Female Role Models Matter
Girls state that for them to engage in sport and leadership, they must see that the benefits are attainable and meaningful
It’s no secret that when girls participate in sport, they gain valuable leadership skills and reap the benefits of active, healthy lifestyles. Girls who participate in sports do better in school, suffer fewer physical and mental health challenges, and gain close social relationships with peers and role models. But the success of female sport engagement relies heavily on the return to play in the post-COVID environment.
Even prior to the pandemic, girls were dropping out of sport at 3 times the rate of their male peers by the age of 16.
Source: Canadian Women & Sport
The implications of this loss will be immense. As more girls leave sport, there will be less peers to play with and fewer opportunities for programming and competition. Over time, this will diminish the quality of the remaining girls’ experiences. Girls will lose important social connections with peers and role models and miss out on the benefits of physical activity.
It is therefore imperative that sport organizations and parents work hard to re-engage girls. For girls to want to return and continue to participate, many state that they must see that the benefits are attainable and meaningful. This is where role models and mentors come into play, providing inspiration and relatability for young girls.
Female Coaches are Critical for Engagement
Case studies from Laureus found that one of the best strategies for engaging girls in sport is through female coaches and role models. This critical component in sport programming enables girls to see their potential future and shows relatable, positive outcomes of sport.
Laureus found 3 ways to empower girls through sport:
1. Create opportunities for girls to become leaders
2. Enable mentorship between girls and women
3. Employ female leadership and role models
While social connection with peers is directly related to positive sport experiences, girls who also have close relationships with female coaches and mentors are intrinsically empowered (have that fire from within) to stay engaged. In addition, female role models that demonstrate leadership qualities help participants view themselves as potential leaders.
Female role models aren’t just important at the programming and peer level. Mom's participation in sport increases the rate of her child's participation by 22%
(Source: Canadian Women & Sport)
Females in coaching and leadership roles break gender stereotypes and encourage girls and young women to become coaches themselves, in turn creating a positive cycle.
Seeing is Believing
As an organization committed to keeping girls engaged in sport and physical activity, we are proud to have an all-female leadership, coaching, and mentoring team.
The dedication of our team is unparalleled as we work towards a brighter future for girls in sport and leadership.
In addition to offering leadership and multi-sport programs to young girls, we offer a coaching and junior mentorship program for women to become role models, start their own coaching journey, and practice leadership skills in a practical, supportive setting.
Coach Kira
One such coach, Kira Wasylak, has been with our organization from the beginning and has had a significant impact on the delivery and success of our programs. Kira participated in multiple sports growing up including hockey, volleyball, soccer, and lacrosse. At the age of 4 she joined boys hockey and fell in love with the sport. Playing competitively until the age of 21, she finished her career with the U of C Dinos Women's Team to focus on her engineering degree and career.
Just a few weeks away from graduation, Kira who has played an active role in advancing gender equity in STEM, is a recent recipient of the 2021-2022 Women in STEM scholarship from the Government of Alberta. As Kira begins her engineering career at Cenovus Energy with a field rotation in Saskatoon this summer, she will be stepping away from in-person coaching but will remain an important part of the Run. Jump. LEAD! organization. We wish her luck and look forward to her future contributions to RJL!
Sources:
CAAWS. (2020). The Importance of Sport & Physical Activity for Women and Girls. From https://www.hockeyalberta.ca/uploads/source/Female/CAAWS_FemaleParticipateion_Inforgraphic_Oct22_2015.pdf
Laureus. ND. Empowering Girls and Young Women Through Sport for Development. Laureus Sport for Good USA. Retrieved April 1, 2022, from https://laureususa.com/pdf/?f=https%3A%2F%2Flaureususa.com%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2018%2F07%2FEmpoweringExecSummary-5b-1-2.pdf
Canadian Women & Sport, E-Alliance, & Jumpstart. (2021). Pandemic Impact on Girls in Sport. Canadian Women & Sport. From https://womenandsport.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/COVID-Alert-final-English-July-2021.pdf
Canadian Women & Sport. (2020). The Rally Report. From https://womenandsport.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/Canadian-Women-Sport_The-Rally-Report.pdf