I·SPARC AND BC HOCKEY: BUILDING A CULTURAL CONNECTION
By MARIO ANNICCHIARICO
The chief executive officer of the Indigenous Sport, Physical Activity, and Recreational Council of B.C. (I·SPARC) says that BC Hockey has become a true leader in the sport sector by embracing cultural training and truth and reconciliation.
“We really value the partnership we have with BC Hockey,” said Rick Brant. “This work, as we see it, is part of a reconciliation journey that BC Hockey has embarked on and we are encouraged by how their leadership has embraced the opportunity to reflect on the power of sport and their role building positive relationships and advancing reconciliation through hockey.”
“A lot of it started with BC Hockey’s adoption of the Indigenous, Long-term Participant Development pathway (ILTPD)”, added Brant.
“It starts with a two-day workshop, reflecting on the kind of change that the organization can lead in order to create more safe and welcoming environments for Indigenous hockey players, coaches, and officials,” he said.
“BC Hockey set a path for itself for the kinds of things they want to implement to advance their commitment to reconciliation.”
BC Hockey formed a working group and drew in Indigenous hockey leaders to help provide a lens on the kinds of things the organization can do to support Indigenous hockey development.
The next move was to invite their Minor Hockey Associations to take their step towards reconciliation and participate in I·SPARC’s Indigenous Cultural Safety Training Program (ICS).
“The ICS creates a greater awareness and appreciation for some of the challenging history and unique barriers that Indigenous people face in sport,” said Brant. “It helps sport leaders reflect on the kinds of actions they can take to engage Indigenous participants in culturally relevant programs and provide safe-welcoming spaces.”
Minor hockey leaders from around the province, along with BC Hockey staff and board members gathered in Brentwood Bay for a two-day session after they all participated in a Zoom session, followed by several hours of online work and research.
”It was truly fantastic and I’m still reflecting on all of the information that was shared. It was a super powerful month, starting with the online sessions and morphed into the in person,” said Kersti Toews, president of 100 Mile House MHA.
“To hear from Alex Nelson (an elder and senior advisor with I·SPARC and a survivor of the Canadian residential school system) and just being there in person and sharing in the information was really powerful. We didn’t learn about any of this in school in my generation, although I had basic awareness. To be able to dig into it was very powerful.”
Toews’ focus became how to engage local Indigenous communities better.
“I do have good relations with our First Nations, but there aren’t many kids coming out (to play hockey), so how come? There are obviously things that we should do or to look at to improve those relationships to play hockey. Sport in general saves lives and to engage them is where we need to be.”
Toews was looking forward to sharing the information she received with her board and she’s hoping that BC Hockey takes it across the province and implements changes.
“This should be something that is a mandatory component,” Toews said. “It’s powerful information that needs to be shared across the country. Where we went wrong, I don’t know but, certainly, let’s move forward and let’s recognize what happened in the past and apologize for that and get these kids and families engaged in sport at whatever level we can get them into and make a safe and welcoming spot for them to come. That’s so important.”
Melanie Austin, the Safety Director for Powell River Minor Hockey Association, also attended the Brentwood Bay sessions.
“It was absolutely amazing. Once you got into the training and did the online curriculum and learned about Alex Nelson’s story about residential schools, it gave you the facts. It was like, ‘Wow, the facts. This is crazy,’ ” she said.
The other part of the training that she appreciated was the component on the intergenerational awareness.
“I know a lot of people revert to ‘Why is it affecting them? They didn’t go through it. It was their grandparents.’ It was having that component and having people share their stories and how it affected the way they raise their children that made us think, ‘Oh, that makes sense.’ They weren’t able to raise their children with love and nurturing because they weren’t taught it. It was very insightful.”
Another attendee was Joel Byron, a board member with Abbotsford Female Hockey Association and Abbotsford Minor Hockey Association.
“It was very well done,” said Byron, who had taken in previous Indigenous training with the Abbotsford School District. “I think the smaller group setting packed the biggest punch with everyone’s reactions and getting a better understanding of what has occurred and, more importantly, what we can do to continue that reconciliation process, and get more Indigenous youth involved in hockey.
“I felt very fortunate to be a part of that group, period. The content that was shared and what we did was fantastic.”
He said the entire process - from the initial Zoom meeting, through 25 modules and Alex Nelson’s video to watch before the two-day in-person session - was all so informative.
“It was a nice mix, especially having the in-person portion of it because you got to feed off other people’s emotions and get a much better understanding. It hit home much closer than to have it online.”
As a result, Brant says he’s seeing the beginnings of a dramatic change spreading across the province.
“All this is happening because of BC Hockey leadership and how they’ve embraced the ILTPD and then creating this opportunity for the MHAs to enter into that space,” he said. “It’s more of a foundational pace and building block that creates that understanding and awareness and inspires individuals to begin taking action.
“ That’s what BC Hockey and its commitment has created for the minor hockey leaders across the province. In my mind, BC Hockey is demonstrating incredible leadership in the sports sector because of their work and by continuing to reference their work with other provincial sports organizations, we hope it inspires them all to take a similar approach.”
Mario Annicchiarico is a freelance writer based in Victoria who has previously covered the National Hockey League’s Edmonton Oilers, as well as the Western Hockey League.