That’s why HEROS has joined together with the First Nations Health Consortium of Alberta and Hockey Alberta, with the support of Hockey Alberta Foundation, to deliver NHL Street programming to First Nations communities this season.
This pilot project is designed to get young people moving, working together, and building important life skills such as teamwork, creativity, and resilience through street hockey.
Combining NHL Street’s model of modular boards and limited equipment with inclusive, hockey-based mentorship programming ensures that young people in remote communities can play hockey with their friends and mentors regardless of the barriers they face in their day-to-day lives.
“The really cool thing about this project is that it’ll be kind of like LEGO. The instructions will be there, but each community gets to build their own program based off what works for them,” said Waylon Auger, Pilot Project Coordinator with First Nations Health Consortium.
HEROS has been committed to removing the barriers that make the game of hockey hard to access. By providing the equipment, facilities, transportation, proper nutrition, and mentorship, HEROS has ensured 18,000 young people have been able to play, learn, and grow through hockey since the first HEROS program launched in 2000.
It’s well documented that access to sport is crucial to the mental and physical development of young people. Unfortunately, many families and communities lack the resources needed for their young people to participate in sport, especially hockey, where players need specialized equipment and facilities.
“Every kid wants to be part of something, it doesn’t matter where they live. Now they get to be part of a team,” said Auger.
Historically, HEROS programs have been run in large city centres like Vancouver, Calgary, Winnipeg, and Toronto. Cities like these have many communities that need programming like HEROS, and their density and proximity to arenas help ensure resources can be used as effectively as possible. While this makes the most out of the limited resources that are generously provided by partners, donors, and volunteers in each community, it also limits the number of communities that HEROS can reach.
The Pilot Project will address that challenge, providing remote Indigenous communities access to free hockey programming that focuses on the long-term investment of players, while allowing them to experience the joy of playing hockey. Programming will provide players a safe, welcoming space that promotes the importance of community building, self-confidence, and inclusion.
