Sara Nicholls: A leading Canadian voice on sport for development
By Alison Korn
“My newest challenge is trying to connect my previous experiences to make a contribution to influence the big picture of sport for development.”
Sara Nicholls is on a roll. Just five years after completing her Commonwealth Games Canada internship in Zambia, Nicholls now works as a federal policy analyst and is a leading Canadian voice on sport for development.
Based in Ottawa, Nicholls works for the Department of Canadian Heritage’s International Sport for Development and Peace Unit through the Federal Student Work Experience Program. She writes analyses of international development and sport policy to inform senior government officials on how sport for development can be used to advance Canadian policy objectives.
After earning a Kinesiology degree from the University of Western Ontario, Nicholls’ unique combination of academic and fieldwork expertise got its start in 2002, when she embarked on a Commonwealth Games Canada (CGC) international development through sport internship in Lusaka, Zambia. Her experience working as a youth and health development officer was the beginning of a fruitful career.
“I have felt a tremendous impact of my CGC internship experience,” Nicholls reflected recently. “My world view expanded exponentially and I was very fortunate to meet many inspiring individuals who taught me more than I could have imagined. I have found a career path which I am passionate about and I hope to continue to make a positive contribution.”
During her internship, Nicholls worked with the National Olympic Committee of Zambia and created an Olympic athlete funding strategy. She also helped form the nascent Kicking AIDS Out alliance and develop leadership training and policy documentation to ensure the program’s sustainability. As well, Nicholls collaborated on the first national Women in Sport and Leadership conference with Zambian women’s groups.
The following year, Nicholls took on the position of Commonwealth Games Canada’s Africa Coordinator, which required her to support 10 Canadian volunteers and develop pilot programs in Africa in collaboration with government and NGO partners.
A year later, another promotion – to Senior Africa Regional Officer for Commonwealth Games Canada. Nicholls worked with partners to develop strategic plans, along with programs in health education, leadership and gender inclusion in 10 African nations. She contributed to global best practice consultations representing CGC’s work in Africa, and was also responsible for building partnerships with the United Nations and the International Paralympic Committee.
Then, surprising many in her field, Nicholls left that busy and fulfilling assignment to go back to school in 2006.
“I had been involved in programming related to sport for development for so long, and I wanted the opportunity to expand my knowledge base and make a different contribution to the field,” Nicholls explained. “I had been part of calling for more research in to this topic and I wanted to stop asking for it and start contributing.”
She’s now working on a master’s degree in the collaborative Sociology of Sport and Women’s Studies program at the University of Ottawa – aiming to better understand the contribution that young women make to the global discourse on sport for development. In October 2007, Nicholls was in Namibia and South Africa to interview young women and other stakeholders in the sport for development movement.
“I am arguing that peer educators hold valuable knowledge that is rarely considered in large scale policy documentation,” Nicholls said. “By advocating for knowledge sharing, I hope that networks, policies and programs can be strengthened.” Her thesis, currently in progress, has a proposed title of “Playing games with power, privilege and perspective: HIV/AIDS, peer education and development through sport.”
The originality and importance of Nicholls’ academic work was recognized last year with a $20,000 fellowship from the Canadian Institute of Health Research ACADRE program. With the help of thesis supervisor Dr. Audrey Giles, Nicholls published a paper in spring 2007 in Pimatisiwin, a journal of Indigenous and Aboriginal Community Health. The article extends her arguments for knowledge sharing and youth engagement, and advocates for learning between African youth leaders and Aboriginal communities as interest grows in applying international learning domestically.
That paper, “Sport as a Tool for HIV/AIDS Education: A Potential Catalyst for Change,” is online at http://www.pimatisiwin.com/Issues/AllIssues.html.
Nicholls’s accomplishments haven’t gone unnoticed. In January 2008, the Canadian Association for the Advancement of Women in Sport and Physical Activity named her as “One to Watch” on its annual list of the country’s most influential women in sport. She is also Canada's Youth Ambassador to the UN for the Millennium Development Goals and is frequently sought for her expertise in sport for development.
“To me, the value of sport for development is in its inspiration, in igniting passion in young people to believe that they can make a change, that they are not defined by their circumstances and that they have a community to rely on for support,” said Nicholls.
“I think the value of sport as a creative catalyst for social change is immensely positive. As a grassroots practitioner, I learned the value of community input; as a program manger, I learned the value of true and honest partnership; and now as a researcher, I am learning the importance of participatory, inclusive development.”
“My newest challenge is trying to connect my previous experiences to make a contribution to influence the big picture of sport for development.”