October 18, 2007 – Here is the latest from the Canadian Association for the Advancement of Women and Sport and Physical Activity (CAAWS): Nominations open for CAAWS 2007 Most Influential Women List; Host a CAAWS Youth Leadership Training Opportunity in your community; Ottawa Women invited to CAAWS “Eat & Meet” Event; Team Spirit Consultations; Canadian children still not active enough; Funding Opportunities; Celebration Noticeboard.


Nominations open for CAAWS 2007 Most Influential Women List

Nominations are open for CAAWS 2007 Most Influential Women in Sport and Physical Activity. The List will reflect activity in 2007, and women previously named to the list in other years may be nominated again. Nominate your choice if she is a woman who is influencing sport and physical activity in this country, perhaps an athlete or an executive, a volunteer, a coach, or someone in the print or broadcast media.

Nominations close November 30, 2007.

To nominate online visit: http://www.caaws.ca/influentialwomen/e/nomination.htm


Host a CAAWS Youth Leadership Training Opportunity in your community

CAAWS has recently trained a number of facilitators to deliver the latest module in its Women & Leadership Program. Unleash your Leadership Potential: A Workshop for Young Women has been designed to specifically appeal to 15-20 year old young women who are involved in sport, recreation and physical activity as athletes, coaches, volunteers and who hope to continue to contribute to sport in their future career or through volunteer activities. The interactive workshop covers the range of leadership skills and attributes that will assist young leaders to take on roles as planners and decision-makers during their school years and beyond. Youth Leadership Facilitators are available to deliver the workshop in both a two-hour or three-hour format in either English or French. Workshops can be offered as part of class time or educational curriculum in school, during conferences or as stand-alone events.

If you are interested in hosting a session, email Krista Benoit at: kbenoit@caaws.ca


Ottawa Women invited to CAAWS “Eat & Meet” Event

Don’t miss the opportunity to enjoy a free lunch and meet other women working in the NSO/MSO community in Ottawa. Whether you are you just starting your career and hoping to make some new contacts, have been working in the sport community for a while and would like to exchange ideas with old and new friends, or you would like to interact with other women in sport, make new contacts and share stories and skills, you can’t miss this event! Marg McGregor, CEO of Canadian Interuniversity Sport, will share her personal story as both a volunteer and a professional in sport.

Date: Friday, October 19th, 2007
Location: Courtside B Room, RA Centre 2451 Riverside Drive (Ottawa)
Time: 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Cost: Free
RSVP to jcormier@caaws.ca or 613-562-5667.

Complete details available http://www.caaws.ca/e/article.cfm?ID=1534


Team Spirit Consultations

Consultations are currently being organized in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and British Columbia as part of CAAWS’ Team Spirit: Aboriginal Girls in Sport project. The consultations are designed to bring people together to talk about the physical activity and sport experiences of Aboriginal girls and young women, and the realities of providing programs for this target group. If you’re a practitioner, health promoter, educator, sport administrator coach, volunteer or parent, please come and share your experiences.

Tentative Dates:

– October 25th in Eel Ground, NB
– October 30th in Eskasoni, NS
– November 16th in Pender Harbour, BC

**An Aboriginal Coaching Manual training session will be delivered on November 17th in conjunction with the Team Spirit consultation in Pender Harbour, BC.

All events will be FREE for participants.

For more information contact Sydney Millar, Team Spirit Project Manager at snmillar@caaws.ca or 604.738.2468.


Canadian children still not active enough

With children back into the school routine, and fall activities underway, don’t forget to encourage the young people in your life to be active. The 2007 Report Card on Physical Activity for Children and Youth found that overall progress on improving physical activity among children and youth has stalled in Canada for the third straight year. One startling statistic is that Canadian children between the ages of 10 and 16 spend an average of 6 hours every day in front of a computer, television or video game screen. One of the recommendations from the 2007 Report Card is to Transform the After School Hours from Screen Time to Active Time. It encourages parents, care givers and teachers to engage children with meaningful, enjoyable activities to replace sedentary time with physical activity time.

For more suggestions and ideas, or to read the complete report, visit http://www.activehealthykids.ca/

Another valuable resource is our CAAWS Active & Free – Young women, physical activity and tobacco. This updated resource booklet has been designed to be used by people who care about young women’s health — teachers, recreation leaders, parents, coaches, and health promoters. We hope Active & Free will assist you in your efforts to keep young girls tobacco-free, and to encourage them to adopt a healthy, active lifestyle.

Download it in PDF format at http://www.caaws.ca/activeandfree/


Funding Opportunities

True Sport Foundation Community Sport Funding Program

The 2007 True Sport Community Sport Fund will help communities increase inclusion and accessibility in team sport programs for children and youth, aged four to seventeen. Over the next year, communities in Yukon, North West Territories, Nunavut, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland will benefit from $5,000 grants and $25,000 grants.

True Sport Foundation deadline for applications: October 31, 2007

For more information: http://www.truesportpur.ca/index.php/language/en/category/181


Celebration Noticeboard

The President & CEO of Sport BC since 1997, Sandra Stevenson (Vancouver, BC), has retired from her current role with Sport BC to pursue new leadership opportunities. Five-time Olympian and COC Executive Committee member Charmaine Crooks (Vancouver, BC) was elected to a four-year term as Vice President of the World Olympians Association (WOA). Former CAAWS Board Chair Shawnee Scatliffe (Winnipeg, MB) has been appointed the Chef de Mission for Canada at the 2008 Commonwealth Youth Games to be held next October in India. On October 25th, two Canadian women will be inducted in Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame. Beckie Scott (Vermilion, AB) will be the first cross-country ski athlete entering the Hall, and Cassie Campbell (Toronto, ON & Calgary, AB) will be the first female hockey player to be so honoured.

In the Loop wants to celebrate women’s accomplishments in the sport and physical activity communities. Send career notices, changes, awards and recognitions to In the Loop c/o bmacdonald@caaws.ca to be included in the next issue of In the Loop.