By Dan Marshall

Nanaimo Canoe and Kayak Club partners with Canucks Autism Network for workshop and Try-It event

Jun 15, 2017 | 11:26 AM

NANAIMO — There have been open house events before at the Nanaimo Canoe and Kayak Club, but this year will be quite a bit different.
 
The club has partnered with the Canucks Autism Network to offer a workshop for canoe/kayak coaches on Saturday, and then later in the day there will be a opportunity to take a kayak out on the water at Long Lake.
 
Anne Nikitovic with the NCKC says they felt a need to have their staff better support kids of different abilities.
 
“We’re actually hoping to be able to open up our membership base,” said Nikitovic. “The fact is that right now to be able support someone, we’d need to bring in an outside aide. What we’re hoping to do is to get out staff trained so that they feel comfortable so we wouldn’t have that situation.”
 
Canucks Autism Network Program and Training Director Stephanie Jull says the workshop includes an overview, and gives coaches the tools to understand what they’re seeing and to be able to put themselves in the kids shoes. 
 
“We talk about some of the challenges related to autism and help coaches interpret some of the behavior they might see. From there we dive right in to communication tips, coaching strategies, and motivational skills,” said Jull.   
 
The Canucks Autism Network offers hands on highly supported, adapted sports programs.
 
Jull notes that their programs see many children around nine or ten years old who haven’t participated in community recreation or sport at all.
 
“Often that’s because when they were younger maybe their parents tried to put them into a swimming lesson and things didn’t go very well, or they tried to have them join up for their local soccer club and the child really struggled and had a hard time,” Jull said. “As a result the family’s maybe thinking, I don’t know if this is for my kid – and then they don’t show up again until they end up in our programs. By that point very often the child’s physical literacy skills are quite delayed.”  
 
The Nanaimo Canoe and Kayak Club approached the CAN about coming to Nanaimo, with Nikitovic citing a need in the community and for coaches to be able to better support kids with different abilities.
 
On Saturday the training workshop will run from 9 a.m until 12 p.m.
 
After that is the Try-It portion of the day from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
 
Staff from the Canucks Autism Network will be on hand for the afternoon session to assist any children aged eight and up who want to get on the water at Long Lake.
 
Registration is required for the Try-It activities and can be completed at nckc.ca.
 
There is another free Try-It day for the public on July 1 at Swy-A-Lana Park, and also in July the club will start their kids summer camp programs.
 
Registration for the NCKC summer camp programs is online with up to 300 kids expected to participate.

 
dan@nanaimonewsnow.com

On twitter: @danmarshall77