Bridges of Belonging - Favoriser l’appartenance

This conversation with Allison Sandmeyer Graves and Marc Iturriaga wove a beautiful vision for systems and structures that need to be rebuilt around people, putting participants and individual needs first and supporting people for who they are.  Allison sharing about her passion for social justice from an early age but how that made it hard for her to find her place to belong, but that sport was a place where she belonged. This experience fueled her passion around how sport can be a vehicle to achieve equity in society.  Marc talked about how he still doesn't feel like he belongs in sport, but he wants to be in it and is working on finding his place. He came from a family with two immigrant parents and his journey in "playing" sport has been recreational but is often wrought with that experience of not belonging, which has fueled his desire to create programs and opportunities where people feel invited, welcomed and included everytime.  We talked about how experiences where people can truly belong need to be co-created with the participants and how we need to change what we measure to focus on the quality of the participation versus the progression or "achievement".  

Archie Allison and Unstoppable Tracy Schmitt created a powerful conversation today as they shared their stories through not "fitting in" to find their places of belonging. They talked about listening to learn and understand people, and the creation of safe spaces; of being in a society that defaults to "no"; and about embracing the possibilities and just trying. Their stories were of resilience and perseverance, and of being brave and patient. Their journeys were fraught with struggles but also with optimism and the power of positivity in creating beauty all around you. 

Our conversation focused around the journeys of Beth Hudson and Janice Forsyth through sport and through culture. We talked about the racism they each faced, the times that they didn't belong, and how each of them found the joy and their place in sport which led to careers in Indigenous sport which explore the histories, the cultures, the beauty that sport is for Indigenous peoples. Both Beth and Janice share the belief that sport is a tool and a way to reclaim cultures, as well as tool to understand Indigenous cultures.   

 Our conversation this week brought together Marco Pasqua and Dina Bell Laroche who wove together a beautiful story about how their personal challenges created an opportunity for them to seek out what they really wanted and what allowed them to belong. Powerful storytellers, we challenged the concept of "othering" and explored what is needed to connect with each other and seek to listen intently and support what people need to belong. 

This is conversation featured Devin Heroux and Diane Lloyd. Our guests were so vulnerable in how they showed up and shared their stories. We spoke about the uncomfortable situations our world is currently wrestling with and how these have impacted each of their journeys and thinking. We also talked about how we move from fitting in, and evolve to belonging, and what their journeys have been in appreciating and belonging to themselves first, and then creating safe places for those they are engaging with to show up and feel that sense of belonging. 

Featuring Zoe Robinson & Matt Fisher, this dialogue talks about journeys in sport -with experiences in inclusion and exclusion, Zoe's transition to living as a woman, and how belonging has shown up for each of them along their journeys.