These community resources promote Indigenous physical literacy and athlete development

For many Indigenous people in Canada, the circle represents many aspects of the human experience, from world views and the movement of the seasons to the cycle of life and death. The circle is central to a holistic vision of what it means to be human.

Now physical literacy joins the circle.

Indigenous Communities: Active for Life

The resource Indigenous Communities: Active for Life, produced by the Aboriginal Sport Circle and Sport for Life, places physical literacy at the heart of the holistic model of Indigenous community health and wellness. The document promotes physical literacy and quality sport as means of increasing physical activity and community health for Indigenous people across Canada.

Written as a first-person narrative, the booklet presents observations and reflections of a fictional community sport leader who describes the importance of physical literacy and community sport. Through the narrative, prospective coaches and leaders learn how to deliver developmentally sound and culturally appropriate coaching and sport programming for indigenous participants.

Engagement and input from Indigenous community leaders—more than 260 from across Canada were consulted—were central to the development of the resource and its companion workshop.

The resulting booklet and workshop reflect approaches and practices that will best support local community leaders, coaches, and other physical literacy champions in increasing the percentage of Indigenous children who become physically literate and stay active for life.

Indigenous Sport for Life

Another resource, the Indigenous Long-Term Participant Development Pathway, was created in response to Canada’s mainstream sport pathways not sufficiently reflecting the needs or experiences of Indigenous people.

The document is a roadmap for developing sport and physical activity in Indigenous communities. Its intention, as stated on the Aboriginal Sport Circle’s website, is to save lives and build healthier Indigenous people, who contribute to healthier communities. (Read the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s calls to actions regarding sport and reconciliation here, on page 10.) A byproduct of this outcome is more Indigenous athletes pursuing sport at a national and international level.

How you can be involved

Since introducing the Indigenous Communities resource, the Aboriginal Sport Circle and Sport for Life are seeking community partners and individuals who want to help to make sport and physical activity more accessible and supportive of Indigenous participants and athletes across Canada.

If you’re interested in obtaining copies of Indigenous Communities, or seeing a workshop delivered in your community, Sport for Life and the Aboriginal Sport Circle invite you to contact them. Training is also available if you’re interested in becoming an Indigenous Communities workshop learning facilitator.

To learn more, contact Sport for Life or the Aboriginal Sport Circle. You can also stay updated on Indigenous Communities events and workshop offerings or register for the Sport for Life newsletter.

Editor’s note: This article was published on June 21, 2017.