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Parasport Program Coordinator - Civic Recreation

"My mission is to make health and fitness inclusive for all. I don’t consider this a job. As a parasport program coordinator in civic recreation, the most important job I have is to find the most qualified and energetic instructors. Our instructors are our brand. A big part of this is ensuring I am engaged actively in my community, listening to people and not only staying ahead of parasport trends, but being influential in defining trends. My job is about being super-organized and ensuring all the people and moving parts are working together. If I do it well, our clients and staff are happy and we are growing our parasport programs. If I do this poorly, I see it in the demand for our programs."

Salary Range:

$41,000 - $73,000

The Tip

Pick external certifications that align to your mission and build a plan to get these one by one. They not only signal expertise, they signal intentionality and focus.

Priority Knowledge & Skills
Job-Specific

  • Contextual knowledge of parasport and pararecreation programming

  • Market analysis

  • Consumer insights

  • Service launch strategy

  • Appropriate certifications

Core Transferable

Be an expert at all core transferable skills:

  • Thinking skills

  • Communication skills

  • Organizational skills

  • Interpersonal skills

  • Technical literacy

Building Block Experiences
Education & Learning:

  • Bachelor of Health and Physical Education (Sport & Recreation Management)

  • Completed National Coaching Certification Program

  • Follower of Paralympic newsfeeds

  • Active listener of health & wellness podcasts. Current favourite is The Ultimate Health Podcast

 

"My major taught me the fundamentals of sport & recreation. My coaching certification enabled me to apply my classroom knowledge in the real world of parasport and pararecreation."

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Employment Experiences:

  • Worked as a recreation instructor in university specializing in parasport

  • Residence leader in university

  • Marketing coordinator for local private fitness club. Also taught parafitness classes.

  • Parasport program coordinator at municipal recreation centre

 

"My experience at university as a residence leader taught me to be a good listener. I found being a great program coordinator is first about listening and then about acting. We all love to hear what is working, but the real value is listening actively to what is not working. This ensures we can continue to innovate our programs and maintain client loyalty."

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Community Experiences:

  • Volunteer yoga instructor at local seniors centre

  • Event coordinator for local wheelchair basketball club

  • Volunteer for Team Canada at 2016 Paralympics Games in Rio

 

"In my day job, I manage a team of volunteers. My volunteer experience with the local recreation centre gave me an opportunity to enhance my volunteer management skills and learn how to motivate and engage a group that is not driven by traditional financial rewards. My volunteering for the Paralympic Games opened my eyes to the scope and impact of parasport globally."

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Contextual Experiences:

  • Was a varsity athlete in university in team sport and was voted captain in final year

 

"As a varsity athlete and leader, I developed a strong work ethic and a reputation for getting things done no matter what. The discipline required in a high-performance team sport taught me the importance of coordination and leadership."

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Relationships:

  • I seek to foster good working relationships with all the people I am dependent upon for deliverables. They need to know me well enough to understand my intentions.

  • Many of the people I met in Rio from all over the world will be professional and personal friends and mentors for life.

 

"I understand motivation and how/why people do what they do. I need to know how to read people and know who’s having a bad day and how to deal with that so I always get the best out of them."

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