
About MEND Canada
A program of this nature, focused solely on Indigenous children and youth, does not exist anywhere in Canada.
Sports and physical activity can engage, inspire, and serve as a platform for building life skills.
MEND Canada is about investing in Indigenous (First Nations, Métis, Inuit) children and youth from 4-18 years old, to help them participate in sport and physical activity. Our goal is to inspire and assist the next generation of Indigenous youth in the pursuit of education, advancing towards rewarding careers, and making constructive advancements in their lives - using lessons from sport and physical activity as the catalyst.
Participation in sport and physical activity can support development by helping Indigenous children and youth to:
Build confidence
Develop new skills
Enhance work ethic
Foster teamwork skills
Advance emotional regulation
Model respect, honesty, and integrity, and
Learn that perseverance often pays off.
For Indigenous communities, sports can help create a break from the past, encourage living in the present, foster a future and hopeful focus, and contribute to rebuilding culture, language, health, and wellness while establishing social norms of respect.
Skills developed in sports are transferable to participation in the labor force: teamwork, leadership, time management, competition, handling pressure, management, responsibility, and commitment.
The Truth and Reconciliation Commission's final report identified five sports-related actions — calls to action 87 through 91.
B.C.’s Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People 2022 to 2027 Action Plan also identifies “increase[d] Indigenous engagement, participation, and excellence in both traditional and mainstream sports for individuals in both urban and rural or remote areas” as an important goal.”
Indigenous peoples make up one of the youngest populations in Canada. Statistics Canada 2021 Census information reports that there are more than 400,000 Indigenous children and youth from 4-18 years old in Canada, living in a range of settings, from rural to remote and northern communities to urban centers.