Two Comox Valley athletes are among the 13 female sport leaders who have joined the second term of viaSport’s Girls and Women Advisory Group (GWAG) for sport and physical activity in British Columbia.
Robyn Butler joined the group in February while Allison Forsyth is one of seven newcomers who joined the group in March. Butler (Comox) is a marketing specialist with the Comox Valley Regional District while Forsyth (North Vancouver) is director of brand and community for ivivva athletica and an Olympic alpine skier who honed her talents on Mount Washington.
"This may be of interest to your readers as there are grant opportunities and training opportunities for sport development," Butler said. "I joined this advisory group in February and am excited to encourage the Comox Valley recreation and sport community to utilize these resources."
Butler is an avid supporter of sport and physical activity, viaSport notes on its website. She figure skated competitively for 11 years and has contributed her expertise in media relations at national and world figure skating championships.
She currently works as marketing specialist for the CVRD - with recreation under her portfolio - and for the past 10 years has been involved with the Active Comox Valley steering committee, an initiative that addresses barriers to provide accessible and affordable physical activity opportunities to engage community spirit and participation.
Forsyth is an eight-time Canadian champion and two-time Olympian who has five World Cup podiums on her resume as well as a giant slalom bronze medal from the World Championships.
Forsyth was skiing at the age of two and started racing at age five. She has been with Lululemon (yoga apparel retailer) for eight years and for the past several months has been managing their ivivva brand that supports young female athletes and their goals.
“Creating more equitable opportunities for girls and women in sport is a priority for the Province of B.C.,” says Peter Fassbender, Minister of Community, Sport and Cultural Development. “Having the right leaders around the table is crucial as we start to translate our goals into action.”
Most recently, the Girls and Women Advisory Group played a key role in the development of the viaSport Gender Equity in Sport and Physical Activity Policy, followed by the launch of the #LEVELTHEFIELD gender equity campaign.
“viaSport’s goal is to see 50 per cent female representation across all levels of sport in B.C. by the year 2020,” says Sheila Bouman, viaSport CEO. “Currently at 42 per cent, we are proud to have some of B.C.’s top thought leaders and sector experts working with us to achieve this goal.”
GWAG was founded in 2013 to provide advice and recommendations to viaSport on strategy and policy development, best practices, and program delivery for achieving gender equity in sport and physical activity in British Columbia.
The latest GWAG membership represents a variety of expertise across sport, recreation, and physical activity. Learn more about the viaSport Girls and Women Advisory Group at www.viasport.ca/advisory-groups.