing and health are addressed. The goal has been to help connect them to their new community, develop physical literacy, and have positive and successful sport experiences resulting in lifelong participation. In collaboration with the Inter-Cultural Association of Greater Victoria and a local Sport Coordinator, and with financial support from the Victoria Foundation and KidSport Greater Victoria, this program has helped newcomer children and youth find the right fit for sport in their community, access registration and equipment funding, and receive ongoing culturally tailored support throughout the program. It has also provided local sport and recreation leaders with cultural sensitivity training to assist them in welcoming newcomers in their programs. 

Physical Literacy for Life Female FUNdamentals

Physical Literacy

Consistent evidence exists of a gender imbalance between level of involvement in sport and physical activity by girls as compared to boys, and of a more substantial drop in participation rate by girls than boys as children approach adolescence.  Through a more thorough investigation into why this drop-off was occurring and the strategies that could be employed to change the outcome, an intervention was developed. The intervention included a focus on training leaders of girls programs (primarily men) to consider the social and emotional needs of girls and the creation of supportive environments for girls. 

This project will involve the training of community coaches and leaders on the specific needs of girls (ages 8-12 years) in order to better engage and retain female participants in sport and physical activity, within inclusive, quality sport and physical activity environments. This project will take place over an eight month period and will target 4 clubs/locations in the Greater Victoria region. The goal is to improve the experience of girls in sport and physical activity programming, to lead to more sustained participation throughout their lifespan.

Physical Literacy for Communities – Ontario

Physical Literacy

Sport for Life has developed a world-leading approach called Physical Literacy for Communities (PL4C), a proven process that meets communities where they are at in supporting and empowering local leaders to shift social norms and attitudes, and create active societies. The mission is to increase physical activity through the collective development of physical literacy, resulting in a more active and healthy society. To create change, PL4C builds a coalition of people passionate to lead physical literacy forward within their communities. These leadership groups are typically comprised of representatives in the sport, health and education sectors. Other participants engaged at the table include community leaders, religious and faith-based groups, NGOs, interested businesses, early childhood educators and the media. This coalition creates a strategic vision specific to their community. They build out a mission which is based on educating the community, then training the community program leaders so that they’re self-sufficient and can work with the coalition to sustain the change.

Physical Literacy with Indigenous Communities

Physical Literacy

Physical Literacy with Indigenous Communities (PLIC) is a five-year project funded by a private foundation – through Physical Literacy for Life – to provide mentorship, training and education opportunities to three remote northern communities. The communities of Kinngait, NU, Arviat, NU and Kuujjuarapik, Nunavik (QC) receive support for 3 years, with each community starting their journey in a different year. The goal is to increase and enhance physical activity and quality sport programs and services in a culturally appropriate way, meeting the individual needs and strengths of each community.

Sport for Life for all Newcomers to Canada

Quality Sport

By 2030, immigration will account for all of Canada’s net population growth. Cities across Canada are being transformed by immigration, and these demographic trends will undoubtedly impact the Canadian sport and physical activity system. Grassroots and professional organizations need to find ways to appeal to this diverse new audience, and it is the responsibility of all sport and physical activity leaders to ensure that the system is accessible to all Canadians. The resource outlines the barriers that newcomers may face in their participation of sport and physical activity, and then provides examples of solutions and opportunities that exist, as well as promising practices of work being done across Canada.

Quality Sport for Communities and Clubs Checklist

Quality Sport

The Quality Sport for Communities and Clubs checklist is composed of a number of elements that lead to quality sport experiences in any sport program. It has been designed with everyone in mind, including women and girls, Indigenous populations, participants with a physical or cognitive disability, and newcomers to Canada. This checklist can be used as a tool by community and club leaders to assess and improve the quality of sport programming in a club or community setting.

Quality Sport for Communities and Clubs Tour

Quality Sport

The Makadiff project supported Sport for Life developing a Quality Sport for Communities and Clubs workshop that was delivered to five communities — Edmonton, Red Deer, Lethbridge and two in Calgary. This involved detailed project design, the development of a resource, and communications with each community. This was followed by a mentorship and workshop design process, which included facilitation guides, surveys and equipment, and expert consultation from Sport for Life. Each of the five communities created an action plan, and a webinar was held to share results with PLAY groups and other provincial partners.