Although the concept of using sport as a strategy to help empower girls and women is gaining international momentum, there is a lack of practical information about how to actually do it. Successful girls’ sports programmes are not built by simply inviting girls to participate in existing boys’ teams or programmes. Girls face gender-specific and institutionalized barriers to participation, communicate differently and have unique motivations and expectations of their sporting experience. For example, a girl living in a poor household is often expected to care for younger siblings. A programme built to serve her needs, and the needs of her community, will have to accommodate the time schedule around her home duties, or provide childcare while she plays. Sustainable programmes must be led by people who understand and address the key challenges facing girls and their families.
In an effort to begin this conversation of how to best do this work, we've published the first International Guide for Designing Sport Programmes for Girls, in collaboration with 35 partner organizations and experts. We are currently in the process of building an interactive online space for this Guide that will allow for collaborative authoring and sharing of information throughout social networks. For now, the complete guide is available for download. We welcome your feedback. Please email us at info@WomenWin.org
Thinking of starting a girls' sport programme? Already including girls in your organization, but not sure that you're fully accomodating them? This guide, created by 35 experts in the field, outlines much of what you need to know about creating safe, sustainable programmes for girls.
