Vancouver/Chilliwack/Hope – People of all ages and abilities in B.C.’s Lower Mainland will have more opportunities to get involved in fun, community-based sport programs during the coming year through the joint federal-provincial BC Sport Participation Program (BCSPP).
The BCSPP is a partnership between the governments of Canada and British Columbia. This year, Canada and B.C. are making matched investments totalling more than $1.2 million aimed at getting more people of all abilities active in their communities and involved in a variety of sports, such as tennis, wheelchair basketball, para ice hockey and snowboarding. The funding supports sport programs, activities and coach and leadership training in communities throughout B.C.
In the Valley, some of the programs include:
* purchasing equipment and training for 12 junior curling coaches to lead the Hope Curling Club’s school curling program; and
* providing sustainable and quality cross country racing, training and mentorship opportunities for Indigenous youth in Chilliwack.
The BCSPP has two application-based grant programs administered by viaSport – the Provincial Sport Development Program (PSDP) and Community Sport Development Program (CSDP). Communities, Indigenous groups and not-for-profit organizations can apply to receive grants that help them buy equipment, train leaders, officials and coaches, and teach participants sport skills.
FYI:
* The BCSPP provides grants to provincial and multi-sport organizations to help youth learn about physical activity and provide sport opportunities for under-represented populations (women and girls, Indigenous peoples, persons with disabilities, newcomers to Canada, the 55-year-old-or-over population and lower-income families).
*
The BCSPP program is broken down into four streams: the PSDP, the CSDP,
programming specific to Indigenous children and youth, and programming
specific to populations that are traditionally under-represented in
sport.
* The PSDP provides grants up to $30,000 to support sport projects with regional or provincial reach.
* The CSDP offers grants up to $3,000 to support local, community-based sport projects.
* The Indigenous supplement is provided to the Indigenous Sport, Physical Activity and Recreation Council (ISPARC) for culturally relevant sport programming for Indigenous children and youth, to support B.C. athletes training for the North American Indigenous Games and to strengthen capacity and leadership. ISPARC is recognized by the Province as the lead Indigenous organization for sport.
* Targeted grants are also provided that support initiatives specifically focused on under-represented populations including people aged 55 or over, teenage girls, Indigenous youth in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside and individuals with disabilities.
