Making a difference, one athlete at a time
AthletesCAN understands our athlete leaders inherently possess an opportunity to promote sport and its values for social good. This drive to give back through community leadership, also known as athlete social responsibility, connects passionate high performance athletes with great causes regionally, nationally and internationally every day.
What is Athlete Social Responsibility (ASR)?
Athlete social responsibility is the ethical or ideological theory that as role models, athlete leaders have a duty to society; specifically within the AthletesCAN membership, it refers to positive action.
Currently, there is a trend towards athlete leaders taking a proactive stance on causes and organizations that have a positive effect on their community and on society as a whole.
AthletesCAN continues to encourage and enable Canada’s high performance athletes to seize opportunities to engage in their communities and contribute positively to society. Our goal is to ensure that social responsibility becomes one of sport’s guiding principles and an integral part of the AthletesCAN philosophy, spirit, and culture.
Every year at the AthletesCAN Forum, we give the AthletesCAN Social Responsibility Award to a national team athlete or former national team athlete in recognition of a significant contribution to society through sport and volunteer initiatives. Former recipients include Clara Hughes, Brad Spence, Kyle Shewfelt, Jenn Heil, Kyle Miller, and more.