Sport Nova Scotia’s reSPORT program helps sport and recreation at the community level
reSPORT helps community members test new initiatives through funding assistance, communications support, program evaluation, and leadership development. When ideas are pitched to reSPORT, the team works closely with that individual or group to turn it into a prototype. Here are some of the projects that reSPORT has helped bring to life through prototyping.
Antigonish Sport Hub
Antigonish Sport Hub is a locally developed and constantly evolving website that serves as a unique online tool for families in the Antigonish area. Sport Hub serves as a community-wide, collaborative initiative with the goal of improving sport and recreation experiences at the forefront.
Behind the scenes, the Sport Hub team has spent countless hours aligning schedules across sport
organizations to maximize opportunities for participation with the aim of a barrier-free sport system. Sport Hub is a one-stop shop for community sport registration that allows users to sign up for multiple activities at once without scheduling conflicts.
On April 20, 2021, Antigonish Sport Hub launched its first group registration with five community sport organizations. The groups used the software to communicate in advance that they had aligned their schedules so overlap between sports wouldn’t be an obstacle. Within the first 45 minutes, 600 registrations were processed across 26 programs; three days later another 300 had signed up.
The Sport Hub team attributes much of their success with the technology to its mass email feature and the intuitive two-way communication capabilities that keep them connected to their contacts. The platform takes the stress off of busy parents and effortlessly keeps athletes, coaches, officials and volunteers connected. The platform also allows users to share best practices and policies, and organize payroll.
Antigonish Sport Hub platform was created with replication in mind, and communities across the province are already in the early stages of learning about how they can utilize the platform in their areas.
Northern Health Zone Inclusion and Access Consultant
When a committee was formed in the Northern Health Zone to address gaps to access and inclusion for sport and recreation, reSPORT was an idyllic partner. With the shared goal of providing equitable opportunities for community members, reSPORT and the provincial government’s Department of Communities, Culture and Heritage partnered to create the inclusion and access consultant position.
The consultant works with organizations throughout the Northern Health Zone to identify tools and strategies to make their environments accessible so that more people can take advantage of the many opportunities that their communities have to offer.
The consultant has helped organize training opportunities, policies, and webinars, and is continuously looking for ways to educate sport and recreation groups with tools they can use to improve their programming. Parasport Nova Scotia and the IWK Health Centre have also been helpful allies to assist in identifying gaps and areas for improvement.
The consultant role is now fully supported and sustained by the Nova Scotia Provincial Government and the yearly contract has been renewed three times.
North Preston Swim Program
The North Preston Swim Program is a collaborative effort of reSPORT, the Zatzman Sportsplex and the North Preston Community Centre. The trio teamed up to provide subsidized swimming lessons to children from North Preston who otherwise wouldn’t have had the opportunity.
The program has run two sessions so far, and by the end of summer 2021, 36 children will have completed their first round of formal swimming lessons.
Despite a province surrounded by ocean with numerous lakes, water competency is often overlooked and inaccessible for Nova Scotians. The aim of the program is to provide basic swimming and water safety skills to elementary-aged kids that will be transferrable throughout life.
Recreation staff from the community centre who already had rapport with the participants accompany the kids round trip North Preston and help out in the pool, while Sportsplex lifeguards run the lessons.
Town of Kentville Belonging Project
The original goal of the Town of Kentville’s belonging initiatives for more people to take advantage of the many soccer fields the area has to offer. While skate parks and local trails get a ton of use, there seemed to be a sense of intimidation from the general public to use the fields recreationally.
With the help of reSPORT, the Town teamed up with eight sport organizations to establish skills and activities that community members could do recreationally on the unused fields. From there, the group worked with an illustrator and graphic designer to create signage to post around the town in hopes to make the fields more welcoming spaces. In addition to suggestions for activities, the signs also include information about how to register with organized sport clubs, with local community sport organizations featured.
The Town isn’t just encouraging community members to utilize outdoor spaces, they’re also aiming to become the country’s most playful community through their Kentville Plays initiative. Three containers (community playboxes) with sport equipment, lawn games and skipping ropes have been placed throughout the Town for anyone to use, free of charge. They also offer an equipment loan program that includes sensory supplies, and they’ve created downloadable activity guides (leisure play kits) for all ages. To learn more about Kentville Plays, go to the Town of Kentville’s website.
Get Involved
Is something missing from sport and recreation in your community? We might be able to help! Email resport@sportnovascotia.ca to learn more about opportunities to create prototypes in your area.
