Dear Members,

The NSWC is fully committed to ensuring that our Club is free from any form of bullying and harassment.   We strongly believe that every child, and all members of the Club, have the right to feel safe in all of their activities at the Club and that we all have a role to play in preventing all forms of unwanted or inappropriate behaviour.

As part of our ongoing efforts in this regard, we are very pleased to announce that the Board of Directors has approved a new Anti Bullying and Harassment Policy, which is attached here.  This is part of our overall anti-bullying initiative at the Club.

https://www.nswc.ca/programs/anti-bullying-harassment-policy/

Many stakeholders were involved in designing this Policy for the Club.  We consulted with leaders in the field and researched and reviewed policies from external sources to ensure that our new Policy reflected best practices.

This Policy is now being formally introduced to athletes, parents, coaches, volunteers and staff to ensure universal awareness of its existence and its key components. To help integrate the policy into regular Club activities and culture, the policy requires continued promotion, support and commitment from parents, coaches and staff throughout the year.

We would encourage everyone to review this important Policy, including with your children. Each athlete will be required to SIGN and RETURN the Policy to staff, in some cases, before the athlete can receive their uniform for the season.

Another key goal of our anti-bullying initiative is to teach appropriate social skills to help children develop healthier interpersonal relationships.  The NSWC is hosting anti-bullying workshops geared towards youth athletes, with emphasis on an interactive environment and creating a positive climate for participants to learn the essentials of eliminating bullying on their sport team, in their school and in their community.

It is the expectation that ALL of our athletes attend one of these workshops this Fall, September 11^th and 18^th.  Please sign up on Game Time: https://nsw.gametime.net/manager/cne/index/list/success/true/cat/36

We will add additional dates as needed.

We thank you for your commitment in reviewing the materials and being involved in the solution to prevent any form of bullying and harassment at our Club.

If you have any questions about this Policy or our overall anti-bullying initiatives, please contact me or any member of the Board of Directors at any time.

Sincerely,

Joanna Hayes
NSWC General Manager