The Centre for Sport Capacity (CSC) is hosting the 2019 Women in Sport and Leadership Forum on Thursday, Nov. 21 at Brock University.

The full-day event will kick-off with keynote speaker Katrina Galas, founder of In Common Consulting, and bring together sport leaders from the Niagara region and beyond, including local sport clubs and provincial and national sport organizations. The day will also include panels and workshops hosted by researchers from Brock, Laurentian and Ryerson University, as well as industry leaders from the Canadian Association for the Advancement of Women and Sport and Physical Activity (CAAWS) and Ontario Basketball.

The CSC is a multidisciplinary research centre at Brock that facilitates research, student engagement, community outreach and practical support to sport organizations. CSC Director and Associate Professor of Sport Management Julie Stevens says the Centre is eager to host its first event, which is being supported by the Faculty of Applied Health Sciences.

“The focus this year is on gender equity and finding ways to help women and girls sport advocates implement initiatives across the spectrum of participation, coaching, officiating and leadership,” says Stevens. “We are excited to have so many community members join us and look forward to a fruitful dialogue.”

Sport Management Professor Michele Donnelly, who is also a member of the CSC event planning committee, stresses that gender equity from a research issue perspective is important her, as well as on a broader scale.

“On a macro level, it is a human rights issue,” says Donnelly. “On a micro level, every girl and woman should have the opportunity to have a positive experience of sport and physical activity. There are so many potential benefits of participation in sport and physical activity, and girls and women should have access to them not only as participants, but also as decision makers.”

Donnelly notes that some gender equity concerns for girls and women in sport include fewer opportunities and resources to participate, a lack of media coverage and fewer opportunities to be in leadership roles in the industry, such as coaches, administrators, board members and officials.

Forum attendees will get an introduction to CAAWS’ Same Game model, a review of how to navigate data collection strategies related to gender equity issues, and how to create buy-in and work to shift the culture in organizations.

Donnelly hopes that event attendees will leave feeling confident that they can “build relationships and networks that help them move toward gender equality in their organizations.”

For those interested, a limited number of professional and student tickets are available still.