1. CAAWS PROGRAMS AT A GLANCE
2. CELEBRATING CAAWS’ 30TH ANNIVERSARY- PROFILING WOMEN IN SPORT AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
3. STACEY LEVITT WOMEN AND SPORT SCHOLARSHIP – CALL FOR APPLICATIONS
4. UPCOMING CAAWS WORKSHOPS
5. STEP UP! SPEAK OUT! ALLY CAMPAIGN FOR INCLUSIVE SPORT
6. WORLD NO TOBACCO DAY 2011
7. CAAWS AND ATHLETESCAN RESPOND TO BADMINTON’S “MANDATORY SKIRT RULE”
8. STAY CONNECTED WITH CAAWS
9. CELEBRATIONS

1. CAAWS PROGRAMS AT A GLANCE

On the Move - On May 30th and 31st, new and experienced facilitators from across Ontario will gather to be (re)trained to deliver CAAWS’ On the Move Workshop. In partnership with Sport North, a facilitator will also be trained from the Northwest Territories! A number of new resources are being finalized in preparation for the event, and On the Move workshops are now being scheduled across the province. Stay tuned for more information!

CAAWS Women and Leadership Network - CAAWS’ new Women and Leadership Network continues to grow. Help us reach 300 members by registering yourself, or using our Take Action! email campaign to invite a friend or colleague to join. The Network has been designed as the go-to place where women involved in sport and physical activity across Canada can connect, build their skills, share ideas, discuss issues, find solutions and take action. Join the Network today!

New Partnership with Saint Elizabeth Health Care – CAAWS is excited to partner with the Saint Elizabeth First Nations, Inuit and Métis Program to deliver a FREE webinar about our Aboriginal On the Move program, the Aboriginal Women and Leadership workshops, and other CAAWS initiatives to community based health care providers across Canada. This is an exciting opportunity to provide information and resources to First Nation communities, and explore the use of webinars to expand CAAWS’ reach. For more information, visit http://www.atyourside.ca/fni/fni_index.html.

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 people behind them, that have contributed to CAAWS' vision of an equitable sport and physical activity system.

MEN AS ALLIES OF WOMEN IN SPORT AND PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

Men have an important role to play in supporting the participation and leadership of girls and women in sport and physical activity. In 1994, David Morrison, a father of two young girls, became a champion of gender discrimination when he spoke out against the inequity of financial funding for female sporting clubs in his hometown of Coquitlam, BC.

At the time of the complaint, Mr. Morrison was a director of the Omega Gymnastics Club in the City of Coquitlam, and his nine year old daughter trained at the privately owned, non-profit club. After numerous failed attempts to gain funding from the City of Coquitlam for the club, Mr. Morrison lodged a sex-discrimination complaint with the provincial Human Rights Commission (HRC) on the basis that the city consistently provided a disproportionate amount of public funds to male-only sports, in this instance, hockey.

“I did what I felt was right for all young girls and women wanting an equal chance to be active,” Mr. Morrison said. “I plan to continue my efforts by helping other municipalities implement similar programs.” To learn more, visit www.caaws.ca/e/milestones/30_years/men_as_allies.cfm

3. 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; with each recipient receiving $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/

4. UPCOMING CAAWS WORKSHOPS

CAAWS will be hosting a Lunch and Learn event on Thursday, 9 June, from 12-2pm at the RA Centre, Ottawa ON. We will be having a guest speaker come share her experiences with the group, and lunch will be provided. Further details will be announced shortly so mark the date in your calendar, share the event with your network, and invite a friend to come! If you live in the Ottawa region and would like us to add your name to the invitation list for upcoming events in the area, please submit your email address to caaws@caaws.ca.

CAAWS will be involved in two sessions at the Canadian Public Health Association Conference in Montreal QC from June 19-22, 2011. On June 20th CAAWS will be delivering sessions on the Newcomer On the Move project and Physical Activity for Women 55-70+ project.

For more information and/or to register for the CPHA 2011 Annual Conference, visit http://www.cpha.ca/en/conferences.

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

5. STEP UP! SPEAK OUT! ALLY CAMPAIGN FOR INCLUSIVE SPORT

Together AthletesCAN, Coaches of Canada, True Sport Foundation, the Canadian Association for the Advancement of Women and Sport and Physical Activity (CAAWS), the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sport, Sport Officials Canada, and Egale Canada are calling upon the Canadian sport community to respect all individuals involved in sport, regardless of perceived or actual sexual orientation.

Launched on the International Day Against Homophobia on May 17th, this national campaign is inspired by Hudson Taylor’s Athlete Ally^TM pledge.

As part of the Step Up! Speak Out! Ally Campaign for Inclusive Sport, individuals and organizations are being asked to publicly commit to being an Ally and bring the message of inclusion, respect and equality to their sport. To learn more about the campaign and to become a Step Up! Speak Out! Ally or Champion, go to www.stepupspeakout.ca.

6. WORLD NO TOBACCO DAY 2011

On May 31st each year, the World Health Organization (WHO) celebrates World No Tobacco Day to increase awareness about the health risks associated with tobacco use and advocate for effective policies to reduce consumption. In an effort to promote physical activity as a viable alternative to smoking, CAAWS created Active & Free: Young women, physical activity and tobacco. This practical resource and Take 5 action primer support health promoters and sport and physical activity leaders in encouraging a healthy lifestyle for girls and young women by keeping them physically active and tobacco-free…for life.

To celebrate World No Tobacco Day, CAAWS will launch new interactive web-based resources designed specifically for girls and young women (ages 9-18). Stay tuned in the coming weeks for these new resources and be sure to share them with your youth networks!

For more information on Active & Free: Young women, physical activity and tobacco, visit http://www.caaws.ca/activeandfree/e/index.cfm

7. CAAWS AND ATHLETESCAN RESPOND TO BADMINTON’S “MANDATORY SKIRT RULE”

Over the past number of years, the Badminton World Federation (BWF) has seen tremendous athlete leadership and made great strides towards gender equity within their sport; a standard 21-point rally system, equal prize money, and equal participation of men and women in the events offered. CAAWS and AthletesCAN are therefore disappointed to see the BWF take a large step back with its recent rule which will require all female players to wear skirts or dresses for Level 1 to 3 tournaments. This rule, which is part of a larger campaign to “raise the profile of women in Badminton” and “enhance the presentation of the game”, will come into effect June 1, 2011.

“For thirty years, CAAWS has worked towards eliminating the barriers girls and women face in participating in sport as both participants and leaders. While many female Badminton players choose to wear skirts during tournament play, those that do not for religious and cultural purposes or personal preference, should not be forced to do so” says Karin Lofstrom, Executive Director, CAAWS.

“AthletesCAN supports the right of female athletes to have a choice and be involved in the decision making process of their sport. Raising the profile of women in Badminton and presentation of the sport by imposing a mandatory rule on female players sends the wrong message” says Jasmine Northcott, Executive Director, AthletesCAN.

“As an athlete, whether I chose to wear a skirt or not, the ability to confidently walk on the court and succeed, is directly related to choice. I choose to wear a skirt – I also choose to wear shorts – the basic principle is that I have a choice. That choice is directly linked to my success on the court. In a sport where we’ve come so far in creating a strong and vibrant environment of gender equity, it is disappointing to see attempts by the Badminton World Federation to portray female sport not by the character, strength and athletic accomplishments of our extraordinary female athletes, but by a skirt” says Anna Rice, two-time Olympian and recent retiree from the Canadian National Badminton team.

CAAWS and AthletesCAN are disappointed with this ruling and the elimination of choice and control for female athletes over what they wear in competition. We encourage the BWF to think about the greater repercussions this ruling will have on the inclusion and participation of girls and women in the sport of Badminton. CAAWS and AthletesCAN also support further dialogue between the BWF and the female athletes directly affected by this decision.

8. STAY CONNECTED WITH CAAWS

Did you know that CAAWS is on Facebook and Twitter? Well now you do! Stay “In the Loop” with CAAWS and up to date on the latest news and issues related to girls and women and sport and physical activity through social media.

Right now, CAAWS has 907 followers on Twitter, and 246 Facebook friends. We want our readers to help us reach our goal of 1,000 Twitter followers and 350 Facebook friends by June 30!

Follow us on our Twitter and Facebook pages, and have all your friends and colleagues follow us too!

9. CELEBRATIONS

The following women were named to the Mission Staff for the London 2012 Paralympic Games: Chantal Petitclerc (Montreal, QC), retired Paralympian with 21 Paralympic medals; Judy Joseph-Black (Gabriola Island, BC), BC sport consultant and former CAAWS Board member; Lindsay Hugenholtz (Halifax, NS), Deputy CEO of the Halifax 2011 Canada Games; Alison Korn (Ottawa, ON), CPC Media Relations and Laura Domenicucci (Ottawa, ON), CPC Domestic Sport Development. To see a complete list of Mission Staff biographies, please visit http://www.paralympic.ca/en/Press-Release/Mission-Staff-Media-Release/Teleconference-Reminder.html

Sandra Gage (Ottawa, ON), Director of Business Development for the Canadian Soccer Association was elected to the Canadian Sport Tourism Alliance Board of Directors. The Canadian Cerebral Palsy Sports Association (CCPSA) has appointed CCPSA president Sandra Hermiston (Edmonton, AB) as member at large on the Executive Committee of the Cerebral Palsy International Sports and Recreation Association (CPISRA).

Sport Manitoba has announced their Women to Watch Grant recipients for 2011. The list includes three young coaches: Nia Perron in the sport of rowing, Ashley Fudge in the sport of equestrian and Jaclyn Butterworth in the sport of field hockey. For the full list of recipients and their biographies, please visit http://www.caaws.ca/e/article.cfm?ID=4297

Canada’s Carol Anne Chénard (Montreal, QC) is one of 51 female officials selected to officiate at the FIFA Women’s World Cup Germany 2011™. Ten-time Paralympic medalist Lauren Woolstencroft (Vancouver, BC) and 16 year Canadian soccer team player Andrea Neil (Vancouver, BC) will be inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame in November 2011.

For the first time in Canada’s history, women make up a quarter of the 308 seats in the House of Commons.

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