An upcoming leadership event will bring Brock students and community members together to talk about ParaSport.

On Friday, March 10, the Brock-Niagara Centre of Excellence in Inclusive and Adaptive Physical Activity (CAPA) will partner with ParaSport Ontario and Variety Village (Toronto) to host the ParaSport Pathways event, where students will learn from ParaSport community experts about accessibility and inclusion in sport, recreation and physical activity for people of all ages and abilities.

ParaSport Pathways has been presented to more than 5,000 students and professionals over the past 25 years.

This year’s event will be held at the Meridian Community Centre in Fonthill from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. with keynote addresses from Paralympian Jeff Tiessen and Brock alumna ‘Unstoppable’ Tracy Schmitt (BRLS ’95). There will also be panel discussions, networking opportunities and break-out activity sessions, where participants will have the opportunity to experience equity, diversity and inclusion in action. Along with gaining insight from the speakers and their peers, completion of the workshop will provide students with a provincially recognized Introduction to Inclusive Participation Level I Certification.

Professor of Kinesiology Maureen Connolly, Director of the CAPA Research Centre in Brock’s Faculty of Applied Health Sciences, says it’s a privilege for CAPA to collaborate with ParaSport Ontario and Variety Village — “two organizations who have worked tirelessly and creatively over the years to improve access to physical activity for anyone of any ability.”

“The students, our next generation of professionals, will be experiencing inclusion in ways that make it a part of everyday life — not something extraordinary — an attitude they can bring into their lives as teachers, practitioners and leaders,” she says.

For more information and to register for the event, visit the ParaSport Pathways section of the ParaSport Niagara website.