Girl’s Sport and Leadership Workshop at Imperial Oil
Inspiring the next generation of female leadership through sport
Calgary, AB – In partnership with the Women’s Interest Network (WIN) at Imperial Oil Ltd., we are proud to share the success of the Girls in Sport and Leadership workshops held last weekend at Imperial’s Quarry Park Campus for their employees and self-identified daughters.
Run.Jump.LEAD! coaches facilitated participants through important discussions, brainstorming sessions, and leadership activities to help discover their personal leadership qualities and learn how diversity builds strong teams.
Through these inclusive activities, both parents and girls were inspired to bring out their inner leader which will positively impact their homes, schools, communities, and most importantly, themselves.
Parents and daughters also got moving together with fun, physical mini-challenges to build a wide range of fundamental movement skills, such as speed, coordination, agility, balance, and strength. These foundational movements are the building blocks of sport, and when developed early in life, provides later success in the life-long participation of physical activity and healthy lifestyles.
“These partnerships are key to bringing awareness to the alarming gap in female leadership opportunities and the decrease in female sport participation,” says Run. Jump. LEAD!’s CEO and Founder, Natalie Swanson. “Through programs and training, girls and young women can be encouraged to believe that we can all be leaders, and you don’t have to change who you are to be a great one.”
Advocating for Inclusion and Diversity in Female Leadership and Sport
Alexandra Patrick and Rebecca Coffey, volunteers with Imperial’s Women’s Interest Network (WIN) and organizers of the event, advocate for gender equity by creating a sense of belonging and compassion for women and their allies. WIN facilitates professional development and personal growth at Imperial Oil by connecting women across the company, and provides visible leadership, mentoring, networking, and community outreach opportunities.
Alexandra, an Emissions and Regulatory Team Lead, not only took part in the workshops as an Imperial employee and volunteer, but also as a mom to two young daughters. “As a mom and a member of the Women’s Interest Network at Imperial, I was proud to take part in such an important event with Run. Jump. LEAD!. My involvement with WIN has not only helped me advocate for inclusion and diversity at work, but also at home,” she says.
Rebecca can personally attest to the benefits of female sport participation. Growing up as a competitive athlete in multiple sports including tennis and soccer, she is now an Engineer and Project Manager at Imperial. “Workshops like these help show young girls and women that they have the power to be strong leaders in their communities,” reflects Rebecca.
Run. Jump. LEAD!’s workshops connect parents and their daughters through movement, engaging leadership discussions, and hands-on activities. Together with our corporate partners, we strive to make the future brighter for the next generation of female leaders by empowering girls today.
The Link Between Female Sport Participation and Leadership
Did You Know?
There is a direct correlation between girls who participate in organized sport in their childhood and adolescence, and those who secure leadership positions in their careers.
94% of c-suite women (i.e. CEO, COO, CFO) participated in organized sport
By the age of 16, girls are dropping out of sport 3x the rate of their male peers
Women in Canada hold about 35% of management occupations, and 31% of senior management level occupations
76% of women wish that they would have learned more about leadership and had more opportunities to learn how to lead when they were growing up
If you would like to learn more about our corporate partnerships and workshops, please reach out to us: www.runjumplead.com/connect
Sources: Ernst & Young, KPMG, Canadian Women’s Foundation
Run. Jump. LEAD! is Calgary’s premier leadership and multi-sport program for girls ages 7 and up. Their vision is to create a world where the next generation of female leaders face no barriers to participating in sport and have limitless leadership opportunities in their careers. The empowering all female coaching and mentoring team at Run.Jump.LEAD! delivers fun, inclusive, and unique experiences to girls to keep them engaged in physical activity and sport, and teaches invaluable leadership skills starting at a young age.
To learn more about Run.Jump.LEAD!’s programs, visit www.runjumplead.com
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Contact: Natalie Swanson, CEO and Founder
Email: run.jump.lead@gmail.com