Using SPORT AND EDUCATION AS
SPORT
education
TOOLS TO EMPOWER, CONNECT
EMPOWER
CONNECT
and UNIFY WOMEN AND GIRLS
UNIFY
WOMEN
GIRLS
FROM ALL CULTURES AND
SOCIAL BACKGROUNDS
"No society truly blooms if all of its members are not included, and half of those members are female"
WHY IT MATTERS!
Research and reality show us that women and girls across the world are often left on the margins of society and denied opportunities when it comes to sports and education.
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Even in places with progressive ideals and agendas around equality, we do not always build a strong enough bridge to get women and girls fully and equally involved, and this means that they miss out and feel isolated in their communities.
It means that society misses out on their brilliant contributions.
what we want to achieve
Our mission is to provide meaningful ways for women and girls to connect and thrive using sport and education.
We want to actively participate in changing the status quo in areas we operate, and we aim to provide ways to help people participate in that goal too.
europe
We use football and education as powerful tools in creating social inclusion and belonging, as well as highlighting the valuable contribution of women and girls from all cultural and social backgrounds, especially ethnic minorities, refugees, immigrants and migrants.
THE MIDDLE EAST
We provide the opportunity for women & girls in rural areas with otherwise poor-access, to participate in sport and to connect and thrive through educational initiatives. A big part of our Middle-East program is about educating women & girls on their rights and the positive impact of their active participation in society through educational and sporting activities
WHAT'S THE STATE OF PLAY TODAY?
Loads of great work has been done with both sport and education to make sure women and girls are able to be passionately involved.
We have highlighted some of our favourite examples in the Girl Power News page, however, there are still challenges for us to overcome together.
challenge 1
One of the barriers to involvement that ethnic minority women and girls are facing in places like Denmark and Europe is the lack of network and connection they have with the local citizens. They just don’t know each other yet!
challenge 2
Another barrier can be differences in language, cultural & social norms between ethnic and minority women and local women, which can make the process of integration and inclusion feel difficult, even negative, and at worst these differences can feel more like divisions between two communities.
challenge 3
In developed countries, there is often a real lack of sports activities available, especially for women and girls from Afghanistan, Somalia, and Eritrea among other countries. Because girls and women are also denied educational opportunities in some cultures, they are distanced even further from the ‘mainstream’ connections and networks that can help them feel a sense of empowerment, worth and belonging in society.
OUR GIRL POWER SOLUTIONS
Our purpose is to use sport and education as tools to empower, connect, and unify women and girls from all cultures and social backgrounds
Creating Opportunities
Girl Power fosters diverse connections through sports, providing a unique space for people from various backgrounds to build teamwork and relationships.
Empowering Social Leaders
Girl Power, via events and our Leadership Academy, aims to empower young leaders leveraging sports for social good in their communities, promoting positive narratives about ethnic minority women.
Shifting Mindsets
Girl Power seeks to challenge outdated views on gender equality in sports by showcasing effective alternatives. Through diverse female role models and young leaders in sports and education, we create new perspectives for younger generations.
BASE PROGRAMME
THE
Every year Girl Power offers year-long sport and educational programs,
for three new municipalities, cities or provinces in our target countries.
*All the activities are tailored to the selected locations and targeted its citizens
There are three primary elements to the programmes on offer:
A Coaching Programme for young female leaders
A grassroots football-based training programme for young girls
A Fitness programme for women
THE
WOMEN'S FOOTBALL
COACHING PROGRAMME
The main objective of our coaching programme is to provide opportunities that help us identify female role models and young leaders to be able to support their development through our education programmes that empowers them.
We recruit potential coaches from the target location, focusing on the age group 18- 29 year olds. The emphasis for us is on female coaches, but we do sometimes provide opportunities for males who are open to coaching women and girls too. Most of these potential coaches will be football players from a local club.
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Our coaching development programme is formed of 3 stages:
stage 1
Girl Power
Coaching
Seminar
Coaches are enrolled in the Girl Power certified coaching seminar and introduced to Girl Power coaching methodology
stage 2
Girl Power
International Leadership Programme
Coaches are enrolled in this programme where they have the opportunity to gain knowledge about how to lead, exchange experience and build a football-based network with other participants of the programme.
At the culmination of this programme, the coaches get two assignments: 1. Creation of their own grassroots girl’s football team 2. Creation of a young leaders’ team where they can continue their learning and development
stage 3
Girl Power
Mentorship
Programme
At the end of the programme, the coaches are offered a Girl Power mentor for one year to help, guide, and support them to continue their progress
Grassroots Girls Football training & empowerment programme
This programme is designed for young girls age 8 -10.
In Europe, it is open to participants from multi-cultural backgrounds which might include citizens of the country and also non-citizens, such as refugees or immigrants
1
Players are offered 1-hour football-based training on two days per week for a year.
2
The training program is a mix of fitness, team-building activities and football skill-building.
3
During the one-year program, the team will have guest speakers such as young role models and community leaders who can offer inspiration and guidance to the participants of the programme.
4
At the end of the program the players will be introduced to a local club to start a recreational football ‘career’.
There are 4 phases to this programme:
Football Fitness & Strength Training for women
We are providing strength & fitness training for older women - grandmothers, mothers, older sisters, aunts age 30+ who have limited access to sport activities due to social or cultural barriers.
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One of our main objectives with this programme is to help & encourage older women to stay healthy & in particulalr, to manage their mental health and fight against depression.
The program is led by a female coach for 1 year within local community locations, for example, in Denmark, these activities take place for women in refugee centres and in immigrant and refugee communities.
The programme is offered twice a week for 2 hours, 1 hour of training and 1 hour of social networking, with participants listening to guest inspirational speakers and visitors whilst also having opportunities to share their own stories.
THE
Girl Power International Leadership Academy
In addition to our base regional programmes, every year we offer our young women a very special five day residential academy experience in Denmark.
30 young leaders and coaches from across our programmes and others around Europe gather together with experts in their respected fields to explore the theories and practices of leadership, communication, self-development planning, discipline, inclusive coaching theories & good practices and safeguarding principles.
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At the end of the leadership programme, the coaches will be invited and encouraged to go back to their regions and cities and recruit a team of 20 – 30 girls age 8 -10 years old and start the girl-power training programme. This brings the girl-power ecosystem full circle again, and ensures a sustainable model for the future.
THE
Girl Power
young leaders football tournament
Every second year, all of the Girl Power coaches from around Europe are invited to participate in a commercially sponsored show-case tournament.
Each team have 6 players and are supported by young leaders, coaches, volunteers, and community leaders with a mix of cultural backgrounds and experiences.
There are 4 days of football tournament, using a 5v5 format where players are able to showcase their footballing talent, participate in Girl Power side of pitch activities such as workshops and storytelling where coaches are able to present the results of their work from the course of the year with girls aged 8 – 10, sharing their valuable experiences, learnings and top tips to attendees.
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Our tournaments have a festival vibe, with music and fun and engaging activities where attendees have opportunities to build a network with likeminded girls and women.
how to get
involved
There are different ways to contact Girl Power if you would like to enquire about joining one of our programmes
There are different ways you can help Girl Power
Collaborate
We are always looking for new partners who are interesting in funding Girl Power programmes to help us grow and expand our reach to more girls and women around the world.
Contact us if you're interested in funding any programmes or initiatives
Volunteer
There are lots of exciting opportunities to volunteer at our programmes and events, which help us to offer more of them and reach more girls and women.
Contact us if you're interested in volunteering near you
Donate
No matter how much or how little, every penny counts - 100% of cash donations go towards the creation and delivery of more Girl Power programmes.
Visit our Donation page to donate
(Every penny counts - Thank you!)