NEWS: University of Ottawa Women’s rugby receives Jumpstart Relief Fund grant

The University of Ottawa Women's Rugby program is excited to share that they have been selected by Canadian Tire to receive a grant from the Jumpstart Sport Relief Fund.

The fund helps community sport organizations like Gee-Gees Women's Rugby enhance access to sport and play for Canadian kids.

"Representation matters and rugby is for everyone," said Gee-Gees head coach Jen Boyd. "This grant will support this. We are extremely grateful for our selection."

Access to community sports stopped completely during the COVID-19 pandemic, and like many teams, women's rugby had to face many different challenges. Reflective work done through 2020 brought the team closer together with a shared desire to create opportunities to coach and mentor diverse, young women. With the help of the Jumpstart Relief Fund Grant, the Gee-Gees Women's Rugby program will be hosting a Skills and Leadership Development Program for high school-aged girls rugby players in the Ottawa area.

In addition to rugby skills development, the leadership component of the LEAD Camp will be organized and run exclusively by Gee-Gees women of colour, with a focus on character development through sport. The Skills and Leadership Development Program is set to begin on Saturday, Feb. 12, 2022 and will be hosted at uOttawa Athletics facilities. It will run bi-weekly throughout the winter and spring. More information on programming and registration will be released in the coming weeks.

"Women, especially young women, aren't really encouraged to hold each other up," says Destine Lord, an anti-racism and inclusion consultant who has been working with the Women's Rugby team since late 2020.

"I see this camp as a real opportunity for girls of all sizes and colour to learn how to be in the world from young women who look like them. That is so rare and so special."

Starting the Skills and Leadership Development Program with the assistance of the Jumpstart Relief Fund continues the work the University of Ottawa Gee-Gees women's rugby team has been doing over the past two years in finding ways to get women and girls involved in sport.

The Gee-Gees are thrilled to have received this grant, and would like to commend fellow organizations across Canada who work hard to provide youth opportunities for sport and play.