CHJS in Canada

One Year of CHJS Canada

One year in. A lot built. A lot learned. And we’re just getting started.

On October 1, 2025, CHJS Canada officially got going.

The idea was simple: young people across Canada are struggling, and sport can be part of the answer. Not because coaches, educators or recreation leaders need to become therapists. But because small changes matter.

More inclusive spaces. Stronger relationships. Better understanding of stress and behaviour. More chances for young people to regulate, connect and feel like they belong.

A year later, after working with coaches, educators, organizations and communities across the country, we believe in that idea more than ever.

2026 – LOOKING BACK

Our first year took us into gyms, classroms, recreation centres, meeting rooms and communities across Canada – and ocassionally beyond it.

worked with grassroots coaches and high-performance sports. Recreation leaders and national sport organizations. Schools, municipalities, nonprofits and community organizations.

Along the way, we’ve directly reached more than 800 athletes, coaches, educators, staff and recreation leaders through training and learning experiences.

And we’ve had the chance to work alongside some pretty incredible organizations:

  • Play for Dignity
  • Athletics Canada
  • City of Toronto
  • Special Olympics Canada
  • ParticipACTION
  • London Volleyball Club
  • Recreation and Parks Association of Nunavut
  • Medicine Hat Rattlers
  • Rotherglen School
  • Brock University’s Centre for Healthy Youth Development through Sport
  • Hull Services
  • University of Toronto
  • Radley College
  • Canadian Tire Jumpstart Charities
  • Nike

Year One reinforced something we believe strongly: understanding the brain makes sport better. Stress shapes behaviour, learning and performance — whether you’re coaching a six-year-old or a high-performance athlete.

We’ve also seen just how stretched Canada’s sport system is. Great people are doing great work, but families are under pressure, costs keep rising, and too many young people are still getting left on the sidelines.

That has only made us more certain of one thing:

Every kid deserves a place on the team.

The good news? We’re far from alone. Everywhere we’ve gone, we’ve found people ready to help build something better.

 

2027 – LOOKING FORWARD

In 2027, a big part of our focus will be All In Schools — a free school-based sport program designed for the kids who are too often left on the sidelines.

The first pilot will reach 1,250 students across 50 publicly funded schools in Ontario, giving educators the equipment, training and tools to create sport experiences built around connection, inclusion and belonging.

Alongside that: more training, more partnerships, more consulting and more collaboration.

Year One was about building the foundation. Year Two is about getting more kids, coaches and communities into the work.

 

JOIN US

Want to help us keep moving this work forward?

Train with us. Partner with us. Fund the work. Help us build what comes next.

 

MEET THE CREW

  • Jules Porter – making governance feel less like homework and more like a superpower 
  • Matthew Judd – strategy wizard and human movement extraordinaire
  • Micaella Riche – turning engagement into action through exceptional training 

WANT IN?

If you’re a school, club, or city looking to level up sport for everyone, hit us up. Email Jules Porter at jporter@chjs.org