Through Team Spirit:
Aboriginal Girls in Sport, CAAWS and the Aboriginal
Sport Circle will partner with nine communities in eight
provinces/territories across Canada to provide community
sport opportunities for Aboriginal girls and young women
(ages 9-18).
Current Team Spirit Programs
Girls' Gymnastics Club
Hamlet of Chesterfield Inlet, Nunavut
In Chesterfield Inlet, a Girls' Gymnastics Club will
be developed at Victor
Sammurtok School to increase girls' and young women's
confidence and
self-esteem. The dual focus of gymnastics as a graceful
and powerful sport
will be promoted to potential participants to ensure
it appeals to a wide
variety of girls and young women. Gymnastics will be
a new activity in
Chesterfield Inlet, guaranteeing a good turnout!
Girls Night
Out
Winnipeg Boys and Girls Club
Winnipeg MB
Girls Night Out is a city-wide female-only recreation
program that introduces teenage girls to new and interesting
types of sports and physical activities in a safe and
supportive environment, while developing friendships
and building self-esteem. The purpose of the program
is to increase participation in regular physical activity
and encourage girls to take personal responsibility
for their own health and well-being.
For 32 weeks during the school year, Girls Night Out
participants meet once a week to participate in a variety
of community-based sports and active girls,female-only programming, health and well-being of girls and young women,gender equity, societal barriers, fairness, girls and sport, girls' sport, girl's sport, girls sport, sport for girls, girls on their game, girls self-esteem, Canadian Association for women and sport,women's participation, girl's participation">
Girls' Sport Circle
Eskasoni Culture, Recreation and Youth (ECRY)
Eskasoni, Nova Scotia
The Girls' Sport Circle has been developed to develop,
support and encourage
sport and recreation opportunities for Mi'kmaq girls
and young women. The
program will provide sport skill development and participation
opportunities
in soccer, volleyball and rugby. These sports have been
chosen for their
ability to address a number of issues - girls and young
women in Eskasoni
chose the sports; they are relatively inexpensive, requiring
little
equipment; the sports will be provided in the community,
avoiding
transportation issues; and the sports are inclusive
of a variety of body
shapes and sizes. Before the program began there were
no girls-only teams or
leagues in Eskasoni.
Girls' Volleyball Club
Eel Ground School
Eel Ground First Nation, New Brunswick
Why was Volleyball chosen as the focus in Eel Ground?
The program leader
reports, "it is the only sport that has EVER caught
the girls' attention!"
Some of the objectives of the Girls' Volleyball Club
are to:
Increase the participation of girls and young women
in sport and
physical activity;
Educate participants on the importance of life-long
active living;
Help girls and young women realize the importance
of team spirit and
fair play; and
Encourage interested participants to pursue their
involvement as
coaches.
Hoops
and Dreams
Joe Duquette High School and the University of Saskatchewan
Saskatoon SK
Joe Duquette High School is an Aboriginal high school
established to enhance the educational experiences of
Aboriginal youth living in Saskatoon. In collaboration
with the University of Saskatchewan, the Hoops and Dreams
program addresses a gap in sport opportunities available
for female students by providing a basketball program.
The goal of the program is to work with female students
to enhance their health and well being. The program
strives to empower participants to make healthy choices
for themselves and demonstrate positive leadership in
their community.
Team Spirit funding was used to support a Basketball
program involving approximately 16 young women in the
Saskatoon Minor Basketball Association’s spring
league. Participants practice on Mondays and play games
on Wednesdays. The team was expanded to include students
from schools other than Joe Duquette as the program’s
reputation grew and several young women from other schools
wanted to participate. Many participants had no previous
basketball experience.
Hoops and Dreams is led by Jacquie Lavellee, a proud
Metis young women who has represented her city, her
university, and her country on numerous basketball teams.
In the fall of 2005, Ms. Lavallee was hired to teach
at Joe Duquette and her leadership has been instrumental
in the program’s success.
Kanenhri:io - We are
a Good Team,
Ahkwesahsne Mohawk Board of Education
Akwesasne ON
Straddling the Canada-U.S. border and situated within
both Ontario and Quebec, Akwesasne is a unique community
is many ways. Although there is a strong sport culture
in Akwesasne, the Ahkwesasne Mohawk Board of Education
new that not all children and youth were benefiting
from the sport and physical activity opportunities available.
Kanenhri:io – We are a Good Team will promote
wellness and physical activity to a select group of
elementary school students. Through opportunities to
try new sports, build their basic skills, and increase
their comfort in physical activity and sport environments,
participants will build a foundation for life-long healthy
living. Planned sports include Volleyball, soccer, track
and field, golf, swimming, skating, soccer and lacrosse.
Niish Nobbie Girls Rock
Nawash Board of Education & Niish Nobbie Nordics
Cape Croker First Nation, Wiarton ON
Niish Nobbie Girls Rock is an expansion of the existing
Nordic ski program at Cape Croker First Nation Elementary
School outside of Wiarton, Ontario. The program has
been designed to:
Encourage more girls and young women to get involved
and stay involved in cross country skiing
To support young women’s continued participation
in the high school program
To encourage girls and young women to adopt healthy,
active lifestyles into womanhood
To increase the number of female Aboriginal role models
from the community by supporting their coaching training
and certification.
Niish Nobbie Girls Rock will provide participants with
the use of school skis, skill instruction, opportunities
to participate recreationally and competitively, and
an all-female ski retreat with female elders.
Swing into Action
Aboriginal Friendship Centre of Calgary
Calgary AB
Swing into Action provides Aboriginal girls and young
women in the city of Calgary with an opportunity to
learn about the sport of golf and hone their skills
with a certified instructor at an accredited golf facility.
The program builds upon the Royal Canadian Golf Association’s
CN Future Links Girls’ Club model.
The program will provide participants with an opportunity
to build their golf skills, and increase their comfort
in community golf facilities. Participants will be coached
by an Aboriginal female golf pro, and other positive
female role models will be involved. This two year program
will provide introductory lessons in years 1 and 2,
and in year 2, returning participants will have the
opportunity to further develop their skills.
Wave Riders
Pender Harbour Community Schools Society & Sechelt
Indian Band
Sunshine Coast, British Columbia
Wave Riders aims to introduce girls and young women
to the cultural wonders
of the Shishalh First Nation through water-based experiences
- kayaking,
dragon boating, and long canoeing. Participants will
gain an understanding
of the region in which they live, taking in the stunning
views of the
Sunshine Coast shoreline, and learn about their ancestors'
way of life
through stories and legends.
Sydney Millar
National Program Manager Canadian Association for the Advancement of
Women and Sport and Physical Activity
N202-801 King Edward Avenue
Ottawa ON K1N 6N5
Tel: 613 - 562 - 5667
Fax: 613 - 562 - 5668
CAAWS
appreciates the financial support of Heritage
Canada, Sport Canada
