Active and Safe Injury Prevention Initiative - Tier 3

Invitation to Submit a Letter Of Intent (LOI) for Funding in Fiscal Year 2012-13

Guide for applicants

Further to the information session on the recently launched Tier 3 open solicitation in support of the "Active and Safe" Injury Prevention Initiative, applicants are encouraged to collaborate with multiple partners, including the private sector in order to achieve maximum project impact. Consistent with this clarification, the Letter of Intent Solicitation and Guide for Applicants has been modified to indicate that additional points will be given to organizations that engage the private sector as project co-funders.

Thank you for your interest in "Active and Safe". We look forward to receiving your letters of intent.

Should you require any additional clarification, please communicate with Sophie Couture, Associate Director at sophie.couture@phac-aspc.gc.ca or at 613-957-2939.

Tier 3 Letter of Intent Stakeholders Information Session of February 7, 2012
Questions and Answers:

Q. Do the Tier 3 projects have to complement Tier 1 and 2 projects?
A. Tier 3 projects should complement but not duplicate Tier 1 and Tier 2 projects

Q. Can an organization submit more than one project?
A. An organization may submit more than one project.

Q. Are other injuries, such as knee injury (sprain) projects eligible? A. The initiative covers major injuries (concussion/head injuries, drowning, fractures); however, if an organization is able to provide the data to rationalize a specific injury prevention need, then a project that addresses that need could be considered.

Q. Can we expand upon existing projects?
A. Yes. Project sponsors may expand upon existing projects but a new project must be a distinctly new component with demonstrable value added. 

Q. Can you define «regional», as in “a regional project”?
A. A regional project would be one that is initiated by an organization which has the capacity for a provincial/territorial and/or wide regional reach.  This could include  a provincial/territorial/regional mandate or a combination of partnerships and networks which have the capacity for provincial/territorial/wide regional reach/influence.

Q. Would a project that addresses concussion/head injuries have to be about hockey?
A. Any project can support injury prevention efforts for any sport and recreation activity that has high participation rates among children and youth (ages 0-19).

Q. Do we have to partner with Tier 1 and Tier 2 project leads?
A. No. However, project sponsors and encouraged to contact Tier 1 and Tier 2 project leads to ensure the projects complement but not duplicate Tier 1 and Tier 2 efforts.

Q. Must products developed through Active and Safe be provided in both official languages?
A. Yes. Where federal funding is provided for activities/projects that are national in scope and include services to the general public, the applicant must ensure public announcements concerning activities/projects are in both official languages and ensure that documents relating to the activities/projects and intended for general public are in both official languages.  Eligible expenses for the Active and Safe Injury Prevention Initiative include translation.

Q. Are detailed budgets required to be submitted at this stage of the solicitation?
A. No. For the Letter of Intent, organizations are asked to provide their total funding request.  Those organizations that are invited to proceed to the next level of the solicitation (development of a full proposal) will be asked, at that time, to provide a detailed budget and workplan.

Q. Are Canadian Universities eligible to apply in conjunction with community partners or coalitions?
A. Yes. Canadian Universities are eligible to apply in conjunction with community partners. Non-profit organizations may include unincorporated groups, societies or coalitions at the national/provincial and/or regional level.

Q. If an organization is receiving funds from another PHAC program, can they still apply to Tier 3 of the Active and Safe Injury Prevention Initiative? A. Yes. An organization can still apply for funding under Tier 3 of the Active and Safe Injury Prevention Initiative; however, they must ensure that there is no duplication and the new project must meet the criteria set for Active and Safe.

Q. If PHAC were to receive multiple Letters of Intent from the same region regarding the same theme, would PHAC facilitate communication between the Groups?
A. PHAC may facilitate communication between the project sponsors, however it would first ensure that the individual Letters of Intent meet all the criteria. At that point if the proposed projects have a clear overlap, PHAC may facilitate communication between the project sponsors.

Q. What are your expectations regarding private sector engagement in this initiative?
A. As stated in the Invitation to Submit a Letter of Intent (LOI) Partnership and Engagement criteria (#7), applicants will need to demonstrate that they have the capacity to build partnerships and make linkages, and the ability to leverage financial or other contributions from partners. LOIs should demonstrate the relevant partnerships related to the project activities, as well as how a variety of perspectives and networks will be incorporated and mobilized across and beyond the public health and physical activity sectors (e.g., sport, recreation, educational, transport, community, etc.

Private sector engagement includes any number of activities, ranging from participation by private sector organizations in governance and organizational aspect of the project, to in-kind contributions of staff time, office space, professional expertise, to providing financial support (co-funding/financial assistance) for activities such as advertising, fundraising, or to support project reach, etc.

Additional points will be granted for demonstrating that the engagement of the private sector as project contributors in this Initiative.

Q. When do you expect projects to commence?
A. Projects are expected to commence in April/May 2012.

For your information, the organization lead names for the Tier 2 projects are:

A) Recreational Cycling- Safe Kids Canada

B) Recreational Snow Sports - SMARTRISK Foundation

C) Playgrounds and Neighbourhood Play Spaces - British Columbia Injury Research and Prevention Unit

D) After-School Physical Activity Programs - Physical and Health Education Canada (PHE Canada)

E) Physical Literacy - Canadian Sport for Life

The Public Health Agency of Canada is under no obligation to enter into a funding agreement as a result of this Invitation to Submit a Letter of Intent.

PHAC ALSO RESERVES THE RIGHT TO:

• Reject any submission received in response to this invitation;
• Accept any submission in whole or in part; and
• Cancel and/or re-issue this invitation to submit a Letter of Intent at any time.

Please note that PHAC will not reimburse an applicant for costs incurred in the preparation and/or submission of a Letter of Intent in response to this invitation.

Table of Contents

1. Active And Safe Injury Prevention Overview
1.1 Introduction
1.2 Background
1.3 Description of Funding Program
1.4 Objectives
1.5 Tier 3 Solicitation
2. Letter of Intent For Tier 3 Applications
2.1 Scope
2.2 Priority Activities
2.3 Submission Instructions
2.4 Assessment
3. Eligibility
3.1 Eligible Applicants
3.2 Eligibility Criteria
3.3 Eligible Expenses
3.4 Ineligible Activities And Expenses
4. Official Language Requirements

Appendix A - Description of Tiers 1 and 2 of the Active and Safe Injury Prevention Initiative

1. Active and Safe Injury Prevention Overview

1.1 Introduction

The Public Health Agency of Canada invites eligible not for profit organizations to submit “Letters of Intent” for the Active and Safe injury prevention initiative.  The overall goal of this initiative is to reduce sport and recreation related injuries sustained in high participation activities among children and youth (ages 0-19).  The initiative focuses on serious injuries such as concussions/brain injuries, drowning and fractures.

1.2 Background

Injuries in children and youth aged 0-19 cost Canada’s health care system $5.1 billion in direct and indirect costs annually.  Unintentional injuries continue to be the leading cause of death for children and youth in Canada, and one of the leading causes of hospital admission.  In Canada, two children die from unintentional injuries every day and 80 are admitted to hospital.

More than 40% of child and youth injuries treated in emergency departments are sport and recreation related:

• 31% of those in children aged five to nine years;
• 63% of those in the 10-14 year age group; and
• 57% of those in youth aged 15-19 years.

The populations most affected by injuries related to sport and recreation often vary with the type of activity or cause of injury. For example, there are indications that children and teens in low-income neighbourhoods are more likely to be hospitalized for unintentional injury than their counterparts in high-income neighbourhoods, though there are variations by age range and children from lower income neighbourhoods, who have higher rates of pedestrian and cycling injuries. Rural, remote and Northern communities are considered to be high-risk groups and underserved communities with regards to injuries in certain contexts.

Sports participation rates are higher among boys than girls, with the difference increasing during adolescence.  Data from 2009 indicated that 65.5% of the emergency room visits related to sports and recreation for the 0-19 year age group were males. While there is some variability depending on the specific type of activity, this gender differential is found across a wide range of sports and recreation activities.

Advancing the Active and Safe injury prevention initiative is an important step of the government’s commitment to Canadian children, youth and families. It builds on other Government of Canada efforts to promote the health and well-being of children and families; for example with its support toward the Declaration on Prevention and Promotion, the Children’s Health and Safety campaign, and efforts to address childhood obesity.  By preventing serious injuries, the Government of Canada is taking steps to help Canadians and their families live more active and healthy lives. The Active and Safe injury prevention initiative recognizes that when promoting physical activity for children and youth, it is important to address the potential risks of such activities, support and promote safe behaviours, as well as minimize the impact that safety concerns may have on participation rates.

1.3 Description of Funding Program

The Active and Safe injury prevention initiative is a two-year*, $5 million investment to address sport and recreation-related injuries among children and youth (0-19 years of age). This initiative will enable community level action on sport and recreation safety awareness.  The Active and Safe injury prevention initiative will support activities to prevent brain injuries and concussions, along with other serious injuries that occur in recreation and sports such as drowning and fractures. It is rolling out in three cascading tiers.

*Note: The Initiative will be completed next March 31, 2013.

Tier 1, a directed solicitation for projects on brain injuries and concussions in high impact, high participation sports; and drowning prevention with an emphasis on open water, is underway. Tier 2, a targeted solicitation for five projects is as well underway. The projects are pending approval. The projects address the following key injury concerns: recreational cycling; recreational snow sports; playgrounds and neighbourhood play spaces; after-school physical activity; and physical literacy. Tier 3, this process, is an open solicitation inviting proposals on the targeted injury issues (brain injuries/concussions, drowning and fractures) that will complement the projects implemented under Tiers 1 and 2. The solicitation process described below specifically applies to Tier 3 of this initiative.

Tier 1 projects and Tier 2 proposed projects are outlined under Appendix A.

1.4 Objectives

The overall objectives of the Active and Safe injury prevention initiative are to:

• increase sports and recreation safety awareness and promotion through support of community level action, and
• strengthen multi-sectoral collaboration (building networks) among injury prevention stakeholders. 

Applicants are encouraged to demonstrate how they will collaborate with partners to ensure that efforts are complementary, consistent, and coordinated to increase capacity and achieve maximum impact across Canada. 

The Active and Safe injury prevention initiative is designed to support time-limited projects that will have a strong impact for injury prevention activities at the community level.  Community level may be defined by geographical boundaries and socio-cultural characteristics, or may also be defined by interactions and shared interests among people.  A community can include a neighbourhood, a town, a region, a school system, or a sport league.

1.5 Tier 3 Solicitation

The Public Health Agency of Canada is now inviting eligible non-government organizations to submit a “Letter of Intent” for Tier 3 of the Active and Safe injury prevention initiative. The aim of Tier 3 is to engage the injury prevention stakeholders more broadly in order to leverage the projects produced in Tiers 1 and 2 and to facilitate greater collaboration between organizations across the country.  Funding allocated for Tier 3 will be approximately $1 million for the development of 10-12 projects.

2. Letter of Intent for Tier 3 Applications

2.1 Scope

Funding under the Active and Safe injury prevention initiative is for the development of single proposals submitted by not-for-profit organizations for the development of time-limited projects. Projects must have a wide geographic reach. The budget for each project must not exceed $100,000.00 and the project must be completed by March 31, 2013. Up to 12 projects will be selected for funding, totaling approximately $1 million. 

The application process consists of two stages.  The first stage is the submission of a Letter of Intent (LOI).  The second stage is the development of a full proposal.  Organizations with LOIs deemed to best fit the overall objectives of the initiative will then be invited to submit full proposals.  Ineligible and/or incomplete LOIs will be screened out and applicants will be notified. 

The anticipated project start date for successful applicants is April 2012.

2.2 Priority Activities

The Active and Safe injury prevention initiative is based on the three priority activities as follows:

• Increasing awareness and understanding of children, youth, families and the community about the need to prevent injury, and the actions necessary to increase safety and promotion and the wide use of protective equipment;
• Delivery of programs and practices at the community level that promote safety and prevent and reduce injuries; and
• Safety and skills training for children and youth.

2.3 Submission Instructions

The letter of intent will consist of two sections.

Section 1
Applicants are asked to provide a one-page cover letter about their organization.  This letter must include the following information:
a) Organizational information:

• Mandate of the organization;
• Incorporation/registration information, and complete contact information for the project lead within the organization (can be included as an attachment);
• Number of years of experience the organization has related to injury prevention/sport and recreation; and
• A description of its capacity to deliver the project on time and within the specified budget. 

b) Project information:

• The title of the proposed project;
• The project focus;
• The target population;
• The project duration; and
• The amount of funding requested from PHAC, to a maximum $100,000. 

Section 2
A two-page project summary (750 word count maximum) which includes the following:

• Evidence-base for the proposed project (e.g., does a gap exists and how the project will fill the gap?);
• The overall objective of the project and how it relates to the priorities (Section 2.2) and essential criteria (section 3.2)* of the solicitation;
• The activities that the applicant will undertake to meet the objectives;
• The partners with whom the applicant will work on the project;
• The expected results of the project;
• How the project will deliver community level activity in many communities across the province/territory/wide regional reach in which it is implemented.

*The essential criteria for the Active and Safe injury prevention initiative are outlined under section 3.2. The LOI must provide sufficient information regarding each essential criterion so that a clear overview of all aspects of the proposed project is provided. 

Where to submit your LOI:
The Letter of Intent must be received by the Public Health Agency of Canada no later than noon on February 21, 2012 (Eastern Standard Time).  The LOIs must be submitted via email at Anne-Marie.Seguin@phac-aspc.gc.ca. Late submissions will not be considered.  

Applications will be acknowledged by email.  Please ensure your email address is included in the LOI application form.

2.4 Assessment

The selection committee will review all LOIs. Applicants will be measured against the assessment criteria indicated in the second column of the table in section 3.2.  The selection committee will select a combination of projects that are both individually strong and also collectively meet the overall desired reach for the Active and Safe injury prevention initiative, as described below.

Note that the applicants who will be invited to submit a full proposal will have to expand upon each of the essential criteria. 

Collective Criteria:

Overall objectives

• Increase sports and recreation safety awareness and promotion through support of community level action;
• Strengthen multi-sectoral collaboration among injury prevention stakeholders; and
• Encourage safe behaviors to prevent injuries.

Demographic reach

• Project aligns with target population; and
• Project targets high-risk groups, under-served communities, and Aboriginal (First Nations, Inuit and Métis) populations.

Geographic reach

• Overall projects have a wide geographic reach, i.e. they are present in all geographic regions of the country (West, Prairies, Ontario, Quebec, Atlantic, North); and
• Projects target rural, remote, and Northern communities.

3. Eligibility

3.1 Eligible Applicants

Eligible applicants include Canadian not-for-profit voluntary organizations at the national, territorial/provincial and regional level, as well as Aboriginal organizations (including those in the North). Non-profit organizations may include unincorporated groups, societies or coalitions at the national/provincial and/or regional level and Aboriginal organizations (First Nations, Inuit and Métis).

Eligible applicants must have a mandate for injury prevention/safety promotion and/or are an organization supporting sports and recreation.

In keeping with the scope and size of the funding available, it is expected that applicants will have a wide range of reach, i.e. provincial/territorial and/or wide regional reach. This can include a provincial mandate or a combination of partnerships and networks, which provides a proven capacity for provincial/territorial/wide regional reach and/or influence.

3.2 Eligibility Criteria

As stated in section 2.4, applicants will be assessed against both the essential criteria below as well as collective objectives listed in section 2.4.

3.3 Eligible Expenses

Eligible costs include expenses such as personnel, travel and accommodation, rent, material and supplies, costs of services and office equipment, and evaluation and dissemination costs directly related to the proposed projects.  Incidental equipment, as a component of, the larger project will be an allowable expense (for example, pads for goals posts).  A detailed budget will be required as part of stage two in the application process.

3.4 Ineligible Activities and Expenses

The following activities and expenses are ineligible:

• direct delivery of care and treatment services,
• profit-making activities,
• direct services which are part of other governments’ jurisdiction,
• costs related to ongoing (core) activities of your organization or a percentage of the overhead or administrative fee of the organization,
• membership in professional associations,
• conferences, symposia, and workshops as stand-alone projects (this does not exclude training workshops),
• equipment (other than incidental as described above),
• contingency allowances or other miscellaneous fees,
• capital costs such as the purchase of land, buildings, renovation of space or purchase of vehicles,
• creation and/or maintenance of web sites as a sole activity, and
• pure research, in any discipline.

4. Official Language Requirements

Federal government policy requires that voluntary non-governmental organizations receiving grants or contributions from federal institutions for activities, projects or programs involving services to a public composed of members of both official languages communities must take the necessary measures to ensure that the recipients of public funds respect the spirit and the intent of the Official Languages Act.

The Government of Canada is committed to:

• enhancing the vitality of the English and French linguistic minority communities in Canada and supporting and assisting their development; and
• fostering the full recognition and use of both English and French in Canadian society.

Official language minority communities include Francophones living outside the Province of Quebec and Anglophones within the Province of Quebec.

Other Official Languages Obligations

Where federal funding is provided for activities/projects that are national in scope and include services to the general public, the applicant organization must describe internal policies and/or procedures that will show its capability to:

• ensure public announcements concerning activities/projects in both official languages;
• ensure that services offered to the public are in both official languages;
• ensure that documents relating to the activities/projects and intended for general public are in both official languages;
• encourage members of both official language communities to participate in the activities/projects; and
• organize activities, projects or programs in such as manner as to meet the needs of the two linguistic communities, except when a project is targeted at a specific linguistic community.

For additional information about the Official Languages Act, please refer to
http://publiservice.tbs-sct.gc.ca/pubs_pol/hrpubs/OffLang/chap1_4_e.asp

Appendix A - Description of Tiers 1 and 2 of the Active and Safe Injury Prevention Initiative

Tier 1

Tier one of the Active and Safe initiative is in progress and involved a directed solicitation for funding in the amount of $3 million for the development of two projects: (A) concussion/brain injuries in team sports, and; (B) drowning prevention. These projects are presented below.

Tier 1 (A) Concussion/Brain Injuries in Team Sports

ThinkFirst Canada, Hockey Canada, the Coaching Association of Canada, and the Canadian Centre for Ethics in Sports are collaborating on a project to reduce the rate of severe concussions and brain injuries in child and youth team sports by developing and implementing stakeholder interventions that aim to reduce the incidence of brain injury events and improve return-to-play decision-making. The project will develop and disseminate resources for children and youth, families and communities as well as for professionals such as coaches and trainers, increase public awareness of the risks of concussions and head injuries in team sports and increase stakeholder support for actions needed to prevent and mitigate head injuries, influence children and youth, families and communities to adopt behaviours, policies and practices that increase safety and reduce head injuries in team sports. The project is designed to reach Canadians across the country, in cities as well as rural/remote locales, including vulnerable Aboriginal populations. 

Tier 1 (B) Drowning Prevention with an Emphasis on Open Water

The Royal Life Saving Society Canada and the Canadian Red Cross Society are collaborating on a project to develop and implement a Community Water Activity Safety Campaign. The purpose of the Campaign is to reduce incidents of injury and drowning among children and youth by providing education resources and lifejackets for those participating in recreation and sport activities in remote communities with open water environments. The project will initially build awareness and generate interest in becoming a participating community. The participating community will initiate the campaign, deliver the information and activities, and coordinate the use of the lifejackets. As a legacy of the project, the lifejackets will remain in the community for future use. 

The educational tools provided to campaign participants include: a Knowledge and Activity Guide, with age appropriate messages, templates, presentations and activities, a DVD including visual content and media tools, posters and signage for the campaign and the lifejacket access component as well as additional customizable promotional tools.

Tier 2

Tier 2 of the Active and Safe initiative is in progress and involved a targeted solicitation to a small number of NGOs that will address the five themes described below. The projects are pending approval. Tier 2 funding would be allocated to the development of up to five projects of $200,000 each, for a total of $1 million. Projects are intended to address key risks of unintentional injury (ages 0-19) in high participation activities that include a physical activity component. The 5 projects are:

(a) Recreational Cycling:

The objective of this project is to decrease the number of cycling-related injuries to children and youth (aged 9-14) with an emphasis on vulnerable, new immigrant and Aboriginal children, through public and targeted education campaigns and training, and by making low-cost and no-cost helmets available to targeted and vulnerable populations.
The project will be implemented through three main components:  increasing public awareness, expanding cycling skills training availability, and increasing availability of low-cost and no-cost helmets.

The public awareness campaign will include the development of an age-appropriate helmet fitting video/public service announcement that targets the 9 to 14 year old age group, development and dissemination of key cycling safety messages.

The cycling skills component of this project will focus on extending the reach of a known program which teaches essential cycle-safety skills such as steering, signalling, right and left turns, changing gears, braking and avoiding road hazards on residential streets to children aged 9 to 14. 

The helmet distribution component of this project provides the opportunity for children to obtain a certified and appropriately fitted cycling helmet through either low-cost or no-cost means. Up to 550 helmets will be distributed at no-cost in low-income neighbourhoods. In addition, certified helmets will be made available at a low-cost to children in low-income communities across the country.

(b) Recreational Snow Sports:

The objective of this project is to influence and empower youth and their parents to better manage their risks on the ski hill and to protect younger children from collisions. The target populations for this project are young children, teens and their parents.

Through this project, a multi-tiered strategy will be developed for children, youth and their parents focused on the risk of excessive speed; and the importance of skiing and snowboarding in control and of avoiding collisions on the ski hills. Project components, informed by research to better understand how to address issues of speed, control, and collisions in skiing and snowboarding, include a communication campaign to raise awareness among teens and their parents about ski and snowboard safety.

The communications campaign component will raise awareness among children, youth, and their parents about the roles they can play in creating safer ski hill environments using a number of complementary activities that will take into account gender differences and risks and will present tailored messages to both males and females. Through a positive reinforcement campaign called, ski patrollers will “catch” teens practicing smart risks and following the skier responsibility code.

The second component of the project will increase the visibility of children ages 2 to 8 on participating ski hills by distributing and promoting PACE Penguin Children’s Ski Safety Program kits. The kits include the Alpine Responsibility Code and a bright PACE Bib to help other skiers and snowboarders to quickly identify the child as a young skier. As well, participating ski hill operators will be invited to post signage asking fellow skiers and snowboarders to slow down and: “Give PACE Extra Space.” This project will roll out at five ski resorts across the country during the 2012-2013 season. 

Awareness will also be enhanced by several one-day events targeting participants who are new to competitive snowboarding (including young women and First Nations) in order to enhance awareness and safety.

(c) Playground and Neighbourhood Play Spaces: 

The objective of this project is to expand the knowledge base and availability of resources for communities and community leaders with regards to the safety of outdoor play spaces used by vulnerable children and youth. This project will focus on better understanding the safety issues associated with outdoor play spaces (including playgrounds, green spaces, urban areas such as parking lots and vacant lots, and the street) available to socioeconomically disadvantaged children and youth.

The first step of this project is to increase understanding about play spaces available and accessible to socioeconomically disadvantaged children in Canada.  This will be accomplished through a survey of key informants and the active participation of children (age 6-12) from two vulnerable communities (one urban, one rural) to describe their after-school play spaces using a participatory photo mapping approach. 

The second step in this project will be to develop an online training tool to enable community members to become certified as outdoor play space inspectors in their respective communities. The Canadian Playground Safety Institute’s “Playground Inspector Certification” will be adapted to incorporate knowledge gained through step one of this project, so that it addresses all play environments, particularly those accessible to vulnerable children. This resource will be made broadly available to youth workers, health care workers, community centre workers, community volunteers, etc.  

The third and final step of this project will be to share new information, best practices and resources via various social media tools (Facebook, Twitter, Blog), as well as via websites, email distribution lists, TV and radio.

(d) Afterschool Physical Activity Programs:

The objective of this project is to expand awareness, knowledge and application of safety practices in the after-school time period. The target populations for this project are young children (5-12), teens (13-19), parents/caregivers, and after-school program leaders.
The project will involve an environmental scan of current after school safety programs and engaging youth, aged 13 to 19, through a focus group to explore the role of children and youth in promoting safety in after-school time period activities and secure advice as to the best communications approaches for safety messages.

Capacity building will be supported through a series of five webinars providing after-school program leaders with information on risk identification and management, promising and best practices for after school safety injury prevention, and concussion awareness and concussion and fracture prevention.  After-school program leaders will also be supported by the adaption of existing safety guidelines on topics such as equipment safety, supervision, facilities and emergency response.

As well, a series of age-appropriate after-school interactive games and activities will be developed to reinforce safety through play for participants in after-school programs.  The activities and resources will build upon advice secured at the focus group and will be based on the concepts of social responsibility and safety.  Topics will include playground safety, water safety, concussions, first aid awareness and the importance of rules in game play.  Various tools for parents and caregivers including a program safety checklist and parent / child communication tools will also be developed to complement safety messages being provided to after-school program leaders and participants.

Through existing networks, the new information, tools, resources and training developed through this project will be integrated into existing after-school programs.

(e) Physical Literacy:

The objective of this project is to address three crucial issues: the lack of appropriate physical literacy knowledge and tools among sport coaches, recreation activity planners, schools, local clubs and community organizations; the lack of awareness among youth and parents about the benefits of physical literacy in preventing injury; and the insufficient level of integration of physical literacy knowledge into sports and recreation programming. The target audiences for this project include sport and recreation activity leaders and parents of children aged 6-12; and professionals in health, education, recreation and sports.

The adoption of best practices in equipment and facilities for 30 identified ‘active and safe’ sports will be facilitated. This will be achieved by surveying 30 National Sports Organizations about their use of sport equipment and facility practices; development of resources based on the findings; and engagement of community leaders via existing national networks to facilitate dissemination of the resources.

This project will also conduct an in-depth review of rules of play in four sports in two regions: soccer, lacrosse and rugby in British Columbia and soccer, baseball and rugby in Newfoundland and Labrador. The sports will then be adapted in collaboration with local partners to increase active and safe practices. The resulting recommendation regarding active and safe rules of play will then be disseminated via workshops and internet-based sessions to community leaders and provincial sport organizations, local community clubs, recreation departments and schools, through national partner networks. British Columbia and Newfoundland and Labrador are selected as focus regions as they were early leaders in developing physical literacy programs.