AGENDA

Key Learning Objectives

1. Understand how sport and recreation function as powerful platforms for positive youth engagement. 

2. Identify how sport- and recreation-based programs cultivate youth into future changemakers, developing leadership, confidence, and community responsibility beyond the playing field. 

3. Examine how intentional program design expands access and opportunity for underserved youth through sport and recreation. 

Session Overview

This session focuses on the power of partnerships within the PYOW Network and how collaboration across organizations strengthens our collective ability to support young people. Drawing on examples from MLSE LaunchPad and partners such as Variety Village and Visions of Science, the session will explore how partnerships help reduce barriers, expand access, and create more seamless supports for youth. Participants will engage in reflection and discussion to connect these ideas to their own outreach roles and community contexts. 

Key Learning Objectives

• Understand how partnerships strengthen collective impact across the PYOW network

• Identify shared elements of effective, youth centered partnerships 

• Recognize how partners can complement frontline outreach work by bringing specialized expertise and resources 

• Reflect on opportunities to build, strengthen, or better leverage partnerships within their own Strides practice

Key Learning Objectives

• Understanding Sex Trafficking

The session aims to build a comprehensive understanding of the definitions and forms of sex trafficking within urban and community contexts. It addresses common myths, power dynamics, and the systemic factors that contribute to vulnerability and exploitation.

• Identifying Luring, Grooming, and Approaches

Identify traffickers' grooming strategies and apply trauma-informed, culturally responsive assessment tools to support safe disclosure and informed decision-making.

• Understanding Online Luring and Digital Exploitation

Analyze how technology and social media facilitate exploitation, focusing on digital grooming indicators and the escalation of risk across online platforms.

• Strengthening Supports and Referral Pathways.

Increases participants’ knowledge of survivor-centered supports and coordinated referral pathways. Focuses on multi-system collaboration, safety planning, and reducing barriers to essential services. 

Performance Themes

• Edutainment: The performance is curated to not only entertain but educate and empower PYOW’s to look inward at the impact they have on youth and young people they work with. In this Edutainment methodology we create, it is designed to create a space fo vulnerability and self expression.

• Tribute / Salute: It will be a Salute to thank PYOW’s for their work and impact. It’s a reminder of the impact that has on youth. It is an opportunity to say “We see you, we feel you and we honour you” through music and poetry.

• Empowerment: It is R.I.S.E Edutainment’s desire to empower all audiences through spoken word, poetry and lyricism. Our vision is to plants seeds of positivity to encourage and remind audiences of their power and their potential to continue this incredible work.