SportWORKS

Making a Difference & Becoming Different

SportWORKS Projects

Commonwealth Games Canada has been involved in over 125 sport for development and sport development projects in over 30 countries around the world. Brief summaries of some of these projects are given below which includes: their geographic location, partners involved, and the associated CGC initiative.

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development highlights sport as “an important enabler of sustainable development”. It recognizes the growing contribution of sport to the realization of development and peace in its promotion of tolerance and respect, and the contributions it makes to the empowerment of women and girls, young people, individuals, and communities, as well as to health, education, gender equality and social inclusion objectives. Thanks to the generous support of the Government and Canada and our other donors, CGC is proud to be one of the world’s pioneers of international sport for development and sport development work.

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S4N Toronto

  • Caribbean & Americas
  • Canada
Partners:
Initiative: Sport for Newcomers Initiative (S4N)

Working with the Jane Finch Community and Family Centre in Toronto to increase newcomer youth sport participation rates and support social inclusion, the Initiative aims to build NSO organizational capacity through internship placements of SportWORKS Officers, who

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assist with the transfer of knowledge and capacity building at NSOs 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.

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School Physical Education and Sport Program Development

  • Caribbean & Americas
  • Barbados
  • Caribbean & Americas
  • Guyana
  • Caribbean & Americas
  • St. Kitts and Nevis
  • Caribbean & Americas
  • St. Vincent and the Grenadines
Partners:
Initiative: Commonwealth Sport Development Program

CGC led the development of core physical education and sport programs which were reflective of rural societies with: large numbers of students, very little space suitable for physical activity, and a shortage of equipment. Traditional indigenous games were also integrated into the programs as was a focus on gender equality. Teachers were involved in program development and were trained in the material, which included integrating those with disabilities.

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Over 100 Barbadian and Canadian schools were twinned to help students learn from one another and share each other’s culture.

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Secretariat for the 13th International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa (ICASA)

  • Africa
  • Kenya
Partners: Society for AIDS in Africa (SAA)
Initiative: Canadian Sport Leadership Corps

CGC supported the organization of the 13th International Conference on AIDS and STIs in Africa (ICASA) held in Nairobi. CGC volunteer resources helped to coordinate the event’s content as well as its logistics.

Skateistan

  • Europe
  • Germany
Partners: Skateistan
Initiative: Sport Leaders Abroad Program

Skateistan is a sport for development project with initiatives in Afghanistan, Cambodia, and South Africa. It employs skateboarding as a tool to encourage interaction between youth of different backgrounds to breakdown social barriers and develop: conflict resolution skills, creativity, and leadership. Skateistan focuses on engaging the world’s hardest-to-reach youth aged between 5-17 years.

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CGC has helped increase Skateistan’s potential to attract sustainable funding and improve program monitoring and evaluation practices.

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SOS Children’s Village of Zambia Trust

  • Africa
  • Zambia
Partners: SOS Children’s Villages, SOS Hermann Gmeiner School
Initiative: Canadian Sport Leadership Corps

Around the world, SOS Children’s Villages provides loving homes for children who have been abandoned and orphaned where their basic needs for food, health, shelter and education are met. CGC helped develop youth and sport programs for the SOS Hermann Gmeiner School and SOS Children’s Village. This included planning and facilitating sport workshops, developing partnerships with local and international organizations, and assisting with fund raising initiatives.

South East District Youth Empowerment League (SEDYEL)

  • Africa
  • Botswana
Partners: City of Toronto, South East District Council (SEDC), UK Sport
Initiative: Canadian Sport Leadership Corps

The South East District Youth Empowerment League (SEDYEL) is a youth-initiated football league which uses sport as a tool for youth development with special attention to the inclusion of women and girls. SEDYEL believes that youth who are engaged in physical activity and community processes will build leadership skills.

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CGC has developed and delivered community-based HIV/AIDS education programs, as well as mobilized local and international resources to help ensure the league’s sustainability.

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Special Olympian Swimming Program

  • Caribbean & Americas
  • Barbados
Partners: Paralympic Association of Barbados, Special Olympics Barbados
Initiative: Canadian Sport Leadership Corps

CGC supported the training of Special Olympian swimmers working closely with the Paralympic Association of Barbados and Special Olympics Barbados.

Special Olympics African Region

  • Africa
  • Benin
  • Africa
  • Gambia, The
  • Africa
  • Kenya
Partners: Special Olympics African Region, Special Olympics Benin, Special Olympics Gambia, Special Olympics Kenya
Initiative: Canadian Sport Leadership Corps

CGC worked with local and regional Special Olympics representatives to help offer various physical activity and education programs in communities throughout their countries. They worked with youth and coaches in training and implementing sport and physical activity programs.

Special Olympics Benin

  • Africa
  • Benin
Partners: Special Olympics Benin
Initiative: Canadian Sport Leadership Corps

A CGC was responsible for assisting the Benin Special Olympics team with coaching, administration, and training.

Special Olympics Namibia (SON)

  • Africa
  • Namibia
Partners: Special Olympics Namibia (SON)
Initiative: Canadian Sport Leadership Corps

Working with Special Olympics Namibia, CGC helped develop and implement a physical activity program focused on individuals with intellectual disabilities. This included: developing participant recruitment strategies for youth from rural settlements, establishing a youth support system by engaging their families, helping build organizational capacity to ensure the program’s sustainability, designing and implementing coaching training programs, and running athlete training camps.