With free gear and lessons, kids from newcomer families in B.C.'s Okanagan are learning to play hockey
Hockey 4 Youth's program in Vernon, B.C., established in honour of local hockey legend Larry Kwong
A Canadian charity is hoping to bridge the divide between the sport of hockey and kids from newcomer families in B.C.'s Okanagan who may not otherwise have access to the sport.
Hockey 4 Youth launched the 16-week Larry Kwong Memorial Program to teach ice skating and hockey to newcomer students at Mission Hill Elementary School in Vernon, B.C., about a 50-kilometre drive north of Kelowna in the Interior.
"Newcomers have so many barriers in front of them … The game of hockey is such an incredible sport, but it's so inaccessible to many, many kids and youth and families," said Hockey 4 Youth founder Moezine Hasham.
Hasham says it can cost up to $4,000 a year in hockey equipment, registration fees and travel costs to play minor league hockey.
He quotes a 2014 report by the Institute for Canadian Citizenship (ICC) that found 71 per cent of new citizens expressed an interest in hockey but only one per cent had the opportunity to play.
More recent data from the ICC saw access to hockey jump up to eight per cent in 2023, but the overall findings remained the same in terms of barriers to participation.
Hasham says he started the charity in Toronto in 2015 to give back to the sport through free youth hockey programs, and to bridge a gap that kept newcomer kids from playing hockey. In addition to Toronto and Vernon, Hockey 4 Youth runs free youth programs in Vancouver, Montreal, Ottawa and Hamilton.
He adds that he knows first-hand the importance hockey plays in fostering social inclusion among youth: while Hasham was born in Vancouver, his family came to Canada as refugees from Uganda.
"I got my first set of equipment [from] a neighbour whose kid had outgrown his gear," he said, adding the sport helped him connect with the community and his identity as a Canadian.
"Everything we're doing is to make sure that [the kids] feel connected to their community.
"We're removing all of these barriers … The only barrier should be the boards."
'They're going to get back up'
For program participant Mia Peng, the Hockey 4 Youth lessons allow her to try something out of her comfort zone.
"It's my first time to play hockey … South China is not snowy and don't have ice, so I can't do that," she said, adding the wobbly feeling on the ice was exciting.
Ashema Facey, 10, says she doesn't enjoy the process of putting on hockey gear but she loves learning how to skate.
"My dad doesn't have money to pay for [hockey] … [but he] said if I do well, he's going to consider taking me skating more," she said.
Hasham says it's been remarkable to see the kids embrace a Canadian experience and conquer their fears of the ice.
"Everybody's first step is the same," he said.
"They're going to step out on the ice, they're going to fall, they're going to get back up."
An 'incredible' opportunity for young newcomers
The program is funded by the Canucks for Kids fund and named in honour of local legend Larry Kwong, the first person of colour to play in the NHL.
Kristina Heintz, Kwong's daughter, was at the Okanagan Training Rink on the program's first day.
Watching the kids slip and slide on the ice, Heintz says her father, who died in 2018, would have been "thrilled" to see the program in his hometown.
"Hockey changed my dad's life. It gave him so many opportunities that he may not have had," said a teary-eyed Heintz.
"I just watched these young kids get on this ice. New Canadians facing some kind of barrier, for them to have this opportunity is just really incredible."
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
With files from Brady Strachan