Inclusion in Sport: New summer camp blends Indigenous cultural lessons with sport

By Jackson Starr

It was a week full of sports, cultural learning and good fun both inside and outside of the Louis-Riel Dome, as TMSI Sports Management, the CEPEO French public school board and the Wabano Centre hosted their first-ever Indigenous multi-sport and cultural camp from July 8-12.

“It’s extremely important,” TMSI manager of facilities and programs Abby McCorriston says about the combination of sports activities and cultural learnings at the camp, which was free for students from CEPEO schools and the Wabano Centre. “It’s a nice mix between the two. Because it’s summer camp, it’s important that it’s fun. Fun first, so we worked really hard at finding ways to intertwine the cultural components as well in order to still make it a fun camp versus a school day too.”

The camp also had guests come in from around the athletic community in Ottawa to assist. For basketball, Canada Topflight Academy led the sessions.

The Akwesasne Junior B lacrosse team also visited to help kids learn the sport, along with National Lacrosse League player Sam Firth.

“Some of our campers had never even touched a lacrosse stick, so it was their first time experiencing that,” McCorriston signals.

The Wabano Centre’s Marie-Claude Charland, who was on site to speak with the campers, staff and assist in the cultural component, notes that the sport of lacrosse has strong Indigenous roots and has a deep connection with the community.

“This nation, the Mohawk nation, they’re the ones that received this game in the beginning,” highlights the Wabano’s Wasa-Nabin coordinator. “And it’s a game that we’re told is older than time itself. In that sense, it’s been a really rich experience.”

For some of the staff working at the camp who are not from the Indigenous community, it was an opportunity to learn alongside the kids while also helping them with the sports activities.

“It’s very nice to have a break from being in the dome doing sports and coming out, learning about the culture and having the painting, dreamcatcher making,” indicates Hannah Clarkson. “It’s really interactive for the kids and it helps create space between the sports and the culture and kind of give the kids a break from running around. (It’s) definitely been fun and a lot different from the other camps.”

TMSI director of business development Darren Morenstein worked alongside McCorriston to develop the new camp, which was designed to be accessible to all local kids from Indigenous communities.

“We felt like it was important for us to put costs aside. The program was the priority,” Morenstein signals. “Whatever we can do to be sure the program is up and running to get it started for this summer, we were going to make that happen. Thankfully, CEPEO has been a great partner in regards to helping us fund (and) bring the Akwesasne Lacrosse team up here and their summer camp as well.”

Utilizing sport as a way to facilitate cultural experiences was another key goal for the camp.

“Whether you’re at school or at home, there’s always a lesson to be learned somewhere,” Morenstein explains. “We by no means don’t want to stop teaching those lessons, we just want to be able to teach those lessons in an environment that they may not even be knowing that there’s a lesson there and making it fun and exciting and definitely enriching.”

McCorriston, who has led popular TMSI summer multi-sport camps at Thunderbird Sports Centre, the Superdome at Ben Franklin Park and Amberwood for years, says the new camp was a fresh new experience they’d like to repeat.

“It was unique and a lot of fun,” McCorriston underlines. “We’re looking forward with the hope and the intention to continue to build programs like this with CEPEO, and more programs throughout the year.”

Charland says nothing but good can come from initiatives like this one.

“We want our young people to be in good physical shape,” she notes, “and also, it’s a chance to develop some interest, find out what they’re really good at, and discover new ways, if they haven’t had a chance, to attend sports camps. It’s a great opportunity. A win, win, win for everyone I believe.”

This article is part of the Ottawa Sports Pages’ Inclusion in Sport series. Read more about local sport inclusion initiatives at: OttawaSportsPages.ca/Ottawa-Sports-Pages-Inclusion-In-Sport-Series/.

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