5 - Donate sports equipment to remote Indigenous communities
This series of blog posts is inspired by the list 21 Things You Can Do to Change the World created by Bob Joseph in his book 21 Things You May Not Know About the Indian Act. Focusing on actionable steps, these blog posts will take each step and provide links, contacts, and suggestion lists.
View all of our 21 Things posts here.
The fifth Action we chose to highlight is Donate sports equipment to remote Indigenous communities
Youth in remote Indigenous communities face barriers that make accessing sports very difficult. The high costs of equipment, program fees and travel often make access to sports unattainable for most families.
Hockey for example, is an expensive sport that costs at least $1,000 when you are beginning to play. There are many initiatives that encourage the donation of equipment so that Indigenous youth can have one less barrier to content with if they want to be active and reap the rewards of the team building and health that sports can bring.
The Indigenous youth suicide rate is 6.2 times higher than for the non-Indigenous population, for Inuit people, the rate is 23.9 times higher. Organized sports can offer hope and fulfillment for Indigenous youth.
Visit the links provided to learn more about how you can contribute to this important initiative.
True North Aid has a lot of great information on how to donate different kinds of items to Indigenous communities. You can donate through them or through one of the other charities and non-profits they list on their site.
The Líl̓wat First Nation accepts donations for a variety of programs, including their youth soccer program and after school sports programs.
Project North is a non-profit that seeks to improve the lives of children up North through education and fitness programs. Through their Gear Up program you can donate different pieces of equipment to help fill up a hockey bag.
Last year a Nunavut mom tweeted a photo of the school supplies she had purchased at great expense for her child. Within days thousands of people rallied and sent supplies to her child's school. They received so much that they posted that all of their children were covered for the school year and posted a list of other schools that were accepting donations. This Facebook Group was set up to let people know what schools need supplies, including sports equipment, and how to donate to them.
Right to Play has been providing sports equipment and other supplies to children in 15 countries for the past 20 years. They partner with over 70 Indigenous communities in Canada.
Lastly, think about organizing a sports drive in your community! The city of Burlington, Ontatio has been holding a sports equipment drive every year to benefit First Nations communities in Northern Ontario.
These blog posts are designed to be a starting point to help people toward the path of reconciliation and allyship. We encourage everyone to do their own reading and research. Want to learn more? Check out the Indigenous Relations Academy, which has books, training, and resources. You can also purchase 21 Things You May Not Know About the Indian Act here.