Skills training programs teach fundamental pedestrian and cycling safety skills that can help boost independence, safety, and active school travel amongst children. Despite how valuable it is to provide foundational skills within schools, it is estimated that less than 1% of Ontario students currently receive this type of training each year.   

Unlike other provinces, Ontario does not have a province-wide skills training program that is being delivered in schools. Instead, individual communities have developed their own programs, using ad-hoc funding secured through various grants and partnerships. This has led to the creation of some very successful and impactful programs, but it has also resulted in a lot of duplication of efforts and left the vast majority of communities with no programming at all.   

That is why Ontario Active School Travel (OAST), a program of Green Communities Canada (GCC), and Stuckless Inc. partnered on a project with the core objective to enable efficient collaboration across communities on the delivery of skills training by providing expert guidance, as well as access to vetted processes and tools. 

To learn more about the project, we encourage you to read the full blog on GCC’s website, “Building Active Transportation Skills for Students Across Canada“.

Feature photo: Student working on hand signals at 2 Wheelz 4 Realz cycling skills event in Thunder Bay, ON (Photo by: Patrick Chondon via EcoSuperior)