Each season, HEROS programs proudly serve young people who need it most.
Regardless of a player’s background, culture, religion, gender identity, or ability, HEROS always provides a safe and inclusive environment where kids facing barriers to traditional hockey programming can experience the joy of being part of a team.
As players are generally referred to the programs by partner schools and community service providers, each program is representative of the community it serves. This means each program, looks, sounds, and feels unique – because they are.
Over the years, programs – just like their communities – change. Generally, it’s only a few programs that experience any noticeable change in a given year, but recently, HEROS programs all over the country have witnessed a change across the board, coinciding with a rapid change in the greater hockey community – there’s more girls than ever wanting to play.
Five years ago, roughly 30% of all HEROS players were girls and young women. This season, that number has increased to 40%, and for the first time ever, HEROS even has programs where girls make up the majority of players.
The rise in popularity of the women’s game has given many girls and young women the push they needed to lace up their skates, and HEROS is happy to have them join the team!
One of the most important pieces of HEROS programming is the ability to adapt each program to the unique needs of the kids in the community. For example, recruiting volunteers that speak French in Ottawa, offering alternate transportation methods for kids in Calgary, or providing additional food support for kids living in higher need HEROS communities.
With more girls participating in HEROS programs – and with half of Canadian girls dropping out of sport by 17 – HEROS knows that we now have to adapt programming to fit the unique needs of these new players, just like we do for each and every program and player across the country.
So how do we do it? For starters, we’ll need great female leaders and mentors interacting with our kids. Thankfully, we have that covered!
Of course, we have our wonderful team of coaches who generously give their time each and every week to ensure our kids can have the best experience possible when they step on the ice. In addition to their weekly coaches, HEROS players have the opportunity to meaningfully connect with stars of the sport like Emily Clark, Carla MacLeod, and Daryl Watts – and we would be remiss if we didn’t mention the incredible contributions from players of the UBC Thunderbirds, MRU Cougars, and the University of Ottawa Gee Gees women’s hockey teams, along with so many minor and youth teams who consistently show up to support our HEROS and SuperHEROS.
With incredible leaders in place, the next challenge is adapting the programming in a way that makes players want to stick with the program over the long term. To accomplish this, we’re creating more opportunities for them to connect and develop with their teammates and mentors at HEROS, including our Ottawa chapter’s first ever HEROS Women in Hockey sessions, made possible by the generosity of the Senators Community Foundation.
This brand-new initiative provided additional ice sessions for young girls already in the program, as well as those looking for a safe place to try hockey for the first time.
In true HEROS fashion, these sessions were intended to focus on things much bigger than hockey and welcomed special guests representing different areas of the sport, showcasing how young women can participate in the game at all levels.
Special guest speakers included Cassandra Chiasson and Daphne Sucic from the Senators Community Foundation, TSN Radio host, Michaela Schreiter, and Olympic gold medalist, Ali Domenico.
When hosting pilot projects like this, the goal is always to figure out whether it will benefit the players involved. With this new initiative, the results and feedback were nearly immediate, with players returning in the new year working harder than ever and younger players wanting to register next season with their older sisters.
It was all around an inspirational experience for everyone involved, and the initiative’s success makes it easy to say yes to the 12 girls who asked, “Can we do it again next year?”.
“She’s [HEROS Player] super reluctant to try new things. I think she was scared about being with boys and older kids at the regular practices. This is great for her and her sister. Hockey is something they can do together now.” – HEROS parent.
Together with our volunteers, partners, and donors, we can continue offering a safe place for all our players, adapting the game to fit their needs, and giving them the opportunity to proudly say, “I am a hockey player!”.