Calgary Adapted Hub powered by Jumpstart

12/19/2025

🎉🎉🎉

12/18/2025

🎉 New Program Alert! Vecova is now hosting adapted swimming lessons for kids & teens at Foothills Aquatic Centre! 🏊‍♂️💙

Our program helps swimmers build confidence, independence, and water skills. These lessons are designed for kids and teens with disabilities. A parent/support person is required to be in the water with each participant for every lesson.

📋 Registration is open! City of Calgary account required to register:https://vecova.ca/programs/foothills-childrens-adapted-aquatics/

12/15/2025

We were so glad to be a part of this amazing day!

12/13/2025

ISAPA 2025 PROCEEDINGS

The proceedings for the 25th International Symposium on Adapted Physical Activity (ISAPA 2025) is now available. Sincere thanks to Catherine Carty and Gerard Masdeu Yelamos for producing this volume. It stands as a significant scholarly and legacy contribution to the field.

From a research perspective, the ISAPA 2025 Proceedings are among the most comprehensive and globally inclusive records in IFAPA’s history. The volume brings together over ISAPA 2025’s peer-reviewed contributions from 5 continents, spanning empirical research, policy development, applied practice, lived-experience leadership, and innovation. The assignment of 232 individual DOIs, alongside an ISBN-registered publication and permanent open-access hosting through MTU’s SWORD repository, ensures the work is citable, accessible, and preserved for long-term global impact.

MTU’s leadership in positioning research within a human-rights and systems-change framework, aligned with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) and the Sustainable Development Goals is demonstrated through the ISAPA 2025 programme. The Proceedings document landmark moments for the field, including the UNESCO Consultation on Global Policy Standards for Inclusive, Equitable and Safe Sport, the 2025 IFAPA–Special Olympics International Memorandum of Understanding, and the inaugural ISAPA Mental Health Summit, all of which exemplify how research can directly inform policy, practice, and global collaboration.

IFAPA thanks MTU, the UNESCO Chair team, the Scientific Committee, reviewers, authors, and the wider community for producing a volume that not only captures the state of the field, but actively helps shift the dial from awareness to transformation as the global movement looks ahead to ISAPA 2027 in Jordan.

https://ifapa.net/isapa-2025-proceedings/

12/12/2025

♥️♥️

2025 was quite the year for Jumpstart!

From celebrating our 20th anniversary, to launching 3 new Play to Lead cohorts, to bringing free sports equipment to Canada through Equip Lockers - this year was full of milestones made possible by you.

We’re incredibly proud of what we’ve built together. And we can’t wait to see what 2026 has in store.

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[Descriptive text: A photo collage of Jumpstart's special moments from 2025].

12/12/2025

❄️ Save the Date! Winter 2026 Program Guide Drops in ONE WEEK! ❄️

Get ready, Calgary and Red Deer! Our Winter 2026 Programs are just around the corner, and the full Program Guide will be released next week.

From exciting evening programs to inclusive vacations for youth and adults of all abilities, there’s something for everyone this winter.

📅 Release Date: December 17, 2025
📍 Programs available across Calgary & Red Deer

Mark your calendars, spread the word, and get ready to plan an incredible winter with Between Friends!

12/11/2025

Seeking a practicum student looking for hands-on experience in adapted physical activity?

Dr. David Legg is hosting two brief recruitment sessions for students in the MRU Adapted Physical Activity class during the Winter semester to help them secure a practicum placement to complete their coursework.

Pick the date that works for you:
• January 8 at 10:00 or 11:30
• January 13 at 10:00 or 11:30
• Join in person or online

Email dlegg@mtroyal.ca to join in on the fun!

Alt Text: A grey background with a ripped piece in the middle showing a yellow background with the title, "Looking for a Practicum Student?". The MRU logo is in the bottom middle and the CAH logo is on the bottom right.

12/11/2025

12/11/2025

How are youth diagnosed with ADHD perceived and addressed in team sport environments? ULethbridge master’s student Justine Cotnoir is studying youth ADHD experience in sport.

Her research examines how the presence of youth diagnosed with ADHD are perceived and addressed in team sport environments. She is leading the project through a personal lens. When she was six, she was diagnosed with ADHD and found sport as a means of regulation that has allowed her to thrive in other aspects of her life.

Cotnir, under the supervision of ULethbridge kinesiology professor Dr. Scott Rathwell, is currently seeking participants for this study which is open to any current or former athlete who has participated in competitive team sport between the ages of five to 17, as well as parents of children who currently or previously participated in a team sport and youth sport coaches.

“In the long term, maybe this will help shape future studies and lead to some practical ways to help those youth with ADHD who are participating in sport to have a positive and supportive experience as well as their coaches and parents," she says.

To learn more, visit https://buff.ly/YR7xXBK

12/11/2025

12/10/2025

Way2Move is back and ready to get kids moving with a high-energy multi-sport program designed for fun, skill-building, and inclusion. Kids try new activities, build confidence, and stay active in a space built to support every athlete.

What you get:
• A welcoming environment for ages 7–16
• Activities tailored to each participant
• A six-week program-centred on growth and connection
• Sunday sessions at Renfrew Educational Services

The program starts January 11, 2026 - $120.00 per person

Share this with families who want an engaging, supportive sport option or reach out to way2moveab@gmail.com to register.

Alt text: A young girl who uses a wheelchair moves quickly down a gym court with a basketball in hand, smiling. Children run behind her through orange cones, also smiling and active. Text on the image promotes the Way2Move multi-sport program for kids ages 7 to 16, highlighting inclusive and adaptive activities held on Sundays at Renfrew Educational Services.

12/10/2025

We’re recruiting women para athletes (16+) who compete in individual sports and have experienced at least one menstrual period while participating in sport.

Participants will complete two interviews, either in-person at The Steadward Centre or remotely over Zoom - so you don’t need to live in Edmonton to take part!

Your insights will help us better understand para athletes’ experiences with the menstrual cycle in sport.

Interested in participating? Email Sara at sszabo@ualberta.ca

Alt Text:
A recruitment poster with a yellow background that includes the logos of the University of Alberta, Women in Sport Research (WSR), and The Steadward Centre. Text explains that researchers are seeking women para athletes aged 16+ who have had at least one menstrual period in sport to participate in two interviews, either in-person at The Steadward Centre or virtually over Zoom. On the right side of the poster, there is a photo of a swimmer in a pool doing freestyle, wearing goggles and a swim cap. The poster includes contact information for those interested in participating.