Catching up with Jonnel Jackson in the Black Female Coaching Mentorship Program

Over the last few months, Alberta Basketball Association (ABA) Targeted Athlete Strategy (TAS) assistant coach Jonnel Jackson has taking part in the first-ever Black Female Coaching Mentorship Program (BCFMP)

Created by the Black Canadian Coaches Association (BCCA) in partnership with the Coaching Association of Canada, the BCFMP is a is a pilot project geared towards creating Black female mentorship, coach professionalization and leadership development opportunities.

Through the BCFMP, Black Female athletes and coaches - as mentees - receive opportunities to advance their coaching horizons while connecting with fellow Black female coaches within post-secondary and high-performance sport across Canada. This allows for the opportunity to navigate the challenges of race, gender and sport as intersectionality.

Jackson is being mentored by Cheryl Jean-Paul, who is head coach of the Trinity Western University women’s basketball program and also coached Team Canada to a silver medal at the 2019 FIBA U16 Women’s Americas Championship. Jean-Paul is a Level III NCCP certified coach as well as a Master Learning Facilitator for the NCCP Intro to Competition basketball coaching course.

“One of the things that Cheryl and I talk about is the stuff off the court,” Jackson says. “It’s not always about the Xs and Os, but it’s sometimes about what we can do off the court.

“She’s been a great example of showing what we need to do of the court, of how we need to be examples in our communities and be great upstanding leaders in our communities, to help these young ladies and young athletes and young coaches find opportunities and ways that can advance their careers.”

Jackson is currently head coach of the M.E. LaZerte junior girls basketball team, and in 2020 assisted with ABA’s TAS program for girls in Edmonton.

The BCFMP was launched last fall. Jackson is one of just 17 participants from across Canada and from all sports.

“I’m very proud to be a part of something like this,” says Jackson.

Learn more about the BCFMP on the BCCA website.