Safe Participation
Safe participation helps you succeed and have fun.
Safe participation is a positive step toward meaningful cultural change, ensuring that everyone can fully participate at all ages and levels of sport.
Safe participation creates better experiences for everyone in sport, recreation or physical activity.
When your environment is safe, welcoming, and supportive, you’re more likely to perform better – whether you’re an athlete, coach, volunteer, official or even a member of a sport organization’s board.
The Four Aspects of Safety
Safe participation includes four aspects of safety that are all interconnected : Physical, Emotional, Psychological and Cultural.
Within each of these aspects of safety, there are many topics that we cover in the PlaySafe Resource Hub.
Physical Safety
What is it?
Physical safety helps you reduce physical harm and promote proper recovery.
Physical safety refers to reducing the risk of injuries, concussion management, appropriate and progressive return to training and competition after injury, proper access to and use of equipment, etc. Creating physical environments that are designed for all types of participants is also a consideration for physical safety. Protecting participants from any form of physical harm, injury, violence or abuse is central to physical safety.
Emotional Safety
What is it?
Emotional safety helps you feel free to express yourself without judgement.
Emotional safety stresses the creation of an environment where participants feel secure and supported in expressing their emotions, thoughts, and concerns without fear of judgment, prejudice, ridicule, or retribution, promoting their overall well-being and mental health.
Cultural Safety
What is it?
Cultural safety helps create an environment that recognizes, embraces and celebrates different cultural identities.
Cultural safety emphasizes creating an inclusive and respectful environment that recognizes and embraces the diversity of participants, considering their cultural backgrounds, values, and beliefs, and actively working to prevent any form of discrimination, prejudice, or bias based on cultural differences. Cultural safety promotions the infusion of culture, language and holistic approaches to programming, to foster an increased sense of cultural identity and pride.
Psychological Safety
What is it?
Psychological safety helps you communicate, share ideas and be empowered.
Psychological safety focuses on cultivating an atmosphere where participants, coaches, leaders, community members, families, officials, and others feel comfortable and empowered to take risks, share their ideas, ask questions, and engage in open and honest communication without the fear of negative consequences or retaliation.