Canada organizations are helping new immigrant girls to participate more in sports

In Canada, the least acknowledged group for sports is the group of immigrant women. Hence, many organizations are coming forward and taking action to change this inequality. For instance, Moosejaw Newcomer Welcome Centre provides a lot of services to immigrants like sports, but it is mainly focused on giving opportunities to new women immigrants. Kruti Bhadarka is an active participant in this organization since she moved here in 2013. They host two events every month, which is a great way to let the immigrants bond with each other as the majority of them have moved alone.

However, research has shown that participation in Canadian sports is lower from newly immigrant girls and women in comparison to newly immigrant men. It is because there are many hurdles that the girls and women have to cross for participation in sports.

Firstly, it becomes challenging for mothers to maintain the balance between looking after their children and playing. Secondly, many parents simply do not allow their daughters to participate in sports, or they don’t have the required money to cover equipment costs and registration.

And then there is always the worry of getting stereotyped, cultural differences, and language barriers.

However, thanks to many organizations that are helping to overcome these barriers, many newcomers girls and women can take part in sports now.

CAAWS, a non-profit community with the help of IRCC, has funded around twenty organizations all across the country to create programs for these girls and women. Apart from Labrador and Newfoundland, the majority of Canadian province has a minimum of one organization linked with CAAWS.

An organization named Sports North in North West Territories and Yellowknife are helping new immigrant girls by funding to various organizations within the area. For example, they have taught girls and women various skills, like using gym equipment properly in Aurora college.