Creating a Sport, Physical Activity and Recreation (SPAR) Community of Learning

The purpose of the 2022-2023 SPAR Community of Learning is to create a space where people of diverse backgrounds can engage in honest dialogue and critical learning around topics related to equity, diversity and inclusion. Below is the summary of the events in this three session series. 

 

Date  Additional Information
Session #1 October 2022 Understanding EDI by Exploring the Past - October 6/22

The first session in this series was Understanding EDI by Exploring our Past on October 6/22.  This session was recorded and you can watch it here. 

Session Description: A common saying in the health care literature is, “every system is perfectly designed to get the results it gets.” This is especially true for our sport and recreation systems. While COVID-19 has indeed exacerbated many issues associated with equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI), concerns in this area are not new. 

What this means for Alberta’s sporting system — despite the commonly repeated narrative that things were better in the past — is that there is no ‘golden era’ to return to. Instead, there are only a number of interconnected moments, decisions, policies, and programs that we can learn about and build upon. It is therefore essential that we stop romanticizing the sporting practices of the past and begin to understand how they have contributed to the EDI issues we face today.

This presentation is intended to do just that. By tracing some of the policies and practices that have created the conditions for the EDI issues we face today, the information is intended to challenge our assumptions about the sporting practices of the past, and in doing so, act as a starting point for creating more equitable, diverse and inclusive sporting futures.

Presenter: Dr Lisa Tink
Session #2 December 1 2022 Exploring a Number of EDI Mistakes and Successes - December 1/22

The second session in this series was Exploring a number of EDI Mistakes and Successes on December 1/22. This session was recorded and you can watch it here. 

Session Description: Provincial and National Sport Organizations are increasingly required to develop and implement equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) policies. When doing so, however, many sport organizations tend to unintentionally reinforce exclusion and inequity. In this session, Dr. Lisa Tink will walk you through some of the most common EDI policy mistakes sporting organizations tend to make. Laura McPhie will then provide an overview of some promising practices that have been successful in increasing equity, diversity, and inclusivity in a sporting context.
Session #3 Thursday February 2, 2023  Putting EDI into Action, February 2/23

The Re-Creation Collective (with a Q&A with Dr. Danielle Peers and Dr. Lisa Tink). This was the third session of this series and was not recorded in full. The session was based on sharing this plenary: Link to the Re-Creation Collective Fall 2022 ARPA Plenary that was shared in this session. 

Have you ever left a session on equity and inclusion, social justice, or intersectionality and felt passionate about the ideas, but unclear about how to put them into action? As a collective, this is the heart of our work. Over the past three years we have been working together, as researchers and practitioners, to identify policies and practices for supporting the full, meaningful, and affirming engagement of equity-denied folks in sport and recreation. In this video, we will:

  • offer some insights we have learned from sharing our own stories across our diverse experiences as Indigenous, racialized, disabled, newcomer, and 2SLGBTQ movers.
  • offer some everyday practices we use to support each others’ full engagement and flourishing in our work together.
  • highlight what has worked in our respective sport, leisure, movement, and recreation settings.
  • share some of the learnings and questions that animate our current research into how equity policies and practices can reinforce or transform the harms and exclusions experienced by many who seek recreational opportunities.

The session will end with a Q & A with Dr. Danielle Peers and Dr. Lisa Tink