One year ago the BC sport system came together on Pink Shirt Day to commit to erase bullying in sport. A sport environment in which participants, athletes, coaches, volunteers, spectators and officials are exposed to negative experiences, such as bullying, can be harmful and cause individuals to quit.
The BC Games Society signed a declaration to foster a positive sport environment and to put mechanisms in place to effectively prevent and address bullying in sport. Our organization has worked hard for many years to ensure that we have robust policies and procedures to keep participants and volunteers safe and to address any issues that occur.
“Becoming a great athlete or coach is more than just knowing the specific skills of your sport. It is how to work together as a team or how to handle a setback. The BC Games Society established a culture by which we want our participants to embrace, and then to take away as part of their growth resulting from participation in our Games," said Kelly Mann, President and CEO of the BC Games Society. "Alot of who we are as people is not based on ‘what we do’, but more importantly ‘how we do’. By being respectful and positive, we all can go far.”
The BC Games Society has developed the following guiding statements:
- We believe that everyone associated with the BC Games has the right to participate in an environment that is positive, respectful, inclusive and accessible and that contributes to exceptional experiences.
- We believe that it is everyone’s responsibility to contribute in a positive way to the experiences at the Games.
Our commitment to these statements has lead to the development of new visual icon and resource page on our website to ensure we can achieve a positive culture at the BC Games.
The new visual icon will appear on signage at the BC Winter and BC Summer Games as well as throughout participant and volunteer materials. This icon will serve as an important reminder of the expectations of participants, volunteers and fans of the Games.
The new "Culture of the Games" section of the website provides resources, policies, and links to information to help everyone to play a role in shaping a positive, respectful, and inclusive culture for the BC Games.
See the Culture of the Games resources here.