Articles tagged with: Webinar

  • Hazel Campbell: Winter 2021 Forum & Webinar Coordinator

     Hazel Campbell is a fourth-year Sport Management student at Brock University. She is completing a placement with the Centre for Sport Capacity this Winter as our Forum & Webinar Coordinator.

    Are you worried about graduating from university without gaining practical experience in your field? With my graduation date rapidly approaching, I was constantly worried that I would enter the workforce without the experience employers want. When I discovered the position of CSC Forum & Webinar Coordinator, I realized it was the perfect opportunity to gain experience in a professional setting.

    During my time at Brock, I learned a great deal about internship opportunities, but not about other experiential education options. I was thrilled to learn from Dr. Julie Stevens, CSC Director, about the possibility of doing a placement for course credit. Through this option, I will do a hands-on placement at the CSC, while also completing course assignments under the supervision of Dr. Stevens, Director, and Cole McClean, Coordinator. This is a unique, self-directed program where I help design the course structure and content, as well as my projects and tasks.

    Unlike the two-credit internship course, the independent study placement is only half a credit, meaning it requires fewer hours while still providing invaluable experience. This is an exciting option for students interested in taking additional credits simultaneously, or those with other commitments, such as work. I am glad I learned about these sorts of experiential education courses before my degree ended and I recommend students explore this option.

    As Forum & Webinar Coordinator, I will gain practical experience in event management, marketing, and communications. Through this position, I will improve my transferrable skills such as time management, organization, teamwork, and leadership. I think most students would be able to find skills that they could improve on through this placement since the responsibilities are so vast. Improving these skills will ensure success, regardless of what career path someone chooses to take.

    I am thrilled to put my Sport Management knowledge into action in a workplace setting and be part of the team that will create an exciting and engaging 2021 Safe Sport Forum.

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    Categories: Blog, Students

  • Matthew Kapogines: Fall 2020 Webinar Coordinator

    Matthew Kapogines is a Sport Management student at Brock University, who, after working with the CSC as an Assistant Coordinator, returned to work as our Webinar Coordinator for the Fall 2020 semester. Read on to hear Matt’s thoughts after completing his placement with the Centre for Sport Capacity. 

    Do you want to develop your skill set and leadership abilities, while working towards a meaningful goal? I did, and that is why I decided to inquire about a position with the Centre for Sport Capacity (CSC). Through this experience I learned about the CSC’s mission and goals. I learned that the Centre is a hub for sport management research, and for communicating important information to Local, Provincial and even National Sport Organizations across the country. The Centre has aspirations to expand the scope of their communications about new sport related information globally, with the hopes that the findings they share will positively impact the sport sector world-wide.

    In the fall of 2020, I secured my position as a Webinar Coordinator to develop a sport communications platform. The purpose of this platform was to encourage various local sport organizations, from all different sports sectors, to share information about themselves and increase their visibility via webinars. In my placement as Webinar Coordinator, I developed new skills and enhanced all existing skills like leadership, problem solving, communications and time management, which are all important in every workplace. I learned that communications within a team is crucial to the success of one’s event or project, and more about online communication strategies. This placement allowed me to grow my skills and become a more productive, resourceful and helpful team player.

    During my placement, some responsibilities included  creating PowerPoint templates that reflected the Centre’s image, setting up and developing an email platform to help communicate webinars, as well as planning and helping deliver four webinars alongside CSC or community members, and other partners (See Past Webinars). I had to ensure final webinar materials coincided with the Centre’s image. Time management, focus, and organizational skills were essential during this placement because of the number of different webinars that needed simultaneous attention. In addition to strengthening my current skills and learning about webinar creation, I also contributed to the Centre’s visibility by playing a major role in the setting-up of their new campaign moderator platform along with communication materials that will assist future CSC webinar coordinators in their placements. I even had the opportunity to moderate a webinar and ask questions that were submitted by the audience to the presenter. At first I was very anxious and nervous, but by the end of the first webinar I realized it was not too bad and I was much more confident in my abilities. Overall, I am proud of both my contributions to CSC and of my new gained confidence.

    My advice to future students who are working with the CSC, is to check your email multiple times per day to ensure you do not miss anything important that needs to be done immediately because there are a lot of unexpected and time sensitive tasks that pop up. Also, do not be afraid to ask questions because that is how missteps are avoided. Asking questions is also an important part of building knowledge. Both the CSC faculty and staff were very helpful and supportive during my placement. I would therefore strongly recommend that the new incumbent take full advantage of their insights and knowledge. I think the CSC’s visibility will grow over the coming years and they will become a major player and contributor in the sport sector as they are identifying and facilitating the hard conversations that can get overlooked. Facilitating these conversations as well as working with sport organizations and governments to ensure tools exist to address inequities can help make both sport and workplaces more inclusive and healthier environments.

    The Centre for Sport Capacity has given me an awareness of the issues in sport and has prepared me to be a force of good. Being a part of the Centre and creating informational webinars for sport organizations has made me more aware and sensitive to the issues around equality and the strategies that need to be developed to address them. My newly gained knowledge in this sector coupled with my existing knowledge in sport have empowered me to help organizations with reducing stereotyping, and champion for the return of ‘fun’ in sport that is ‘inclusive’ for all. My time with the CSC has helped build my sport philosophy in a more inclusive way that I will be carrying into my professional life.

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    Categories: Blog, Students

  • Interview with Corliss Bean, Ph.D. – Pivoting Youth Sport and Recreation Programming in the Wake of COVID-19

    We sat down with Corliss Bean, Ph.D., Assistant Professor within the Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies, and member of the Centre for Sport Capacity. Dr. Bean will be a panelist alongside Harry Bell of Canadian Jumpstart Charities and Erin Graybiel of the YMCA of Niagara in our upcoming webinar, “Pivoting Youth Sport and Recreation Programming in the Wake of COVID-19: Recommendations and Resources,” that will be held on Wednesday November 25th, from 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm on Lifesize.

    In our interview, we talked about the challenges that youth sport and recreation programming are facing amidst COVID-19, and what the webinar has in store for attendees.

    For those unaware but interested in attending the webinar, could you provide a brief description of the challenges youth sport and recreation programming have been dealing with as we live amongst COVID-19?

    The global outbreak of COVID-19 has resulted in closure of gyms, arenas, pools, dance and fitness studios, parks and playgrounds. Many youth are therefore not able to actively participate in their regular recreation activities outside of their homes. Under such conditions, many youth tend to be less physically active, have longer screen time, and also experience poorer mental health effects in the face of isolation from normal life compared to pre-COVID-19 times. Youth-serving organizations are working to engage youth through virtual sport and recreation programming. Such online offerings can serve to increase access to programs, activities, and program staff that would otherwise be inaccessible. However, this comes with its own challenges related to access to digital technologies

    What does youth sport and recreation programming during COVID-19 truly look like in practice?

    Tune into the webinar to find out! There are a lot of creative and engaging ways to engage youth through sport and recreation programming during COVID-19 both indoors and outdoors. Both Erin and Happy will share some great tips and resources that practitioners can use and applying within their own programming.

    What is the webinar going to be like for the average participant? 

    The webinar will share three perspectives from individuals who have diverse roles and experiences in the youth sport and recreation sectors. This webinar aims to provide recommendations and resources for all stakeholders that can help with program planning, implementation, and evaluation. This webinar will include three guests who will discuss lessons learned, best practices, and supports available to the sector during a time of uncertainty.

    If I have questions will I be able to address those at the webinar?

    Yes! There will be multiple opportunities throughout the webinar ask questions.

    Can I contact the webinar speakers after the event?

    Yes, the webinar panelists will provide their email addresses and links to their websites and social media platforms in case webinar attendees want to get in touch following the webinar.

     

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    Categories: Blog, Webinars/Forums

  • Interview with Dr. Shannon Kerwin – The Same Game Model

    We recently sat down and spoke with Dr. Shannon Kerwin, an Associate Professor of Sport Management here at Brock and a member of the Centre for Sport Capacity. Dr. Kerwin is hosting our upcoming webinar, “Understanding Same Game: The Self-Guided Gender Equity Toolkit” that will be held on September 30th, from 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.

    In our interview, we had a chance to speak with Dr. Kerwin about the Same Game Model, and what the webinar has in store for those who choose to attend.

    For those unaware but interested in coming to the webinar, could you provide a short, personal description of the Same Game model?

    “Same Game is a resource for sport organizations that has been developed by Canadian Women & Sport (with support from Women and Gender Equality), pilot tested in sport clubs, and adapted based on systematic research to ensure it is effective in providing tools that will help sport managers move towards club and organization relevant opportunities for girls and women in sport; on and off the field of play.”

    Why is Same Game and this webinar important?

    “Research shows that sport organizations want to move towards equitable places for participants, coaches, officials, staff, and board members; However, sport managers lack the capacity to create sustainable change on their own. The webinar will provide an overview of Same Game to introduce the steps involved and the key pieces to engaging stakeholders organizational and club commitment in a movement towards gender equity. Same Game recognizes that change can not occur on the back of one person, and therefore collective action must be taken. The webinar will highlight these key pieces of Same Game.

    I am proud to have been involved in the evaluation and update of Same Game. Equity is an important topic for sport managers and Same Game provides a valid resource to setting the stage for effective change towards more inclusive sport contexts in Canada.”

    What does the Same Game model truly look like in practice?

    “Same Game is an online resource that is a step by step process to help facilitate initiatives towards gender equity. The steps emphasize visioning, board and stakeholder commitment, communication and evaluation of what works and what doesn’t work. The essential piece to Same Game is embedding gender equity into policy and practice; Moving beyond one person and taking collective action. Same Game provides a tested and effective platform to do so.”

    What is the webinar going to be like for the average participant?

    “The webinar will be a chance to take in information regarding Same Game from the creators (Canadian Women & Sport) and myself. Participants will also have a chance to post questions to the team of presenters, and follow-up with the presenters after the webinar for more information.”

    If I have questions will I be able to address those at the webinar?

    “There will be an opportunity to ask questions. Due to time, all questions may not be answered within the webinar space; However, follow-up will occur between the presenters and those asking questions.”

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    Categories: Blog, Webinars/Forums

  • Matthew Kapogines: Starting a New Role With the CSC

     

    Matthew Kapogines is a fourth year Sport Management student at Brock University. He previously worked with the Centre last Fall as Assistant Coordinator. He has returned this year to be our Webinar Coordinator.

    I initially learned about the Centre through SPMA 3P02, an experiential learning Sport Management course that provides students with practical work experience via placements in the Sport sector. I was given a list of available placement opportunities and the position of Assistant Coordinator with the CSC immediately caught my attention. 

     

    As a direct result of this placement, I built up the confidence this summer to reach out to Centre Director Dr. Julie Stevens and inquire about any experiential positions that might be available this fall with the CSC. After several conversations, Dr. Stevens found she needed a Webinar Coordinator to assist with the Centre’s marketing and communication initiatives and agreed to supervise me in this placement.   

    As Webinar Coordinator, I will be responsible for developing and launching the CSC’s new webinar series by organizing multiple webinars this fall. This new series will support the Centre in achieving its mission of providing practical support to sport organizations in the Niagara Region, across Canada, and abroad.

    This opportunity with the CSC will be incredibly helpful as I hope to pursue a career in event planning and management after I graduate, so the chance to help organize some professional webinars for the first time is invaluable to me. I am also looking forward to building and strengthening my professional relationships with the members of the CSC through the webinars, as members will be able to use the webinars as a time to showcase some of their research and share their knowledge with community members and sport organizations.

    I hope to put my organizational, research and communication skills that I gained in my previous work placement to good use in this position with the CSC. I also plan to use my past experiences and unique perspective to generate new and original ideas that could make the Centre’s webinars more interactive, enticing and engaging. I hope to support our members in crafting webinars in a way that will allow participants to more easily acquire new knowledge by making them more interactive and inclusive.

    All in all, I am incredibly excited to start working with the CSC and to expand my event planning skills, and my knowledge of the Sport sector.

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    Categories: Blog, Students