1. CAAWS PROGRAMS AT A GLANCE
2. CELEBRATING CAAWS’ 30TH ANNIVERSARY- PROFILING WOMEN IN SPORT AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
3. UPCOMING CAAWS WORKSHOPS
4. HOST AN ON THE MOVE WORKSHOP IN ONTARIO
5. CAAWS WOMEN AND LEADERSHIP PROGRAM – CALL FOR WORKSHOP HOSTS
6. GRANT OPPORTUNITY – INCREASING PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND SPORT PARTICIPATION FOR ONTARIO WOMEN 55-70+
7. STACEY LEVITT WOMEN AND SPORT SCHOLARSHIP – CALL FOR APPLICATIONS
8. SPORT MATTERS LAUNCHES NEW WEBSITE
9. SPORTS OFFICIALS CANADA AWARDS – CALL FOR NOMINATIONS
10. 2011 NEDIC SHADES OF GREY CONFERENCE
11. CELEBRATIONS

1. CAAWS PROGRAMS AT A GLANCE

Consultation on after school programs for girls and young women – As part of CAAWS’ involvement in the new Canadian Active After School Partnership (CAASP), CAAWS hosted a consultation about quality after school programs for girls and young women on March 28th in Toronto (ON). Discussions will contribute to the development of a new policy with recommendations to increase the availability and utilization of after school programs for girls and young women. Thanks to all those who participated!

Five Friendship Centres selected to deliver after school programs – In partnership with the National Association of Friendship Centres, CAAWS selected five Friendship Centres to develop and implement after school programs for Aboriginal girls and young women, based on CAAWS’ On the Move initiative. CAAWS looks forward to collaborating with the following Friendship Centres in the coming year: Vancouver Aboriginal Friendship Centre (BC), Riverton & District Friendship Centre (MB), United Native Friendship Centre (Fort Frances, ON), Hamilton Regional Indian Centre (ON), and St. John’s Native Friendship Centre (NL). Thanks to all the Friendship Centres that applied.

New on the CAAWS Website - What Men Can Do – Launched in conjunction with the CAAWS Women and Leadership Network, this new section on the CAAWS website provides practical ideas for men, whether encouraging their daughters to stay active or supporting women’s active involvement around the board table. Visit www.caaws.ca/e/advocacy/ for more information.

Have you registered yet for the CAAWS Women and Leadership Network? - The new Network is a place where women can connect, build their skills, share ideas, discuss issues, find solutions and take action. Visit www.WomenandLeadershipNETWORK.ca today to register and begin making the site part of your day – add a comment or ask a question on the forum, share an interesting article or blog, recommend a book or professional development opportunity, invite a friend to join…there are many ways you can contribute!

Stay connected with CAAWS – If you want to know more about CAAWS and our initiatives, and stay up to date on news regarding girls and women in sport and physical activity in Canada, “Like” us on Facebook or follow us through Twitter.

2. CELEBRATING CAAWS’ 30TH ANNIVERSARY - PROFILING WOMEN IN SPORT AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

2011 marks CAAWS’ 30th anniversary. To celebrate, we are showcasing key milestones, and the women behind them, that have contributed to CAAWS’ vision of an equitable sport and physical activity system.

WOMEN’S SKI JUMPING TEAM

On April 6th, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) approved the addition of women’s ski jumping to the 2014 Winter Games program in Sochi, Russia. The Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games will mark the first time ever that women ski jumpers will be allowed to participate at the Winter Olympics.

The IOC rendered its decision in favour of the inclusion of women’s ski jumping after deciding not to include the event in the schedule for the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver. At that time, the IOC said the sport was not developed enough and that it did not meet basic technical criteria for inclusion. After being denied by the IOC, the women ski jumpers took their case to the British Columbia Supreme Court. Unfortunately their bid to be included on the program was rejected and subsequent attempts to appeal the decisions from lower courts to the Supreme Court of Canada were unsuccessful.

While the women ski jumpers can now celebrate, they waged a long and hard-fought battle for this inclusion. To learn more…

3. UPCOMING CAAWS WORKSHOPS

CAAWS will be presenting the Effective Networking Workshop at this year’s Sport Events Congress on Wednesday, April 27, 2011. For more information or to register, click here. The Effective Networking Workshop is a module of the CAAWS Women and Leadership Program. To host a Women and Leadership workshop in your community, see below!

CAAWS will also be making presentations at these upcoming events in May:

On the Move: Creating Positive Programs for Aboriginal Girls and Young Women – BCRPA Symposium 2011, Richmond (BC)

On the Move: Building Resiliency Amongst Newcomer Girls and Young Women – Ontario Healthy Schools Coalition 10th Annual Forum, Sudbury (ON)

For more events and details, visit www.caaws.ca/e/calendar/.

4. HOST AN ON THE MOVE WORKSHOP IN ONTARIO

With funding from the Ontario Trillium Foundation, CAAWS will be delivering a number of On the Move workshops in Ontario until June 2012. Organizations interested in hosting a workshop in their community are encouraged to apply.
On the Move is CAAWS' national initiative to increase opportunities for inactive girls and young women (ages 9-18) to participate in sport and physical activity. On the Move workshops are half-day, interactive, issue-based sessions that provide an overview of the initiative, share best practices from across Canada, and provide "how-to" tips to increase the participation of girls and young women.

For more information and to download an application form, visit http://caaws.ca/onthemove/. The deadline for applications in April 29, 2011.

5. CAAWS WOMEN AND LEADERSHIP PROGRAM – CALL FOR WORKSHOP HOSTS – DEADLINE EXTENDED

CAAWS is seeking organizations interested in hosting a Women and Leadership workshop in their community between July and December, 2011.

The CAAWS Women and Leadership Program was developed to provide professional development and networking opportunities for women working or volunteering in Canada’s sport system. Developed by women for women, the workshops blend theory and practice to engage participants in learning new skills, sharing ideas and experiences, and applying new knowledge to real-life scenarios. Great as stand-alone events or combined with conferences, training events, or AGMs, the following workshops are available for delivery: Communication, Conflict Resolution, Influencing Change, Networking and Work-Life Balance.

For more information and to download an application form, visit www.caaws.ca/e/leadership/.

The deadline for applications is now May 13, 2011.

6. GRANT OPPORTUNITY - INCREASING PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND SPORT PARTICIPATION FOR ONTARIO WOMEN 55-70+

With funding from the Ontario Trillium Foundation, CAAWS is offering incentive grants to groups/organizations interested in increasing physical activity and sport participation among Ontario women aged 55-70+.

Activities that will be funded include:

• Modification of existing physical activity/sport programs (communications, structure, leaders, environments, etc.) to make them more appealing to women 55-70+;
• Development of new physical activity/sport programs specifically for women 55-70+;
• Training of women 55-70+ to be physical activity/sport leaders.

Funds available: $2,000 per grant (ten grants will be awarded)
Project Timeline: June 2011 – February 2012
Application Deadline: May 16, 2011

The application form and guidelines can be found at www.caaws.ca/women55plus. Grant decisions will be made by June 1, 2011. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Shelley Callaghan at purpledog@sympatico.caor 613-798-8029.

7. STACEY LEVITT WOMEN AND SPORT SCHOLARSHIP – CALL FOR APPLICATIONS

CAAWS is now accepting applications for the 2011 Stacey Levitt Women and Sport Scholarship. The scholarship, valued at $2,500, is awarded annually to young women, girls’ teams, or sport organizations that exemplify Stacey’s ideals and qualities. The scholarship, which honours the memory of Stacey, is distributed among five recipients; each recipient will receive $500. High school, university and collegiate level women are encouraged to apply. Consideration will be given to the financial needs of the applicant.

Applications will be accepted until May 31, 2011. Any applications received after this date will not be considered. 2011 Stacey Levitt Women and Sport Scholarship recipients will be announced in August 2011.

For more information, please visit http://www.caaws.ca/e/grants/.

8. SPORT MATTERS LAUNCHES 2011 FEDERAL ELECTION CAMPAIGN

Sport Matters officially kicked off its 2011 Federal Election Campaign: It’s more than a Game: Taking Action for Sport and Physical Activity in Canada.

The platform outlines four key areas where Canada’s next government could make significant strides in fostering a culture of action.

The Sport and Physical Activity community are calling on all parties to:

• Invest in sport and physical activity;
• Strengthen communities with a more inclusive sport and recreation system;
• Build on the momentum in high performance sport; and,
• Invest in community sport and recreation infrastructure.

With your participation, the campaign will reach-out to candidates across Canada with your sport and physical activity messages. Together, using the key messages for the campaign, the Sport and Physical Activity community needs to ask each candidate how they propose to strengthen sport in Canada. Simply asking the question can make all the difference!

To find out how you can get involved, visit www.itsmorethanagame.ca.

9. SPORTS OFFICIALS CANADA AWARDS – CALL FOR NOMINATIONS

Nominations are now being accepted for the 2011 Sports Officials Canada Awards. Winners will be announced in June and awards will be presented at the Annual SOC Awards Dinner in Toronto (ON) on Saturday, September 24, 2011.

The four award categories are:

1. Fox 40 Award for Female Official of the Year
2. Fox 40 Award for Male Official of the Year
3. Ron Foxcroft Award for Professional Officials
4. Allen G. Rae Rae Builders Award

For more information and to complete the online nomination form, visit http://www.sportsofficials.ca. The deadline for all nominations is May 13, 2011.

10. 2011 NEDIC SHADES OF GREY CONFERENCE

In partnership with the Dove Self-Esteem Fund, the National Eating Disorder Information Centre (NEDIC) presents the 2011 Body Image and Self Esteem: Shades of Grey Conference in Toronto (ON) from May 2-3, 2011.

Join NEDIC and leading-edge practitioners, educators and activists in opportunities to share experiences, learn new approaches, and change perceptions about body image and self concept issues.

Topics include, but are not limited to: Ontario’s new Health and Physical Education Curriculum, Weight-focused Bullying, Packaging Girlhood: Media and Marketing Influences on Girls, Body-image Issues among Adult Women, and Media Literacy: Hands-on Learning for Boys and Girls. A FREE community event is scheduled for Tuesday, May 2.

For more information or to register, visit http://www.nedic.ca/2011ConferenceIntro.shtml.

11. CELEBRATIONS

CAAWS Board member and incoming Chair, Moira Lassen (Ottawa, ON), was elected for a two year mandate to the position of VP Technical for the Ontario Weightlifting Association during their recent AGM. Beckie Scott (Canmore, AB) was appointed as Canada’s Chef de Mission for the 2012 Winter Youth Olympic Games (WYOG) in Innsbruck, Austria. Joyce Henry (Ottawa, ON) and Sherry Trumbull (Vancouver, BC) have been named to the International Rugby Board’s first-ever women’s referee panel. Debbie Amirault (Edmonton, AB), superintendent at The Quarry Golf Club was sworn in as the first female President of the Canadian Golf Superintendents Association (CGSA). Patricia Landry (Saint-Étienne-des-Grès, QC) has recently been named the first female head coach for Quebec’s senior women’s team and is also the first female assistant coach for the women’s national team.

Tanya Pilat (West St. Paul, MB) received Sport Manitoba’s Vince Leah Memorial Award - Grassroots Category from Sport Manitoba. Canadian Colleges Athletic Association (CCAA) presented Sandra Lamb (Calgary, AB), coach of the Mount Royal University women’s volleyball team, with the 2011 Coaching Excellence Award Across All CCAA Sports. Congratulations to all CCAA and Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) 2011 Women National Champions, as well as all Female Players and Coaches of the Year in all sports.

The 3rd Annual Celebration of Women in Sport was held on April 3 at the Pacific Institute for Sport Excellence. The winners include Krista Thompson (field hockey) – Coach of the Year; Tracy Terry (sailing) – Sport Builder; Madeline Sherry (blind lawn bowling) – Volunteer of the Year; and Athlete of the Year was Jessica Vliegenthart (wheelchair basketball). The ProMOTION Plus Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Patti Hunter (Victoria, BC), a long-time sports advocate for equality for women in sport.

For the first time in Olympic Winter Games history, women will participate in ski jumping, beginning in Sochi, Russia in 2014. Saint Mary’s University women’s hockey team (Halifax, NS) was reinstated after the university announced it was ending the women’s hockey program because of budget cuts.

In the Loop celebrates women’s accomplishments in the sport and physical activity community. Send career notices, changes, awards and recognitions to CAAWS c/o slegault@caaws.ca to be included in the next issue.

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