Reach Ahead to Kinesiology: Black Youth Outreach

In the case that there are more applicants than the allotted 25 spaces, selections will be made based on the following scoring rubric:

Transportation to the program site on the start date, and from the program site to students’ home will be covered for up to $25 per trip. Reimbursement will be provided after a receipt is submitted.

*Please note that the program will only cover transportation fees for the participant. If a parent/guardian wishes to accompany the student to drop them off at the program site, they must cover their own travel costs separately.

The Reach Ahead to Kinesiology Program is committed to creating an environment that is equitable, inclusive, respectful, anti-racist, and accessible.

KPE staff and KPE undergraduate students involved in the program will complete workshops on equity, anti-oppression, and anti-Black racism.

If you would like to discuss any program accommodation requests related to equity, accessibility, or inclusion, please email undergrad.kpe@utoronto.ca.

KPE Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Statement

The Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education (KPE) is committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment that nurtures a culture of belonging. We strive to address and remove structural barriers in education, sport, and recreation through the co-creation of diverse and meaningful opportunities for equity-deserving communities within the Faculty’s teaching, research, programs, and services. These barriers are rooted in historical and ongoing inequities including but not limited to colonialism, racism, sexism, heterosexism, ageism, classism, ableism, religious-based and gender-based discrimination. As part of an institution complicit in contributing to colonial processes, we are also committed to reconciliation by building relationships with Indigenous communities in order to learn about the diversity of Indigenous Nations, create Indigenous spaces, and enact anti-colonial practices. Grounded in an inclusive framework, we will work to co-create purposeful change with our diverse KPE communities.

KPE Land Acknowledgement and Commitment

We wish to acknowledge this land on which the University of Toronto operates. For thousands of years, it has been the traditional land of the Huron-Wendat, the Seneca, and the Mississaugas of the Credit. Today, this meeting place is still the home to many Indigenous people from across Turtle Island and we are grateful to have the opportunity to work on this land. As part of an institution complicit in contributing to colonial processes, we are committed to reconciliation by building relationships with Indigenous communities in order to learn about the diversity of Indigenous Nations, create Indigenous spaces, and enact anti-colonial practices.

COVID-19 safety measures will be carefully considered and incorporated into the program. More information on the specific measures that will be taken will be provided closer to the start of the program, as updates to public health guidelines and requirements continue to be monitored.

It’s understanding how physical activity moves you, changes you, how it challenges us as individuals, and impacts us as a society.

Kinesiology studies are rooted in the physical and life sciences, the social sciences and the humanities. Discover how they combine to provide a holistic view on health, through interactions with the spectrum of human movement and physical activity including exercise, play, sport, dance and physical inactivity. By examining and critiquing what we know about health, movement and physical activity, we can address contemporary issues in society to create anti-oppressive and inclusive practices and knowledge.

The field of kinesiology spans and integrates different approaches to the study of movement and its impact on health and well-being, including:
 

Example undergraduate kinesiology courses at university include:

From soccer field to medicine via kinesiology

Tate Newmarch was not planning on ever going to university. He was on his way to fulfilling his dream of becoming a soccer star in France, but a serious injury put him out of the game and at a crossroads. He decided to apply to study kinesiology, attracted by its multidisciplinary nature and the aspect of sport. He was interested in following up his kinesiology degree with studies in medicine, an idea that solidified once he was in the program and conducting research with Assistant Professor Doug Richards, medical director and staff physician at U of T’s David L.MacIntosh Sport Medicine Clinic.

Newmarch has since received acceptance from U of T’s Faculty of Medicine and will continue to work with Professor Richards on the research as a medical student.

Learning through experience

Gerome Manson was born in Trinidad and Tobago and moved to Canada with his family when he was eight years old to the west end of Toronto. Interested in sport as a youth, he originally enrolled in the Bachelor of Physical Health and Education (BPHE) at the University of Toronto with the objective of becoming a high school physical education teacher. Following his graduation, he decided to pursue a master’s degree at the renamed Faculty of Kinesiology and Physical Education (KPE), followed by a PhD.

Today, he's an assistant professor and researcher in neuromechanics and motor control at Queen’s University School of Kinesiology and Health Studies.

During his time at U of T, Manson worked as an ambassador, tour guide and community animator, and as a research assistant in two labs in KPE. He also found time to volunteer with the Summer Mentorship Program at U of T and at graduate orientation week events with the School of Graduate Studies. Outside of the Faculty, he worked as a sales rep for Hewlett Packard and as a freelance scientific writing editor when he was abroad. Through a variety of placements, part-time jobs and research experiences, Manson was able to explore different career paths. 

“In all of these jobs I learned valuable skills that help me now in my role as a professor and researcher,” he says.

University of Toronto BKin graduates are well prepared to pursue a wide array of careers or to continue their studies in professional and graduate schools.