The work I have been privileged to be a part of sits across sport and healthcare, where barriers often determine who gets a fair chance to take part. When children cannot access sport, they lose a place to belong, a way to build confidence, and a path to better health. This matters to me because sport shaped my own sense of community growing up, and taught me many important skills and lessons that have helped me over the course of my education. For many children, the barrier is not motivation, but it is the gap between wanting to participate and having a fair chance to do so. Program fees, transportation, and equipment costs add up fast. Families new to Canada often navigate unfamiliar systems, limited time, and limited networks. Some kids carry the stress of displacement or trauma, and sport can be one of the few places where they can feel safe, but only if the environment is welcoming. Other children live with disability or chronic health challenges in a world that was not designed for them. They may face a lack of adapted programming, coaches who are not trained to include them, and settings that unintentionally exclude them.

My main work is through the Cleats4Kids Foundation (cleats4kids.ca), a non-profit organization I co-founded to reduce barriers to sport for marginalized children. We focus on low-income families, refugee and newcomer youth, and children living with disabilities. We build partnerships with schools, settlement agencies, and local sport organizations, then deliver free and inclusive soccer programming and community events. One initiative I am especially proud of is our visually impaired soccer programming. We worked with community partners to design accessible sessions using balls with bells so athletes can track the ball by sound, structured drills around clear communication and predictable spacing so players can move with confidence. For many families, it is one of the first sporting spaces where their child can participate fully and feel like they belong. We also run events that build connection beyond sport. At our river cleanup, we invited youth soccer teams from across the city to show up together and care for a shared space. Players who would usually compete worked side by side with parents, coaches, and volunteers. It gave youth a meaningful way to contribute to their community and see themselves as stewards of the environment.

These principles also shape how I think about healthcare. I have learned that outcomes depend on more than the quality of the care itself. They also depend on whether people can access it, understand it, and feel comfortable engaging with it. I want to keep working at the intersection of health and participation by supporting approaches that reduce barriers that are often overlooked.