The Coaching Association of Canada (CAC) is calling for applications for the Women and Gender Equity in Coaching Project.

The Project aims to advance gender equity, leadership development, and knowledge transfer through a mentorship program for women in coaching via a Community of Practice (CoP). The focus of the Project is on raising awareness, providing education opportunities and practical experiences, developing legacy documentation including policy changes, innovate programs, and more. 

“The Women and Gender Equity in Coaching Project creates a new opportunity for sports to help establish and/or grow their mentorship programming. The program will create and define leading practices and meaningful mentorship programs for women and gender-diverse people in Canadian sport for the present cohort and future generations,” said Kate Boyd, Manager, Special Projects. “I believe that together, we will lay a strong foundation of what it means to create spaces and opportunities for women in Canadian sport that are truly equitable, safe and welcoming, where the skills, experiences and talents in Canada can be leveraged across all layers of Canadian sport, from grassroots to the executive leadership roles.” 

The Project will consist of sport organizations providing up to two mentor/mentee pairing opportunities for their sport for self-identified women and non-binary coaches; a 2-day in-person meeting with all selected sport organizations and their mentor/mentee pairings; and lastly, monthly sport organization leads meetings (virtual) to discuss, share, and learn from one another through a CoP. Up to fifteen (15) eligible sport organizations will be selected to participate. Eligible sport organizations include, but are not limited to: 

• National Sport Organizations (NSO) 
• Multi-Sport Organizations (MSO) 
• Provincial/Territorial Sport Organizations (PTSO) 
• University/College Athletics Department/Sport Programs 
• Regional Clubs 
• Indigenous Clubs 
• Organizations with women and gender equity programs/initiatives that are established, growing, or new 

Sport organizations selected for the Women and Gender Equity in Coaching Project will receive funding support for their participation.

The CAC is committed to ensuring that its nominations for potential appointments take into consideration the desire to achieve gender equity and reflect Canada’s diversity, in terms of linguistic, regional, and employment equity representation. Therefore, the CAC will consider bilingual proficiency, geographical representation, and diversity in assessing candidates for these positions. 

Application Deadline: October 18^th, 2024, by noon PST using the following application form. Selected sport organizations will be notified by November 4^th, 2024. 

For additional information, you can review the backgrounder document or please contact: 

Kate Boyd, Manager, Special Projects 
kboyd@coach.ca 
613-235-5000 ext. 2380 

About the Coaching Association of Canada  

The Coaching Association of Canada (CAC) unites stakeholders and partners in its commitment to raising the skills and stature of coaches, and ultimately expanding their reach and influence. Through its programs, the CAC empowers coaches with knowledge and skills, promotes ethics, fosters positive attitudes, builds competence, and increases the credibility and recognition of coaches. Visit www.coach.ca for more information about coach education and training. For more information, please visit www.coach.ca, and follow us on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram. 

(Source: Media Release, Coaching Association of Canada, Ottawa, ON, October 2, 2024)