Free program helping newcomer youth learn about sports, make connections

Newcomers in Edmonton are being given the chance to learn different sports, especially those most popular in their new country, for free.

Action for Healthy Communities, a group that helps newcomers make local connections, has partnered with a number of organizations including Girls in Sports Alberta, Ballet Edmonton as well as the City of Edmonton to offer classes on basketball, soccer, dance, curling and more.

"I feel [newcomers] are underrepresented in a lot of populations, and sports specifically," Girls in Sports Alberta founder Dia Syed told CTV News Edmonton.

The goal of the program is to create an environment where "everybody is new to Canada and everybody's kind of feeling that sense of wonder and excitement and maybe nervousness," she said.

Syed launched her company during the pandemic after learning how high the drop-out rate for girls in sports was.

• One in four Canadian girls don't plan to return to sports after COVID-19 pandemic: report

Believing sports helps foster team-building and leadership skills that are useful throughout life, she set out to reduce the number of barriers girls face in sports, whether it be cost or exclusivity.

Newcomers in Edmonton have the chance to learn more about sports, especially some of those most popular in Canada, like curling, through a program put on by Girls in Sports Alberta and Action for Healthy Communities.

The new program for newcomers looks to achieve the same thing for a different group.

"Sport is a huge connector, not just to the community itself, but to different individuals who live here… Having equal opportunities to participate in that also gives you a chance to just meet other people and be a part of that community," Sarah Smith, community connector for Action for Health Communities, said.

She's worked with newcomers for three years.

"It goes a long ways, not only for their own personal enjoyment but also for their connection to Canada, Canadian society, Canadian community."

The project coordinator, Aisulu Abdykadyrova, knows this is true, having gone through the experience herself eight years ago when she arrived in Canada with two elementary-aged kids.

"I faced tremendous barriers because my daughter was high-performance rhythmic gymnast already and national champion back in my country, and when I heard how much the training cost, I said, 'There is no way I can do it.'"

She added: "It's huge for them because if there wasn't this program they wouldn't have a chance to participate."

Newcomers in Edmonton have the chance to learn more about sports, especially some of those most popular in Canada, like curling, through a program put on by Girls in Sports Alberta and Action for Healthy Communities.

Community partners like Sherwood Park Curling Club, Edmonton Track and Field, the African Centre, and Kids Sport help put on the camps. According to organizers, the soccer and ultimate frisbee programs are the most popular. But winter sports are no less important.

"Most of our participants maybe came from warmer countries; they never experienced winter," Abdykadyrova said.

Several kids at a curling class echoed this.

"Curling is very fun, in my opinion," Nehaa told CTV News Edmonton. "It was my first time. Even though I kept slipping, it's very fun."

Barani was scared at first because the rock is so heavy. But, he pointed out, "Staying home is just boring."

More information and registration for the program can be found online.

With files from CTV News Edmonton's Brandon Lynch and Galen McDougall