BACKGROUND OF MYRACL

Originally, MYRACL was first started as an organization in the fall of 1997 under its original name (NS Mi'kmaq Sports Council) and over the next few years of working with the communities and governments, we realized that this organization was much more than just about sports, it was about creating healthier individuals.  We then incorporated recreational initiatives into our organization in the year 2000 and then again changed our name to the NS Mi'kmaw Sports & Recreation Circle, which it stayed until 2003. 

After years of trying to explain to funding agencies that what we were doing was not just about adults playing sports, but more communities trying to engage children, youth and adults from all walks of life to become more physically active and healthy... we finally decided to give the organization it's final name, MYRACL (which stands for Mi'kmaw Youth, Recreation & Active Circle for Living).  Basically, the name was derived from a specific situation where an individual that represented one of the funding agencies decided to pronounce that it would take a "miracle" for our organization to change the way government funded sports (as it wasn't under a number of their mandates).

Well, after many months of deliberating over the issue and wondering how to solve this problem, the Executive Director could not get this name out of his head... miracle, miracle, miracle... Then, he began to start finding words that would fit the letters of that name.  What finally emerged was a similar sounding name, but unique in its spelling and meaning and what it represented... MYRACL...

In early years, the organization was developed to assist in the continued development of the Mi’kmaw sports organizations and events with regard to sports and recreation at the community level. This included the promotion & training of individual athletes, coaches and officials alongside the sport and recreation programs provided by the Nova Scotia Sports & Recreation Commission within the Province of Nova Scotia.

We saw the need to support and initiate community based training initiatives across the province in various sports in the hope of giving our Mi’kmaw communities incentive on building sport oriented programming at the grassroots levels.

MYRACL realizes that the involvement of the organization is needed to facilitate and help co-ordinate these training initiatives, sport championships and tournament events for promotion and development will be key to mobilizing our communities.  With this involvement, the enhancement of sports is fostered and hands on experience is gained through our membership.

MYRACL continues to work to establish new training opportunities, pilot project programs in different sports as well as linking communities, athletes and teams to available programs and funding grants that may be available through local, provincial and national organizations across the Province and Canada.