Champion Girls film
22 June 2020
Over the past year, we’ve collaborated with Champion and 20 community youth organisations to deliver our Champion Girls programme to over 300 girls and young women from across the capital. This was made possible thanks to the support of the Greater London Authority, via the Active Londoners strand of their Sport Unites strategy, and Champion.
Today, we are delighted to launch our #ChampionGirls film, featuring girls and young women who took part in the programme.
#ChampionGirls – the programme
No young Londoner should face barriers to getting active. Yet we know from research carried out by Women in Sport that too many girls and young women miss out on this opportunity. And alongside that, many girls and young women develop negative attitudes towards being active meaning they don’t take part, thus losing a key foundational experience to support them to be happier, healthier and more self-assured.
The Champion Girls programme was deliberately designed to tackle this head on. We knew that by working with local and trusted community youth organisations, alongside creative and inspirational female youth workers we had the opportunity to change the narrative and ultimately make a real difference to the lives of young women across London.
#ChampionGirls – the impact
Over the past year, 413 girls and young women took part in the programme, with 40 new female community sport role models developed. And, looking beyond the programme’s lifespan, the impact has been strong:
- 81% of the girls and young women reported they’ll continue to be physically active and feel more positive about sport and physical activity than 12 months ago
- 86% of the girls and young women reported feeling happier and enjoyed being active at their local community youth organisation
- 74% of the girls and young women reported making new friends, with 78% reporting feeling better about themselves.
- 84% of the organisations involved reported that the programme had enhanced their weekly offer to girls and young women
In their own words:
I wasn’t that active, but, I got involved to come out of my shell, to be with other young women and get inspired’
– participant, when asked why she chose to get involved with the programme
– youth worker, when asked about the difference of the programme to the girls and young women she supports
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