ABOUT US
OUR MISSION
The ACTIVEIntegration Partnership is a government funded research-to-action initiative made up of a number of partners in the Waterloo Region who are passionate about providing greater understanding of physical activity among new immigrant women and children to inform policy, community programming, physical activity interventions, and to provide a venue for social integration.
OUR VISION
To use a community-university alliance to:
- Support local public policy, community programming, and physical activity initiatives to meet the physical activity needs among new immigrant women and youth
- Provide opportunities for greater social integration through physical activity in Waterloo Region and beyond
- Develop and evaluate an evidence-based physical activity program to facilitate social integration among new Canadian women and youth
our community and Representative Partners
Dr. Mark Eys
Dr. Mark Eys is the Partnership Director and recently completed a Canada Research Chair Tier II (2009-2019). He is currently an inaugural Laurier Research Chair in Group Dynamics and Physical Activity, and a Professor in the Departments of Kinesiology/Physical Education and Psychology at Wilfrid Laurier University. His research relates to the dynamics of sport and exercise groups and he has investigated issues related to social influences in physical activity throughout his career.
Dr. Eys provides overall leadership to the Partnership, supervises the coordination of the research operations, and oversees the data analysis and knowledge mobilization strategy.
Dr. Amy Gayman
Dr. Amy Gayman is the Partnership’s Project Coordinator and a sessional instructor in the Departments of Kinesiology/Physical Education and Psychology at Wilfrid Laurier University. Her research focuses on psychosocial factors that promote physical activity participation throughout the lifespan.
Dr. Gayman is responsible for coordinating the Partnership’s research activities, fostering community partnerships, contributing to the development of the pilot activity programs, and engaging in data collection and analysis.
Renu Bhandari
Renu joined Focus for Ethnic Women as its Executive Director in 2016. Renu came to Waterloo from India in 1974. When she came to Canada, there were no services to help new immigrants settle in and integrate into Canadian society. Renu personally understands the struggles that newcomers face and is dedicated to helping new immigrant women.
Renu acts in a consulting role for the Partnership and provide a key linkage with community groups working with new immigrants in Waterloo Region.
Dr. Diana Coholic
Dr. Diana Coholic is a Full Professor in the School of Social Work at Laurentian University. She completed her Ph.D. at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia, and her M.S.W. degree at the University of Toronto. Diana is a practicing clinical social worker with 25+ years of experience. For the past 15 years, Diana’s research has focused on investigating the benefits of arts-based mindfulness group work for the improvement of resilience and wellbeing particularly in marginalized young people.
Dr. Coholic will contribute to the design, training, and delivery of projects with respect to qualitative processes (e.g., arts-based conversational interviews), the supervision and training of graduate students, and dissemination of research findings.
Dr. Neil Arya
Collaborator Dr. Neil Arya is the Scholar-in-Residence at Wilfrid Laurier University within the Department of Health Sciences as well a Fellow at the International Migration Research Centre. He brings to the partnership his experience as a family physician in Kitchener and as President of the Canadian Physicians for Research and Education in Peace.
Dr. Arya has existing connections within the Region of Waterloo as founder Director of the Kitchener/Waterloo Refugee Health Clinic in collaboration with the Kitchener Waterloo Reception Centre where he provides case-specific care to newcomers.
Dr. Pam Bryden
Dr. Pam Bryden is the Director of the SunLife Financial Centre for Physically Active Communities (CPAC) and Professor in the Department of Kinesiology and Physical Education at Wilfrid Laurier University. CPAC is funded by Sun Life Financial and supporting partner PepsiCo Canada Foundation to empower Laurier to inspire healthy lives, provide barrier-free access to a wide range of physical activity programs, and attract high-quality researchers eager to conduct research with CPAC.
Dr. Bryden and CPAC will be primarily responsible for the delivery of physical activity programming consistent with evidence-based best practices.
Nicole Vandermade
Nicole Vandermade holds a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology and Health Promotion degree from the University of Texas. Currently, she is responsible for development, delivery, and operation of CPAC’s comprehensive recreational programs for community members within Waterloo Region. Through collaboration and teamwork, Nicole connects community activity needs with students and faculty to advance community health and movement related research.
Kelly Steiss
Kelly Steiss is the Supervisor of Community Centres for the City of Kitchener. The City of Kitchener offers both direct programs and supports program delivery for all ages through a variety of partnerships in 14 community centres. Their community services team works closely with residents and community partners to help plan, build and support safe and thriving neighbourhoods that everyone can enjoy.
The City will engage the community through their existing programs and networks and will host space to run the ongoing physical activity programs. The City of Kitchener will also participate in the evaluation of the program’s effectiveness and dissemination/knowledge mobilization exercises.
Region of Waterloo Public Health
The Healthy Living Division includes and oversees several programs that are relevant to the current partnership including physical activity with the region as well as peer support programming. The Public Health unit has significant and longstanding experience in engaging partners within the Region and will provide guidance regarding the initiation and maintenance of our partner group.
Public Health will also participate in the program evaluation of the physical activity programs and the degree to which the partnership has reached its research and applied objectives.
About Our Logo
The goal of this logo is to represent the efforts of this research-to-application initiative and a message of welcomeness, inclusivity, and motion within the spirit of physical fitness. We see the outstretched arms reaching up to the sky with hope, or as dancers, or in the middle of a swimming stroke. The swoosh represents the motion we need for health, and the warmth of community and friendship. The multiple figures represent the diversity of those in our Canadian communities. Together, they dance around the fluttering maple leaf of the Canadian flag, happily participating in physical activity.
Colours hold an important meaning, specifically for this logo and this project. While colour can be associated with culture and racial barriers, the colour here is intended to represent unity and inclusivity. We use the colour GRAY overwhelmingly to represent ALL people indiscriminately. This colour’s attributes means friendship, affection, harmony, inner peace, and approachability. All vital to the spirit of this project. Finally, we colour the maple leaf with traditional Canadian RED, which represents the strong belief of acceptance that is a part of Canadian culture. The colour, apart from its association with the country is also an intensely emotional colour that can cause a physical effect, such as an elevated heart rate and blood pressure, similar to the feelings during exercise.
