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SportWORKS Blog

COMMONWEALTH SPORT CANADA

CSC SportWORKS S4N

Using the success of the SportWORKS program model, CSC has created an initiative focused on Commonwealth newcomer youth in Canada. The Sport for Newcomers Initiative (S4N) is designed to build and enhance the capacity of Newcomer Service Support Organizations (NSSOs) in Canada and to reduce barriers to sport participation for newcomer youth, leading to increased sport frequency rates and retention of this population. The Initiative aims to build NSSO organizational capacity through internship placements of SportWORKS Officers, who assist with the transfer of knowledge and capacity building at NSSOs for staff and volunteers, by developing resources/materials, building partnerships with local sport organizations, seeking local program funding opportunities and by assisting with the accumulation of data for baseline results of pilot monitoring and evaluation for future programming and longitudinal indicators.

CSC SportWORKS S4N Projects:

Sport for Newcomers Edmonton

Sport for Newcomers Toronto

Sport for Newcomers Calgary

Sport for Newcomers Hamilton

Sport for Newcomers Charlottetown

Sport for Newcomers Surrey

S4N Hamilton – A Month in Review

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Written by: Savannah Baker, SportWORKS Officer, Sport for Newcomers Hamilton May was a busy and exciting month at the YMCA of Hamilton/Burlington/Brantford. This month newcomer youth got to participate in 4 sport sessions, soccer x2, volleyball, and pickleball. For the first two weeks of May, the newcomer youth got to participate in soccer sessions. The […]

S4N Hamilton – The opportunity of a lifetime!

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Written by: Ronald Hollingsworth, SportWORKS Officer, S4N Hamilton I look back at these eight months and wonder where did the time go. It has truly been a pleasure to meet and work with so many great people over the course of my time as a SportWORKS Officer. I’ve had the pleasure of connecting with so […]

S4N Hamilton – Getting to know Community through Sports

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Written by: Ronald Hollingsworth, SportWORKS Officer – S4N Hamilton During the past few month, I have had the pleasure of developing sports programs for Newcomer youth as a SportWORKS Officer on behalf of CSC and the YMCA Centre for Newcomers Hamilton. Coming out of the pandemic, it was very difficult to encourage youth to participate in […]

The End of a New Beginning!

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Written by: Kalena Soehn, SportWORKS Officer, Sport for Newcomers Calgary It has now been a week since I officially ended my SportWORKS Officer placement with Commonwealth Sport Canada and the Centre for Newcomers in Calgary. During this time I have been thinking of how to describe my time working to create events and behind the […]

S4N Hamilton – Pass the Baton for Inclusion

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Written by: Ronald Hollingsworth, SportWORKS Officer, S4N Hamilton Saturday May 28th, 2022 will go down as a special moment for many of our Newcomer youth. It was a wonderful opportunity to be a part of the Queen’s Baton Relay (QBR) and to learn the history of the Baton along with the Commonwealth Games. Leading up […]

S4N Hamilton – The start of something amazing!

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Written by: Ronald Hollingsworth, SportWORKS Officer, Sport for Newcomers Hamilton I have reached the halfway point of being a SportWORKS Officer and have already had a great experience. It’s been incredible working with Newcomer youth to help them acquire life skills through sport. It’s also been fantastic to watch their confidence grow with time. Our weekly […]

International Day of Sport for Development and Peace

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Written by: Kalena Soehn, SportWORKS Officer, S4N Calgary Last week wrapped up the Girls Only All Sports Week at the Genesis Centre in Northeast Calgary. This event was an opportunity for Newcomer girls to connect and play with others girls in a similar situation as them. All the girls who participated were very thoughtful of […]

S4N Hamilton – Commonwealth Day and the Celebration of Sports for Everyone!

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Written by: Ronald Hollingsworth, SportWORKS Officer, S4N Hamilton What an amazing month!! With restrictions slowly being lifted, I have been able to work in person with our host partner at YMCA Hamilton. We are currently running a soccer program for Newcomers on Fridays, the joy of the participants to be around others again is wonderful to […]

Commonwealth Day!!

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Written by: Kalena Soehn, SportWORKS Officer, Sport for Newcomers Calgary Monday, March 14th was Commonwealth Day and marked the first session in a week long of Newcomer sport programming opportunities!!!  72 countries and territories of rich diversity celebrate unity through Common Values such as; Democracy, Rule of Law and Equality and are innovating, connecting and […]

First In-Person Event Complete!

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Written by: Kalena Soehn, SportWORKS Officer, S4N Calgary Our first in-person event was just completed on January 29th 2022! This event is a key marker to show that this project is indeed charging forward toward change once again. I organized a Try Badminton Day at Calgary’s Sunridge Badminton Centre, which is located east of central […]

The Next Steps

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December marked the beginning of conversations about the plans we want to achieve in the year 2022. These plans were given more form after the two focus groups that took place at Village Square Leisure Centre. The focus groups helped to clarify which specific barriers need the most attention in the Calgary sport landscape. Reducing […]

Sport for Newcomers Hamilton – The Journey Begins!

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After a long wait, the Sport for Newcomers Initiative (S4N) is set to begin. Myself, along with the local youth are very excited about this opportunity and cannot wait to begin. We have started to develop plans with our host partner YMCA Hamilton Burlington Brantford. Hello, my name is Ronald Hollingsworth and I am the new SportWORKS […]

Getting to Know the Community

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November has come and gone by as faster than the speed of light. This last month has been filled with meetings and planning the upcoming focus groups for newcomer mothers and daughters (age 10-16), that are taking place on December 13th & 14th. From planning the focus groups, to introducing the Sport for Newcomers initiative […]

S4N Calgary, The Pilot Continued!

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The Sport for Newcomers initiative is back in action! After more than a year delay from the initial pilot program that was started in 2019 because of a pandemic that is not yet in our rear view, I am beyond thrilled to say that plans for programming opportunities are back! We are now in the […]

Learning to Skate

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  Hello Everyone! Another month has passed and things are picking up here in Edmonton! We are just about reaching the halfway point of the pilot project. We are happy with what has been accomplished so far, and are looking forward to all that is planned in the near future. An exciting event that took […]

Building a Solid Foundation

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Hey Everyone! It is officially a new year and we are now into Month 6 of the CGC SportWORKS Sport for Newcomers Pilot here in Toronto. I am very excited to let you know about what has been happening here in the Jane/Finch community! Over the last 6 weeks, our soccer program has taken some […]

Sport – A Universal Language

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  Exciting things are happening in Edmonton! It’s been 3 weeks since I’ve started working as a SportWORKS officer and time is moving by so quickly! It’s been a great learning experience so far as I’ve been working with the staff at Action for Healthy Communities, researching, and meeting with many different sport organizations. As an […]

Upcoming Events and Future Plans

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Hey Everyone! I can’t believe that it has already been over two months since the pilot began and I’ve started working out of the The Spot – Jane Finch Centre as a SportWORKS Officer for the Sport for Newcomers Initiative. We are officially now right in the thick of it and exciting things are on […]

Newcomers Play a New Game

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A major highlight for some of our newcomers is seeing a team like the Oilers play in Edmonton, but where can they go and play? The barriers to sport make hockey a sport that they see but can’t or rarely play. This past weekend, most newcomers in the neighborhood came to experience a cultural event […]