Table 2 Summary of themes

Funding

Overall value of funding

“Without the funding there's just kind of no program, right. There would still be Fridays at lunch and that would just be us, [but] there'd be no instruction. The kids would just be working on their own stuff and they'd have to get it from videos and when you don't have an instructor you just don't have a lot of momentum.” (NS organizer P4)

Flexible use of funds

“It directly benefits the kids and you can use it for a lot of different things which is nice, too.” (NS organizer P4)

Makes activity affordable

“That little seed money, it kind of helps us keep the youth engaged … it does help keep the kids coming back … The thing is for us to be able to keep the youth engaged that $500 really truly helps those little costs.” (ON organizer P2)

Running Programs and Events

Facilitators

“It wasn’t really until we got an instructor and then more people came …Having an instructor, I would say I improved a lot [compared to] the amount of effort I put in originally.” (NS participant P6)

Barriers or challenges

“Our numbers were lower so … when we do it again that’s just what we have to think about is doing it more consistently.” (YK organizer P5)

Impact of Program: Organization

Building credibility: leveraging funds

“If help comes from another source, they [partners and granting agencies] will tend to give more.” (QC organizer P6)

Building and strengthening partnerships

“Definitely it allowed us to strengthen them [partnerships with other sport organizations]. Minor hockey has way more money than we do. And they can offer so many more things than we can and normally we would not be able to participate in that kind of day with them because our costs are much higher.” (BC organizer P1)

Sustainability and legacy

“It allowed us to continue the programs we already had by improving them to get more youth, more participants. We have basically expanded our network.” (QC organizer P8)

Impact of Program: Teen Participants

Increasing physical activity

“I didn’t really know a lot of different exercises to do with the weights like I do now after the program.” (PEI participant P3)

Personal growth (self-esteem, confidence, etc.)

“[Breakdancing] is giving me opportunities and it has the potential to give me even greater opportunities, and it wouldn’t have happened without this program.” (NS participant P5)

Impact of Program: Community

Community and family

“We have had a couple of things where the parents will come on a try out free day … so we’ll say ‘OK yeah sure you want to come on with your kid that’s fine.’” (BC organizer P2)

Development of volunteers/teen leaders

“…[Being involved in planning activities] we learn to be a little more independent, to know how to make decisions and to express ourselves … we represent a group, so we have to know how to express ourselves, to speak, to say what we think.” (QC participant P4)