Recreation initiatives
The Recreation Services Division is committed to providing a safe, fun, inclusive and dynamic environment where everyone can reach their highest potential. Our programs offer an extensive variety of creative, age-appropriate recreation opportunities year round.
Recreation Services is also committed to identifying the specific and unique skills needed to support our services and enhance the future growth of our employees. Ongoing training opportunities and unique initiatives help to better equip our employees with the knowledge and skills needed to perform their jobs safely and effectively, and help us to grow as a child-serving organization!
The Recreation Services Division has implemented a number of initiatives to help enhance our programs!
Each of these initiatives represents a specific theme and applies to a variety of programming areas within our services.
Equitas – International Centre for Human Rights Education
The Recreation Services Division is working in collaboration with Equitas - International Centre for Human Rights Education to bring awareness to children's rights through an educational approach amongst employees and participants who attend public programs.
We also work in collaboration with other municipalities and service providers to strengthen the collective impact of children's rights in Canada. Collectively, we have introduced a variety of resources focused on children's voices and leadership in decision making.
Many of our resources help to establish an understanding of building welcoming and inclusive spaces for all children and youth, and help prepare us to enhance our programs and curriculums to ensure that newcomer and refugee children/youth have positive first experiences in our programs, facilities and the broader community.
Recreation programs enhanced by this initiative: What’s Up! (ages 6-12), Children’s Free Play (ages 6-12), Youth Action Centres (ages 13-17), Aquatics swim lessons
For more information, visit Equitas – International Centre for Human Rights Education.
Equitas Projects
- National Child Day 2018
- Community of Practice: Welcoming Refugee Children and Youth
- Community of Practice: Children's Leadership Cards
- International Youth Day 2019
- National Child Day 2019
- International Youth Day 2021
- National Child Day 2021
- National Child Day 2022
- National Child Day 2023
Resources
Anti-Racism Activity Toolkit
A child-friendly tool to engage children in learning about important topics. Children are provided with ways to be creative and can learn how to become leaders in their communities by creating inclusive environments for everyone!Children’s Anti-Racism Cards - Activity cards for children to help them learn about others, be kind and adopt inclusive behaviours!
During Anti-Racism Week in 2021, children aged 6-12 years old had the opportunity to draw their ideas on an anti-racist Winnipeg and design activities aimed at creating inclusive environments. These activity cards are the final product and can be used at home or in schools/programs to further enhance curriculums throughout Winnipeg.
Anti-Racism in Sport
The City of Winnipeg is a partner on Immigration Partnership Winnipeg’s Anti-Racism in Sport campaign. The campaign seeks to help people identify, disrupt and eliminate all forms of racism in sport in Winnipeg through multiple activities, including: a research project, presentations, stakeholder training, public awareness, and the Anti-Racism in Sport Accord.
The Anti-Racism in Sport Accord commitments are basic actions that require goals to guide organizations to becoming fully anti-racist, including education and training, accountability, and awareness and action. The City is a signatory on the Accord, which launched on April 21, 2022.
Canadian Centre for Child Protection
The Community Services Department is committed to working with the Canadian Centre for Child Protection (C3P) in order to ensure best practices and enhance our overall image and awareness in the area of child protection.
The Canadian Centre for Child Protection has been instrumental in assisting Community Services with preparing staff training, protocols and procedures, the development of a public awareness campaign, and in the direct delivery of staff training.
With the rollout of this partnership in 2016, Winnipeg was designated as the first jurisdiction in Canada to create a plan that focuses explicitly on the prevention of child sexual exploitation and the establishment of safe environments for children within municipal recreation and library facilities.
Programs and services enhanced by this initiative: all recreation, aquatics and library programs and facilities
For more information, visit Canadian Centre for Child Protection.
Everyone Can Play Guide:
A Guide to Winnipeg Recreation and Sports Subsidies
The Everyone Can Play Guide is available to ensure all children and youth have equal opportunities to experience the benefits of participating in sport and recreation.
For more information, visit Everyone Can Play - A Guide to Winnipeg Recreation and Sport Subsidies.
HIGH FIVE® – Principles of Healthy Child Development
The City of Winnipeg is a registered municipality with HIGH FIVE®.
HIGH FIVE training provides organizations with nationally-recognized certification that will assist them in working with children's programs in the sport and recreation community, and helps ensure that every child has a positive sport and recreation experience.
Recreation Services Division employees apply the HIGH FIVE - Five Principles to our programs in order to provide quality experiences to participants, and support the safety, well-being and healthy development of children.
We also use the HIGH FIVE Quality Experience Scanning Tools (Quest), which were developed to provide organizations with practical, well-balanced tools for assessing and improving the quality of children’s developmental experience in recreation and sport activities. The tools are used to review, measure, and evaluate the extent to which children’s programs support healthy child development for children ages 4-12.
Recreation programs enhanced by this initiative: L'il Critters (ages 3-5), Children’s Free Play (ages 6-12) and What’s Up! (ages 6-12)
For more information, visit HIGH FIVE.
Physical Literacy
The Recreation Services Divison uses strategies to enhance the understanding of physical literacy amongst its employees.
Participants benefit from encouragement and support in staying active in sport, and are provided with a range of opportunities for instructional improvement in their development of physical literacy within our programs and services.
Recreation programs enhanced by this initiative: all programs
For more information, visit Sport for Life or Physical Literacy.
Resources
Physical Literacy Resources for Early Years
The benefits of physical activity for health and well-being across the lifespan have been well researched. These videos describe the importance of developing physical literacy skills and the role adults play in supporting children in their physical literacy journey. Learning how to be active at a young age allows children to confidently engage in physical activity throughout their lives.
Strength-Based Behaviour Management
The Recreation Services Division works with Momenta, an organization dedicated to creating experiences that discover strengths and foster growth, to implement strategies for problem solving and increasing group cohesion in various free programs, using a strength-based behaviour management approach.
Using a strength-based behaviour management approach allows our leaders to build trusting relationships with participants! Leaders are able to set reasonable expectations using consistent communication techniques, and implement methods to enhance relationships and provide respectful and fun environments for all participants.
Participants who attend these programs can expect to learn more about their own potential to meet expectations, and develop positive peer relationships.
Recreation programs enhanced by this initiative: Children’s Free Play (ages 6-12), Youth Action Centres (ages 13-17)
For more information, visit Momenta.