Basketball camp for refugee and immigrant youth aims to support through sport

WATCH: Newcomers in Regina can take part in a basketball camp thanks to the Bring Them Up Foundation. Brittany Poitras has the story.

BK Woldu is determined to make a difference for young people facing a similar situation to his own, and he’s doing it the best way he knows how - though sport.

Born in Ethiopia to an Eritrean mother and Ethiopian father, Woldu moved to Canada at eight-years-old. When conflict broke out between his parents’ home countries, the family was forced to leave everything behind.

“My dad had to flee. He fled to Sudan and had us hiding back home from the Eritrean government,” Woldu shared.

Once settled in Canada, Woldu’s parents worked hard to support their family, but often had little time or finances to help their son pursue sports. However, Woldu’s next-door neighbour, Randy Shaw, a football coach, had noticed Woldu’s potential.

“He bought all my football equipment. He bought up my cleats. He drove me to practice,” Woldu recalled.

Thanks to Shaw’s mentorship, Woldu excelled in football, playing through his childhood and into university. He played for the Regina Rams from 1994-1998 and earned three CJFL Championships during his junior career.

The impact Shaw had on Woldu’s family extended beyond him.

“My youngest brother played in the CFL for nine years, with three Grey Cup rings,” BK proudly said about his brother, Paul Woldu.

After finishing his university career, BK shifted to coaching and mentoring youth, including teams at Sheldon Williams Collegiate. It was there that he crossed paths with teacher Bre Burgess.

Burgess invited Woldu to speak to her class about his career in sales, but what resonated the most with her was the power of his story.

“Bree, weeks later, came to my office at work and said, ‘Hey, I would like to run this basketball camp for refugee kids,’” BK said. “So, I started calling all the people that I know and forced them to come to a fundraising gala,” he went on to say.

From that moment on, the “Bring ‘Em UP” Foundation was created, with the mission to reduce the barriers that immigrant and refugee youth face when trying to access sports.

It was on May 23, 2025, that the foundation hosted that gala to raise funds for the camp, which would provide each child with a jersey, water bottle, and a new pair of shoes.

The team collaborated with the Open Door Society, a nonprofit organization that helps refugees and immigrants adjust to life in Regina.

The gala raised over $70,000 to support the camp’s expenses.

“I would just like to thank everybody that came to the gala, you guys are the reason why we’re holding this, this basketball camp,” Woldu expressed.

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Woldu’s vision for the camp is to help others the way he was once helped.

“My goal is instead of these guys being at home, having nothing to do and hopefully not getting into trouble, this basketball camp hopefully would guide them to a better life.”

“My hope is, you know, not everybody’s going to make the NBA or the Cougars basketball team. But what it will do is just create what a team is, how to work with each other,” he said.

Bre Burgess is the co-founder of Bring ‘Em Up and Co-Director of the camp, and has a long history in sport. As a former Cougars basketball player, winning a national championship in 2001, she knows how sports can help find a belonging.

“I want to remove all the barriers,” she said. “I remember him talking about the barriers, like financial barriers, transportation barriers. Or they don’t have runners to attend a camp.” she explained.

Burgess went on to say how the partnership with the Open Door Society made everything more efficient to get the camp started, making it easier for the camp organizers to focus on the youth.

Burgess grew up playing basketball in Regina and credits her parents for instilling the value of giving back.

“Both my parents at one point in my career were my coaches, so they taught me to give back, pay it forward.” she said. “And I owe a lot to the belief of basketball. It gave me a lot. I kind of grew up with that sense of community around basketball.”

Burgess expressed her hopes for the camp’s future.

“I hope at least one kid wants to pursue basketball after this camp. I hope that every kid learns the importance of working together as a team,” she said.

“I think if everybody feels supported and understands the importance of supporting each other and bringing each other up, I feel like if everybody learned that at this camp, the importance of feeling supported and supporting other people, I think this camp would be a huge success,” she added.

Emmanuel Kabwari, an athlete in the camp, shared how basketball helped him adjust to life in Canada.

“I was very alone. I was feeling so lonely. When I came here, I found people, we had something in common, we liked basketball,” he said.

For camp participant Reca Aquino, it was a much-needed time away from her summer break.

“I finally left the house, and I love sports. That’s one thing I love. It helped me a lot. So, I kind of want to connect with different people who are trying to play,” she said.

The camp continues to be an uplifting opportunity for the youth, creating a sense of community and teamwork, while breaking down barriers for refugee and immigrant children in Regina.