Shawville RA’s ‘Leaders of Tomorrow’ campaign reaches goal
Tashi Farmilo
Local Journalism Initative
Published February 12, 2025.
SHAWVILLE – The Shawville Recreation Association (SRA) has successfully reached its Leaders of Tomorrow crowdfunding goal, securing $6,000 in community donations and unlocking an additional $24,000 in funding from the Ministry of Education. The initiative, designed to develop youth leadership in sports and recreation, will provide training for young volunteers in coaching, officiating, and organizational management.
The program is intended to address the growing need for trained volunteers in Shawville and Pontiac. With increased participation in local sports and recreational activities, the SRA aims to equip youth with the skills to support and lead community programs. Training sessions will include First Aid and CPR, mentorship, coaching certifications, and officiating clinics for basketball, softball, and soccer.
“Our objective is to grow Pontiac’s pool of trained volunteers,” said Matt Greer of the Shawville RA. “All these good, entry-level coaching, sports, and recreation volunteer skills and certifications are needed to help grow the pool we can access to support increasing demand.”
Leaders of Tomorrow will also benefit students at Pontiac High School (PHS), providing them with training in leadership, coaching, communications, First Aid, wilderness training, and various sports-related certifications. Eight students recently attended the Sport for Life Summit in Gatineau as part of the program.
“We’re looking forward to debriefing with them and seeing what new ideas they returned with,” Greer said. “The overall focus was on physical literacy, sport programming, and other various sport-related themes.”
Greer emphasized the program will complement existing leadership and community engagement initiatives at PHS, strengthening students’ skills and preparing them for future roles in sports and recreation. “New training will help them grow and improve as student leaders and impact members of our community,” he added.
The campaign was structured to encourage contributions at multiple levels—bronze ($50), silver ($150), gold ($250), and platinum ($400)—and received support from 25 donors, including individuals and organizations like the Bryson Recreation Association.
Pontiac MNA André Fortin highlighted the importance of trained volunteers in maintaining and expanding local sports programs. “To successfully organise activities like soccer and baseball, and to develop new activities, it’s essential to have trained volunteers,” he said. “The funds raised will allow us to properly train young volunteers to provide quality supervision of these activities.”
Photo – A PHS student leader helps a K5 student from Dr. S.E. McDowell Elementary with his skating in a collaborative session between the schools. (PHS)
