Sportstart Program Example

Sportstart is designed to build self-esteem and improve the physical and mental health of young children. It was developed by David Carmichael, who developed the Sport for Mental Health information portal in 2025, to help prevent the overprescribing of psychiatric drugs, particularly for normal mental health challenges such as performance anxiety.

The program evolved from Sportability, a program David developed in Ontario, Canada from 1986 to 1990 as a multi-skill awards program for 6- to 12-year-old children to help them feel competent participating in a variety of sports.

Between 1999 and 2004, David redeveloped Sportability as an experiential learning program in collaboration with the Department of Parks & Recreation at the City of Toronto to help 2- to 9-year-olds develop fundamental motor skills.

In 2025, after spending almost two decades as a prescription drug safety advocate, David added a mental skills development section and changed the name to Sportstart.