At the Center for Healing and Justice through Sport (CHJS), we believe that underneath the fun and camaraderie, sport can be used as a vehicle to provide creative and accessible solutions to some of society's biggest issues.
CHJS is a national nonprofit organization working to ensure that more young people and athletes have access to sport experiences that are healing-centered, inclusive, and work to address issues of systemic injustice.
Our mission is to make sport healing for all youth and athletes everywhere. We support athletes and teams through training, consulting, and collective action, as well as through innovative programs.
We believe that healing is a right for all. And through the wide appeal and accessibility of sport, we’ve found that sport is the ideal environment for justice-oriented and healing-centered philosophies. This work changes the lives of not only participating athletes, but their families, their communities, and the world at large.
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Our work is backed by neuroscience research showing that sport—the activity that has brought humans entertainment and joy for thousands of years— has both a physiological and psychological healing effect. CHJS brings trauma-informed coaching to youth through our accessible programs and services. By bringing together the knowledge and influence of sports experts, psychologists, scientists, and strategists, CHJS equips coaches with simple, practical skills and knowledge about the brain which are proven to have a therapeutic impact on athletes, students, and participants.
Through our dynamic partnership with The Neurosequential Network and NM- Sport, known for their field leading model in education, our innovative programs and initiatives are integrating sport into the healthy therapeutic web of children youth and families to help individuals and programs who believe in a new vision for sport, one centered around healing and justice.
Get To Know Our NM-Sport Partnership
Too many young people are leaving sport. And it’s not because of the game. It’s because of the experience. Research is clear: the quality of a young person’s relationship with their coach is one of the strongest predictors of whether they stay in sport or…
Read MoreOVERVIEW Yeah, We’re Here. And We’re Not Just Watching. CHJS has boots on the ground in Canada, and we are coming in hot! We’re working with schools, clubs, cities, and organizations to make sport safer, smarter, and more human. Science-backed? Absolutely. Human-centered? Always. MEET…
Read MoreAlready know you want in? Click here to sign up. – Join a dynamic community in New York City exploring how sport can be a powerful tool for building resilience, connection, and well-being. With support from the Carmel Hill Fund, this three-part learning cohort brings…
Read MoreEmpowering Mentors. Strengthening Communities. The Next Play Mentoring initiative, powered by the NFL, equips coaches with the skills, relationships, and support they need to lead beyond the field. Community coaches are more than team leaders — they are mentors, role models, and catalysts for change…
Read MoreJoin us for free, virtual trainings on healing-centered coaching. Every coach wants what’s best for their athletes. But in a system that emphasizes overall performance and wins, many coaches feel stuck using outdated methods that don’t match what we now know about how young brains…
Read MoreBy Megan Bartlett, Founder of Center for Healing and Justice through Sport We’ve been treating the youth mental health crisis like an epidemic of anxiety. But what if it’s really an epidemic of loneliness? Surgeon General Vivek Murthy has called social disconnection as deadly as…
Read MoreNovember 2025 – Canada’s kids are struggling. Nearly 1.2 million experience mental health challenges, fewer than 40% get enough daily physical activity, and one-third can’t access organized sport because of cost. At the same time, competitive programs tend to favor kids with prior experience or…
Read MoreBy Megan Bartlett, Founder, Center for Healing and Justice through Sport World Mental Health Day. One day a year we pause to acknowledge what we already know: young people are struggling, resources are stretched thin, and everyone’s looking for solutions. But here’s the thing –…
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