Reach Ahead to Kinesiology: Indigenous 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-Indigenous 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:

Chasing joy and saying yes

Vanessa Treasure completed her bachelor of kinesiology in 2015. As a student, she competed on the U of T Varsity Blues swim team and served as captain, balancing her studies with her training. Treasure said she always “kept her toes in the water” at U of T, working at the pool as a student and later facilitating barre fitness classes through the Faculty’s Sport and Recreation program. 

She found she enjoyed coaching so much, she went on to become a manager at F45, a popular boutique fitness studio. When a manager’s position opened up with U of T’s  Sport and Rec fitness and performance team, she applied and got the job. 
“I always chased work I enjoyed, so keep looking for what gives you joy,” says Treasure. “I enjoy physical activity so much and I’m compelled to share that feeling with others.”

Her advice to students? “I said yes to many things and I got involved in many things. This helped me meet people who helped me down the road."

Treasure has since become the director of fitness, wellness and recreation at Hart House.
 

From kinesiology to non-profits to tech

Li-Ann Yap says she checked most of the boxes for barriers to sport participation. But seeing a chance rowing presentation in Grade 10 took her from leading a mostly sedentary lifestyle to waking up at 4:30 a.m. six days a week to row on Lake Ontario. She spent the rest of high school playing catch up with her more athletic peers trying as many different sports as she could. 

“I was keenly aware of the physical, mental and social benefits I reaped because of my experience with sport and decided to pursue a BKin degree to learn more about how sport could be used as a medium to change lives,” she says. “I also wanted to break the systemic barriers I experienced to help others access and participate in sport.” 

When she graduated from the program, she had acquired a breadth of knowledge that spanned across science, sociology, psychology, ethics and history, but she wasn’t sure how she would be able to apply it in the real world. 

“Then I realized that having a wide range of skills and experiences can not only help me adapt to almost any situation, it can also widen my career options,” she says. 

This adaptability came in particularly handy in her current job at Microsoft, where she works in technology sales supporting a variety of clients and organizations go through a digital transformation. 

“I spent 10 years in the non-profit sector before pivoting to the business world,” says Yap, who moved to the US in 2017 to complete a Masters in Business Administration and an internship at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. “10 years ago I would never have guessed that I’d be working in tech,” she says. “I hope my experience gets KPE folks to challenge their assumptions of what’s possible with a kin degree."
 

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.