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ICSN Strengthens National Connections at the 2026 National Black Canadians Summit

From Ubuntu to the Halifax Declaration, ICSN explores how collective action, representation and access to sport can help build more inclusive communities across Canada.

WINNIPEG, MB -– October 2026 — The Inclusion in Canadian Sports Network (ICSN) joined community leaders, advocates, organizations and changemakers from across Canada at the fifth National Black Canadians Summit, held September 18–20 in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Under the theme Moving Forward Together, the Summit created a national space for dialogue, connection and action on issues affecting Black communities across Canada.

For ICSN, the gathering provided an opportunity to bring racial equity in sport into a wider national conversation about representation, leadership and opportunity, while introducing new audiences to the programs and resources available to them through ICSN.

For the first time, ICSN hosted an exhibition booth at the Summit, welcoming delegates throughout the weekend to learn about its programs, explore opportunities within Canadian sport and connect with members of its growing national network.

At the heart of those conversations was a recurring and simple idea: Ubuntu, “I am because we are.”

The theme of ICSN’s 2026 Diversity in Sports Conference (DISC), Ubuntu speaks to the belief that belonging, opportunity and progress are built collectively. ICSN brought that spirit to Winnipeg through Ubuntu pins and stickers, inviting visitors to reflect on what the philosophy meant to them.

What began as a small exchange often opened into larger conversations about identity, community, mentorship and the importance of seeing oneself represented in sport.

The booth also created something equally important: a space to listen. Young people interested in entering the sport sector, established leaders looking to collaborate and organizations exploring opportunities for partnership all brought different perspectives to the conversation.

To extend those connections beyond the weekend, ICSN also invited Summit attendees to enter a giveaway for a fully covered trip to the fifth annual Diversity in Sports Conference, taking place April 30 to May 2, 2027, in Mississauga, Ontario.

From Ubuntu to the Halifax Declaration

Another meaningful moment came through the Halifax Declaration: Manifesto for the Eradication of Racial Discrimination, developed through the Michaëlle Jean Foundation’s work with Black communities across Canada.

The Declaration calls for collective action toward recognition, justice and development, addressing systemic inequities across interconnected areas of Canadian society.

For ICSN, its reflections on justice, sport and athletics were particularly resonant.

Reading the Declaration alongside the conversations taking place at the Summit reinforced a familiar truth: the barriers people encounter in sport do not exist independently of the barriers they face in education, employment, justice or community life.

Progress in one sector has the potential to create opportunities in another. So, too, can exclusion in one space reinforce exclusion elsewhere.

That connection felt especially timely as ICSN was preparing to share new research developed in partnership with the Sport Information Resource Centre (SIRC).

The recently released report, Youth Crime Prevention Through Sport: Evidence and Insights for Sustainable Change, examines how thoughtfully designed sport programs can contribute to positive youth development, safer communities and more inclusive opportunities.

The report highlights how intentionally designed sport programs can contribute to youth crime prevention by building trusted relationships, creating pathways to education and employment, and strengthening connections between young people and their communities.

It also underscores the importance of collaboration across sectors, reinforcing a message that resonated throughout the Summit: meaningful change requires collective effort.

Read together, the Halifax Declaration and the ICSN–SIRC report offer complementary perspectives on an important challenge: how can institutions, organizations and communities work across sectors to remove barriers and create lasting opportunities for young people?

It is also a question that brings ICSN back to Ubuntu. Our progress is connected, and so is our responsibility to one another.

Representation Beyond Participation

ICSN also contributed to the Summit’s discussions on anti-racism in sport, equity, representation and accountability, reinforcing the need to look beyond participation numbers alone.

During the Anti-Racism in Sport panel, ICSN President & CEO Shauna Bookal spoke about the importance of ensuring Black leaders are represented not only on the field, but also in the spaces where decisions about Canadian sport are made.

“Black kids participate in sports, but then you look at who is making the decisions and who is sitting at the table. You don’t see any Black people sitting at those tables,” said Bookal.

She emphasized that meaningful representation requires hearing from people across regions, roles and levels of the sport system.

That is central to ICSN’s purpose: amplifying the voices, experiences and expertise of Black, Indigenous and People of Colour (BIPOC) across Canadian sport, while building stronger pathways for them to participate, lead and influence its future.

Over the course of the weekend, that network-building took tangible form. Conversations at the ICSN booth opened the door to potential partnerships, introduced delegates to initiatives such as the Emerging BIPOC Leaders Program, and connected new audiences with resources and opportunities throughout the Canadian sport sector.

The Summit also offered opportunities to experience Winnipeg’s cultural landscape and engage with Black and Indigenous art, storytelling and community leadership. These encounters reinforced the importance of listening to the communities whose experiences and perspectives help shape a more inclusive sport system.

Moving Forward, Together

ICSN returned from Winnipeg with new relationships, new perspectives and a renewed appreciation for how deeply connected this work truly is.

The Halifax Declaration challenges institutions and communities to confront systemic discrimination collectively. The ICSN–SIRC report illustrates how inclusive, well-supported sport programs can contribute to positive outcomes for young people. And Ubuntu reminds us that meaningful progress is never achieved in isolation.

Together, these ideas point toward a broader understanding of what inclusion in sport can accomplish, and what it requires.

For ICSN, the work continues through advocacy, education, professional development, community connection and the creation of stronger pathways into sport leadership.

The conversations begun in Winnipeg will carry forward through new collaborations and continued efforts to ensure that BIPOC leaders, across every region and every area of sport, have a meaningful voice in shaping its future.

Ubuntu reminds us why: I am because we are.

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Continue the Conversation

Explore the ideas and experiences that shaped ICSN’s participation in Winnipeg: