Women’s Leadership Through Train the Trainer - Mini Legends Crew - Athletics Alberta

Athletics Alberta used their Take the Lead support to offer a focused train-the-trainer leadership model connected to the Edmonton Summer Legends Green Shack programming. The project provided four women leaders from the Mini Legends Crew with opportunities to build their confidence, leadership skills, and capacity to deliver
equitable physical activity programming. The project focused on a smaller cohort so that participants could receive hands-on training, mentorship, and opportunities to immediately apply their learning in a community setting.

The project was designed to:
● Increase confidence and leadership capacity among women leaders.
● Build skills for delivering accessible and engaging physical activity opportunities.
● Strengthen mentorship and leadership pathways.
● Increase visible female leadership within community recreation programming.

From Training to Leadership
The project intentionally connected professional development with real-world leadership opportunities. The women first participated as Mini Legends Crew (Legendary Crew), then were trained to facilitate running, jumping, throwing activities, while building their knowledge and confidence. They then took on more responsibility by helping prepare equipment and finalize activities that were ultimately used to train summer leaders. This progression helped demonstrate that leadership development is most effective when participants have opportunities to immediately apply what they have learned. The 4 women were part of  a facilitation group that trained a group of 52 leaders, including 37 additional women.

The Take the Lead funding provided an important opportunity to invest directly in women leaders and create a practical leadership pathway within community recreation. Through hands-on training, mentorship, equipment and activity preparation, and opportunities to lead summer recreation leaders, the four participants moved beyond simply learning about leadership to experiencing leadership in action. With Run Jump Throw Wheel training planned for Fall 2026, the women will continue building their skills and expanding their capacity to contribute as leaders within community programming. This project demonstrates the value of investing in women as leaders, not only for their own development, but for the broader impact they can have on children, peers, and the community.