By Mikayla Geraghty – Staff Writer

At the beginning of February, the Bishop’s Motionball committee sent two members, Tessa Bradshaw and Helen Stoney, to attend the Motionball national annual general meeting (AGM) in Toronto. They aimed to collect as much information and inspiration from other committees across Canada, then implement what they learned right here at Bishop’s. 

The two-day conference brings Motionball organizers from across the country to learn more about the cause and how to best educate people across Canada. Motionball is a not-for-profit organization that aims to support Special Olympics athletes in pursuing their sport. Motionball sees sports through a lens of inclusion, in which everyone should have equal opportunity and access to sports and well-being. 

Bradshaw, who is the social media lead of the committee, returned with an inspired take and new ideas that could be added to Bishop’s to educate and connect more people to the cause. She shared that many different schools in the community were working hard to make their own impact in different ways. Bradshaw made valuable connections at the AGM with other committee leads from neighbouring schools such as McGill and Concordia, expanding Bishop’s ability to partner with other schools and increase its overall impact. She shared with The Campus that attending the AGM was inspiring because “120 people [were] gathered with the same mindset to make their communities and the world a more inclusive place for all individuals, [and] you could feel the energy in the room, everyone coming together to make change,” she said.

Bishop’s Motionball committee continues to strive towards effecting positive change in our community. One of the main movements the committee focuses on is its #NoGoodWay campaign. #NoGoodWay is an initiative encouraging individuals to pledge to never use the R-word, hoping to eradicate it entirely. After attending the conference, Bradshaw shared that “#NoGoodWay goes beyond the use of the R-word and should also reflect that there is #NoGoodWay to discriminate, bully, exclude or be hateful.” She pointed out that while the removal of such a word from everyday language is an important step, it is also important to remember why the #NoGoodWay pledge was taken in the first place.

The Bishop’s Motionball committee has raised $20,058 in the 2023-2024 school year so far through different initiatives such as the #NoGoodWay day, Marathon of Sport, a dodgeball tournament and other efforts.

Mikayla Geraghty is Motionball’s student engagement lead at Bishop’s.