Résumé
Mentorship has been identified as a promising avenue to support the development, retention, and well-being of girls in sport. Yet, little is known about how mentorship is currently conceptualized and implemented in sport and recreation organizations targeting self-identifying girls in Canada. The purpose of this study was to explore the current landscape of sport-based mentorship programs for girls by examining how Canadian sport organizational staff understand, offer, and evaluate these initiatives. Using a qualitative research design, we conducted semi-structured interviews with Canadian sport organizational leads (N = 9) and analyzed available program resources (e.g., websites, program manuals) to develop a rich understanding of mentorship offerings and perceived needs. Reflexive thematic and document analysis revealed three findings: (1) the importance of building quality, trusting relationships in sport contexts for girls’ development; (2) challenges with applying mentorship in practice; and (3) a need for more evidence-informed structures and intentional program design to guide mentorship practices. Participants emphasized the role of mentorship in promoting safe sport and the awareness of what is possible beyond the sport environment for girls. However, while participants discussed a motivation to support girls through mentorship, they often lacked the resources, training, and evaluation tools to do so effectively. This study contributes to growing conversations around gender-responsive programming in sport and highlights the need for future research to co-design mentorship frameworks with organizations and girl-identifying youth. Practically, findings underscore the importance of investing in relational capacity and evidence-based mentorship models to better support girls’ sport experiences in Canada.
