Media releases

• Scotiabank invests in future of Indigenous learners at Brock

  Wednesday, August 07, 2024 | By Brock University

  MEDIA RELEASE: August 7, 2024 – R0095

  Brock University’s Indigenous Plus program — dedicated to helping Indigenous students realize their full potential — has been given a generous $500,000 boost from Scotiabank.

  Announced Wednesday, Aug. 7, funding for the program enabled through ScotiaRISE, the Bank’s $500-million commitment and social impact initiative, will help enhance the educational experience of First Nations, Métis and Inuit students at Brock University.

  Developed by Brock’s Co-op, Career and Experiential Education unit in partnership with the Hadiya’dagénhahs First Nations, Métis and Inuit Student Centre, the new immersive, experiential learning program will expose students to a wide range of career and mentorship opportunities, including many led by Indigenous community members.

  “This generous gift will allow us to provide Indigenous students with opportunities to connect with culture and community, gain experience, develop skills and build a personal career plan to support their future aspirations,” says Katrina D’Intino, Brock’s Manager, Co-curricular Experiential Learning and Programs.

  Building on the successful framework of Brock’s Med and Law Plus offerings, the program will incorporate Indigenous perspectives, cultural teachings and knowledge in career-integrated learning.

  It was a natural fit under the ScotiaRISE social impact initiative, which supports community investment including Indigenous culture and language reclamation.

  “Scotiabank is committed to reconciliation, deepening trust-based relationships with Indigenous communities where together, we can take meaningful action towards fostering an inclusive future for all,” says Noelle Urquhart (BBA ’98), Ontario District Vice President at Scotiabank. “Through our ScotiaRISE commitment to promote economic resilience among disadvantaged groups, we are proud to support First Nations, Métis and Inuit students in the Indigenous Plus program at Brock University.”

  Thanks to Scotiabank’s support, students will have the chance to attend speaking engagements with Elders and Knowledge Keepers, participate in workshops and mentorship initiatives, and receive one-on-one career advising to connect their classroom learning to career goals.

  “The funding will also help us to support students in reducing barriers so that they are able to engage in all aspects of the program,” D’Intino says.

  Indigenous Plus Consultant Evelyn Dilworth (BA ’24, BEd ’24) says the program is being developed with the feedback of Indigenous students in mind, who through focus groups have indicated increased cultural teachings, community engagement, connection and career insight are of the utmost importance.

  “We’re excited to build a program that uplifts Indigenous voices, perspectives and ways of knowing within an institutional setting,” says Dilworth, who is of Irish and Mohawk descent. “I look forward to working alongside students to help them thrive in university and beyond.”

  The Indigenous Plus program is one way in which Brock University is working to foster a culture of inclusivity, accessibility, reconciliation and decolonization on campus.

  “Reconciliation is a strategic priority for Brock, but true reconciliation isn’t achieved simply by identifying it as a priority,” says Lesley Rigg, the University’s President and Vice-Chancellor. “Actions speak much louder than words. And while we know there’s still a long road to walk, we have made some significant advancements in recent years.”

  Under the guidance of the Vice-Provost, Indigenous Engagement, Brock has expanded its Indigenous educational offerings at the graduate and undergraduate levels, and launched continuing education programming for community members about Indigenous ways of knowing and being.

  In addition to cultural programming that this year included Brock’s inaugural Pow Wow and returning Indigenous Peoples Awareness Week events, the University has also introduced an Indigenous Research Grant program to fund critical studies, prioritizing those led by Indigenous researchers or conducted in partnership with First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities.

  Last year, the University welcomed its largest incoming class of self-identified Indigenous students — part of a growing community of Indigenous learners, academics and staff on campus.

  With the boost from ScotiaRISE, the launch of the Indigenous Plus program is yet another step forward, Rigg says.

  “This gift will go a long way in helping us support our students throughout their educational journeys and ensure they can sustain their futures beyond their time at Brock,” she says. “Thank you to Scotiabank and the ScotiaRISE initiative for the generous support and for helping Indigenous students flourish and thrive.”

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:

  * Maryanne St. Denis, Manager, Content and Communications, Brock University mstdenis@brocku.ca or 905-246-0256 

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  Categories: Media releases

• How the Olympics set athletes up for success beyond the podium

  Thursday, August 01, 2024 | By Brock University

  EXPERT ADVISORY: August 1, 2024 – R0093

  While some Olympic and Paralympic athletes are rising to glory at the Paris 2024 Games, others will see their careers come to an end when the torch goes out at the closing ceremony.

  Canadian basketball star Natalie Achonwa, for example, says this will be her fourth — and final — Olympics, and other high-profile athletes are also rumoured to leave the world of competitive sport behind, post-Games.

  Brock University experts say the skills honed during a life of sports excellence will set these athletes up for success no matter what their next move is — but the shift to a new career will also come with challenges.

  Barry Wright, Dean of Brock’s Goodman School of Business and CEO of the Niagara 2022 Canada Summer Games, says many athletes navigate a shift in identity when retiring from sport, for example. 

  “You see this with professional athletes, where they will sign their name and their number beside it; it’s who they are,” he says.

  As part of the Athlete365 Career+ program, an initiative of the International Olympic Committee’s Athletes’ Commission, Olympians can be granted use of the post-nominal titles OLY or PLY to highlight their unique skill set to future employers.

  Philip Sullivan, Brock Professor of Kinesiology, whose research focuses on confidence and mental toughness, says the training Olympic athletes receive helps them develop skills that are helpful both on and off the field of play.

  “Sport psychologists work with athletes to consistently create the optimal mental and emotional state for performance,” he says. “This may include working on emotional regulation, concentration, anxiety, confidence, resilience and team dynamics.”

  These attributes, he adds, “are valuable and transferrable to a wide variety of other contexts and can serve athletes well as they transition out of sport.”

  For some athletes, the post-Olympics career path is linear, remaining in the sports industry by taking on roles as commentators or analysts, or moving into coaching, for instance.

  “There’s a lot of athletes who just love their sports so much because they’ve invested 10 to 20 years of their life on this one thing that they know so much about. It’s hard for them to leave it completely,” says Michael Naraine, Associate Professor of Sport Management.

  Other athletes may have a more entrepreneurial mindset, he says, leveraging their Olympic glory into sponsorship deals or moving into consulting or development roles. Some look to careers entirely unrelated to sport, with reports showing that people with sport backgrounds — women, in particular — are likely to find success in leadership or management-type positions.

  Wright says while most athletes already have the soft skills needed for success — communication, high emotional intelligence, teamwork and the ability to accept change — obtaining “hard skill currencies” and business-specific, marketable skills is what helps them successfully launch a new career.

  “Athletes are good at identifying what the next goal is, so the question is how do we, as educators, create that next step for them and help them take the skills they have developed into the workplace,” Wright says. “Many elite athletes will have a university degree — as most will have come through a university environment in Canada or the United States — so it’s then a matter of legitimizing all of their skills and translating that into the next practice.”

  He adds that success in business also means being fierce and fearless when it’s needed, without compromising respect for others in the process.

  “I think sport provides the opportunity to do that, to raise each other to that higher level,” Wright says.

  Athletes also have a breadth of life experience that makes them well-rounded employees, too, Naraine adds.

  “For companies looking to bring in key diversified staff, they want to look for people who’ve been in the trenches — and no one’s been in the trenches more than someone who’s put their body and mental capacity to the limit like an athlete,” he says.

   

  Brock University Associate Professor of Sport Management Michael Naraine, Professor of Kinesiology Philip Sullivan and Goodman School of Business Dean Barry Wright are available for media interviews on the topic.

  For more information or for assistance arranging interviews:

  * Maryanne St. Denis, Manager, Content and Communications, Brock University mstdenis@brocku.ca or 905-246-0256

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  Categories: Media releases