BLACK COACHES CANADA UNITE • INCREASE • INSPIRE BLACK COACHES CANADA ENTRAÎNEURS NOIRS CANADA BLACKCOACHES.CA UNITE • INCREASE • INSPIRE ESTABLISHED 2020 BLACK COACHES CANADA UNITE • INCREASE • INSPIRE EXECUTIVE SUMMARY NAME: Black Coaches Canada WEB SITES: BlackCoaches.ca / BlackCoach.ca / BlackCoach.org COLORS: Black/Green/Red Red represents the blood that flows through us all, Red is also the color of passion and inspires us, Black for the people together in unity, Green for the rich land which symbolizes growth, prosperity and increase. WHAT'S IN A NAME? The term Black and it's connotation to the community. I wrote a thesis paper for my English course when I was at the University of Windsor in 1992 titled “What’s in a Name?” The Term Black and its usage for our community. I was advocating for us not to use the term! By the way, I received an A+ on the paper. Surprise, here I am some thirty years later advocating for the opposite. I am once again assisting in creating and leading another black organization in which I had pledged I would not use that term for an organization again. Time allows us to have wisdom when it comes to issues of passion. The term “Black” is used not to define us as a people, colour or race. Rather, it is used in reference to a culture with which for our organizational purpose will be inclusive of self-identified African, Afro-Indigenous, Indigenous, Afro- Caribbean, Afro-Latino, African Canadian, Black, Biracial, and People of Color. When we talk about diversity, we as the Black community and culture are it! Over 200 ethnic and or cultural groups within, self-reported (*Statistics Canada Census 2016), and we continue to grow. We had many discussions over the name and what we should aptly call ourselves. We do believe names and colours are very important and have meaning. Nothing has been done without research, discussion and due consideration of many voices. With that, we present to you Black Coaches Canada (BlackCoaches.ca) Regards, Paul Martin, President Black Coaches COACHING Our organization is not about on-field coaching. Do not let our name fool you! We are coaches as it relates to mentoring, training, advising, advocating, directing, empowering, representing and leading our communities. Coaches play a very vital and valuable role in society. Every coach should tell you that everyone needs a Coach and/or Mentor. Most established coaches have a senior mentor or a coach to help direct them! Who seeks out a coach? Those who want to be better and who pursue excellence! If you do not have a coach, are you not allowing yourself to maximize your potential? “A good coach can change a game. A great coach can change a life. A greater coach can change an industry. An awesome coach can change the world!” A coach can be the spark that lights the fire that burns forever! Coaches often are and have the ability to be the most significant single source of inspiration and influence in someone's life. Therefore, we have a responsibility for community development. When we refer to coaching, we are dealing not only with sports and sports instruction. We also include life coaching, spiritual coaching, business coaching, administration instruction, business and personal development. Coaches inspire others to succeed through speaking, acting, advising, mentoring and developing. BLACK COACHES CANADA UNITE • INCREASE • INSPIRE ABOUT US The Black Coaches of Canada was formed by founders Paul Martin and Rick Titus in the spring of 2020. The idea was spoken about many times within the community however a movement never really materialized. In September 2016 both coaches met in opposition at a Semi-Professional League1 Ontario soccer game. The game sparked the conversation about the lack of representation, opportunities, and support that we as Black coaches generally receive in sports in Canada. The conversation ensued until the organization was born in the spring of 2020. An executive board was formed with senior founding members of the soccer community who have extensive experience in sports administration and business. The addition of an Elders and Advisory board along with Regional Directors with representation from coast-to-coast was finalized to complete the setup. The groups mandate is to address specifically Anti-Black Racism in sports in Canada through advocacy, representation, education and development. MISSION To be an advocate for Black and minority individuals within the sports community in Canada and abroad. To promote the awareness of issues and opportunities for improving the participation in senior levels of decision making within the sports industry (specifically soccer). To identify, educate, develop, promote, and support the Black community in attaining leadership positions within organizations. VISION The Black Coaches of Canada (Black Coaches.ca) shall be a leader, an advocate and provide a voice for people of colour within Sports and Sports Administration in Canada and abroad. We pledge to provide guidance, leadership, transparency, education, development, mentorship, succession planning, communication, and cooperation through a pursuit of excellence! BLACK COACHES CANADA UNITE • INCREASE • INSPIRE OVERVIEW We believe that our example of leadership as design thinkers will spread to other sports across the country to bring about a bigger unified body that will affect positive, long-lasting change as we address Anti-Black Racism in sports. At launch, we have amassed over 50 senior leaders from within the sport with members from coast to coast from Vancouver to Nova Scotia. We have an existing board of 9 members and advisory and elders board, with some 20 regional directors in leadership. The experience, talent, commitment and dedication to sports of our organizational members is unmatched. To be able to bring together brothers and sisters in unity for a shared cause from various levels of sports and business is a pleasure to see as we address our first mandate unity. As they say in Swahili Umoja. The established leadership and combined unity of the senior members of the soccer sporting community that we have brought together will guide the organization to bring about long-lasting change that will increase representation at senior levels of sports in Canada. We will address the issues of Anti-Black Racism in sports in Canada. We will serve to foster positive conversation, education and action towards making changes that will ultimately change sports for the betterment of all. We believe in uniting, defending, protecting, growing, increasing, celebrating, empowering, inspiring and advocating for Pan African and Indigenous Canadians in our sports communities. We believe in using our position and voice to bring light to social injustice issues to effect social change within sports. The Canadian sports Industry has a severe problem of lack of diversity and representation at the senior leadership levels. Our mission is to address that gap by finding, cataloging, creating, developing, and mentoring today’s and tomorrow’s leaders to fill those gaps in sports leadership. Canada is one of the world's most diverse countries and has a long track record of accepting diversity since 1988 when we passed the Multicultural Act. The Act was the first of its kind in the world! It enshrined into law the federal government's commitment to promoting and maintaining a diverse, multicultural society. However, we sit decades later watching back and realizing that the systemic problem of whiteness and white privilege as the dominant hegemonic discourse has served to make the act primarily symbolic and has not brought about action for real change! Our goal is to address the long- needed changes in diversity and inclusion through policies, practices, laws and governance to improve increased representation in the sports industry. SUCCESSION PLANNING The “There can only be one ideology” is the result of Eurocentric programming and the reality of our current experienced ideology. We, as a community, need an ideological mindset recalibration in order to be successful long term. We can all see further into the future when we stand on the shoulders of our elders! As elders and as an organization must continually increase, pursue, develop, enhance, share our knowledge, and build relationships with young adults. We must turn sabotage into support, ridicule to celebration, competition to collaboration, and turn criticism into praise. By fulfilling the mandate of seeking out and developing young adults, we will ensure sustainability of the organization moving forward. “Every Success need a Successor”! BLACK COACHES CANADA UNITE • INCREASE • INSPIRE OBJECTIVES • To galvanize our sports communities as a collective to come together in Unity and provide a voice towards the betterment of sports in Canada and abroad • To Inspire Black participation and representation through Increased diversity in sports in Canada specifically at the senior decision-making levels of sports administration including national, provincial, educational and community levels • To advocate for increased representation on boards, as directors, coaches, administrators, referees and players • To advocate for change in sports by providing a unified voice for diversity, inclusion, and Anti-Black Racism • To lay a foundation for future generations through succession planning and training to provide the resources and to create opportunities to show them a brighter and better future through progress and achievement. • To honor respect and obey our elders who shoulders we stand upon, who have given us access and opportunity. • To foster a sense unity through brotherhood, sisterhood and kinship to collectively develop and grow the game • To recognize kinship and allyship knowing we cannot press forward to bring about change without a collective effort. • To actively engage members of our community to be active in sports and to advocate for their increased participation • To seek out and develop young adults (U30) who may aspire to and have the potential for leadership.