Youth Sport Summit 2026

Unified Champion Schools: Empowering Inclusion Through Student and Educator Voices

Jayden Miller-Booth - Special Olympics Ontario

Unified Champion Schools (UCS), a Special Olympics program, is transforming school communities by fostering inclusion in schools through unified sports, youth leadership, and whole‑school engagement. This workshop will explore the meaningful impact of UCS programming within Ontario schools by sharing insights directly from the individuals who experience it daily: educators, student‑athletes, and unified partners.

Through a multi‑perspective interactive workshop, participants will gain a deeper understanding of how UCS programming enhances student belonging, leadership development, and overall school culture. An educator will highlight how UCS supports curricular and co‑curricular goals, promoting social‑emotional learning, communication skills, and inclusive participation. A student‑athlete will share their personal journey of growth, confidence, and connection fostered through inclusive sport. A unified partner will provide peer‑led insight into youth leadership, allyship, and how shared experiences in sport bridge social divides.

The workshop will also showcase practical strategies for implementing UCS in diverse school contexts, including approaches that align with Ontario’s inclusive education priorities and support students with and without intellectual disabilities. The session will also explore how Special Olympics is bridging the gap from schools to community involvement, opening the door to lifelong participation through positive sport experiences in schools.

Participants will leave with actionable ideas, real stories of school‑based impact, and an expanded understanding of how UCS can strengthen youth sport ecosystems by creating safe, welcoming, and empowering environments for all students. This is placeholder text for your event introduction. Use this section to welcome attendees and provide an overview of what to expect.

Unpacking Sport Experts’ Attitudes to Sports Betting: A Think Tank

Joel Finlay¹, Timothy Manastersky², Bruce Kidd³

¹KPMG, ²Brock University Men's Hockey, ³University of Toronto

Canada faces a public health crisis from the dramatic growth of sports betting and the tsunami of ads for gambling that have followed the legalization of sports betting by Parliament in 2021.  According to the Canadian Centre for Substance Use and Addiction, 25% of Canadians between 18 and 28 experience problem gambling. Wagering is rampant among athletes, including children as young as 9. Coaches and athletic directors report that athletes bet continually, in dressing rooms, when travelling to and from games, and even on the sidelines during games. Problem gambling is linked to mental health crises, including family breakup, domestic abuse, homelessness and even suicide.

This interactive session is intended to unpack the attitudes of athletes, coaches, and sport administrators about sports betting. Co-led by Joel Finlay, Bruce Kidd, Tim Manastersky, and including four varsity athletes, the session will explore

·       The motivations/attraction for youth to online sport betting

·       What is known about the harms associated with online betting

·       What messages would be most effective in de-normalizing sports betting

·       What next steps and/or policies would be most helpful in addressing this crisis

Insights from this ‘think tank’ will inform ongoing efforts to develop appropriate educational materials about the risks of sports betting.

The facilitators will approach the session in a trauma-informed way, including recognizing that some participants may already be stressed by their experiences with sports betting, ensuring that no one is stigmatized and that everyone will be emotionally supported.

Positive youth engagement in sport-setting program development: theories, frameworks, and practical applications

Emily Kroshus-Havril¹, Brynna Kerr²

¹University of Washington, ²University of Toronto

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child affirms that youth have the right to be heard in matters affecting them and to have their views taken seriously in accordance with their age and maturity. Beyond this ethical imperative, incorporating youth perspectives is essential for developing sport-setting programming that is relevant, acceptable, and effective for youth. However, sport-setting youth engagement in program development is often inconsistent with developmental science and best practices, limiting both program impact and opportunities to support positive youth development.

This workshop will provide participants with practical approaches for meaningfully engaging youth in sport-related research and program development. Objectives are to: (1) introduce key developmental and relational theories that inform effective youth engagement; (2) present practical frameworks for ging youth in ways that are developmentally appropriate and mutually beneficial; (3) illustrate these approaches through two case examples—co-developing Tackling Anxiety, a sport-related anxiety intervention, and the You-CAN Sport program, a peer-led concussion education program for youth athletes; and (4) share concrete tools that participants can apply in their own youth engagement work.

The 60-minute session will include a presentation and interactive discussion, followed by small-group activities where participants can practice applying concepts.

Speakers are Dr. Emily Kroshus-Havril (Professor of Pediatrics, University of Washington) and Brynna Kerr (Doctoral Candidate, University of Toronto), whose work focuses on youth-centered intervention development and engagement methods.

Participants will leave with practical frameworks, tools, and recommendations for designing youth-engaged research and programming that supports both effective outcomes and positive youth development.

Move, Connect, Heal: Sport as a Superpower for Youth Well-Being

Jules Porter and Matthew Judd - Center for Healing and Justice through Sport

What if sport could do more than build muscles or skills? What if it could heal, connect, and empower young people for life? At the 2026 Youth Sport Summit, the Center for Healing and Justice through Sport (CHJS) will show you how, using a trauma-aware, brain-based approach backed by Dr. Bruce Perry’s Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics.

Expanding into Canada in 2025, CHJS brings a team of local sport-for-development leaders who know the challenges, and the potential, of today’s youth. In this hands-on, interactive session, you’ll explore how stress and adversity affect the developing brain and body, and why movement is one of the most powerful tools we have to support mental health, emotional regulation, and social connection.

Through playful activities, lively discussion, and practical takeaways, you’ll discover how sport and physical activity can help young people focus, build confidence, regulate emotions, and strengthen bonds. You’ll leave with tools that are immediately usable in sport, school, and community settings, plus a fresh perspective on why trauma-aware, movement-based approaches are game-changers for youth development.

Designed for coaches, educators, families, sport administrators, youth-serving professionals, and parents, this workshop blends science, joy, and action. Come ready to move, learn, and leave inspired—because nothing heals, connects, or empowers quite like sport and physical activity.

Two Lenses, One Goal: Advancing Safeguarding Systems in Youth Sport

Julie Stevens, PhD¹ Angie Bellehumeur, JD, LLM²

¹Brock University, ²Sport Law

Sport organizations face urgent expectations to ensure all participants have the right to participate in environments that are safe, respectful and supportive. While efforts to develop effective safe sport systems in youth sport are accelerating, they bring significant challenges related to capacity, consistency, and implementation.  

This ‘Fireside Chat’ session explores tensions and opportunities between two distinct yet complementary perspectives on safeguarding in youth sport. The first perspective focuses upon the legal, governance and accountability dimensions of safeguarding in youth sport, including complaint management processes, policy design, and the practical complexities organizations encounter when responding to allegations of harm while ensuring fairness and protection for youth participants.  The second perspective highlights system-level capacity—emphasizing the role of organizational structures, processes and culture, including strategies to build confidence and competence among leaders and volunteers who serve a key role in transforming youth sport.

Throughout this conversation, attendees will gain insight into how both perspectives can be integrated to generate proactive change towards safeguarding that empowers leaders and ultimately strengthens the youth sport system in Canada.

Youth as Co-Researchers: Advancing Implementation of Mental Health, Concussion, and Injury Prevention in Youth Sport

Nicole Chimera¹, Philip Sullivan¹, Princess Ulona¹, Amanda Black¹

¹Brock University

This panel will showcase a youth participatory action research (YPAR) program that engaged diverse youth athletes as co-researchers to address implementation gaps in mental health, concussion, and injury prevention in youth sport. Across 4 co-design workshops, youth collectively identified key challenges and then worked in focused subgroups to address each priority area.

Across topics, youth identified barriers including low awareness of evidence-based resources, limited coach confidence, competing demands, and sport cultures that deprioritize health. Youth co-designed practical implementation strategies such as coach-focused education, brief training tools, and social media resources tailored to athletes, coaches, and sport organizations.

Panelists will include youth co-researchers, Dr. Amanda Black, and co-investigators with expertise in implementation science, mental health, injury prevention and concussion. The panel will highlight how youth engagement shaped both the identification of priorities and the development of contextually relevant solutions.

Central issues include how to effectively translate evidence into practice in youth sport, how to influence coach and organizational behaviour, and how youth partnership can enhance implementation and health equity.

The session will include a brief overview of findings, demonstrations of co-designed resources, and a facilitated discussion to gather audience input on next steps, followed by a question period.

Accommodations

Please note the conference price is only held until April 10th

We have a block of rooms reserved at The Four Points by Sheraton (3530 Schmon Pkwy, Thorold, ON L2V 4Y6), just down the street from Brock's campus!

Our event rates are effective from Monday May 11-Wednesday May 13, 2026.

Click Here to book your group rate for Brock University CHYDS

Or phone (905-984-8484) and mention the CHYDS Brock University conference for our room rates.