Grant MacEwan University has developed the “Grow the Game” initiative for online anti-racism resources for hockey. The goal of the project is to fill the gap around racism information, education, awareness and its impact on those in the hockey community, both on and off the ice.
Federally funded by the Canada Heritage Anti-Racism Program, Grow the Game was created by Alim Tharani and Irfan Chaudhry as a virtual summit in December 2020. The summit featured a diverse line-up of experts to speak on a variety of different racial experiences in hockey including: the impact, anti-racism, unconscious bias and barriers in addressing racial discrimination.
“The biggest thing that we heard from people is just having a baseline of what racism is and how it manifests in the sport of hockey; and what can be done about it,” said Chaudhry. “People don’t know where to turn or what to do and then it (racism) often times does not get addressed in a meaningful way.”
Grow the Game resources are available online. To begin the education process, there is a “Starter Kit” available with definitions, articles and videos to highlight the impact of racial discrimination in hockey. As well, the website includes recordings of the discussions at the virtual summit in December.
For more information on Grow the Game, visit growthegame.hockey or contact Tharani and Chaudhry by clicking here.
