Hockey tl’itl’eshun tu mukw’lhwet
Hockey is for Everyone
Our Impact
We are honoured to be able to have a positive impact on the lives of Indigenous childre, youth and families in our Coast Salish communities. The Vancouver Canucks produced a short video about our Storm the Ice program to help share our story.
Storm the Ice Nanaimo is a unique program teaching ice hockey to Indigenous children and youth.
Making Hockey Accessible to Indigenous Families
The Salish Storm Hockey Association (SSHA) provides a unique and barrier-free opportunity for Indigenous children and youth to participate in the sport of hockey. Hockey can be an expensive sport, making the dream of playing out of reach for many of our families. We cover all costs – from equipment to registration fees to make sure all our children have the chance to play.
Strength and Resiliency Through Sport
Participation in sport and physical activity has cognitive, physical, emotional, and spiritual benefits for Indigenous youth. Participants in our programs are not only gaining skills on the ice, we are seeing their confidence and social behaviours improve. They are able to take the lessons learned in hockey and apply them to other aspects of their lives.
Culturally-informed mentorship
Our programs bring our communities together to support one another as nutsa’maat (together as one) – incorporating Coast Salish teachings and instilling pride in our families. While our coaches are certified through Hockey Canada, many of them are Indigenous (with cultural ties to the same Nations as our target participants).
Creating A Community Of Indigenous Hockey
In order to maintain and grow reliable and ongoing programs that serve our children, we are committed to creating enduring networks of support within both the Indigenous and sporting communities.
By developing partnerships with First Nations, municipalities, minor hockey associations, sports franchises and funders, we can create communities of support that will have a positive impact on the health and well-being of Indigenous individuals, families, and communities.
Lifting Each Other Up
SSHA is a non-profit whose programs are reliant on volunteers, external funding and partnerships with local municipalities and sport organizations.
It is crucial for the success of our programs that there be no cost to families to participate. With support from new and existing partners we can continue to open doors for Indigenous children and youth to the sport of hockey.
You can help by donating now!
