Let’s talk about inequality of girls and women in Sports and Recreation.

April 29th, 2019

Did you know that there is a government Strategy for Women and Girls in Sports and Active Recreation to address the inequalities of girls’ and womens’ participation in sport and active recreation?

Did you also know that the more time spent participating in sports and active recreation, the more favourably young people score on health and wellbeing indicators?

Sport NZ’s recent research into the participation of girls in sports and active recreation has found that “providing girls and young women with the opportunity to challenge themselves at a level that suits their ability is important. For some, this will be in the traditional sport context and for others, it will be without the rules, routine and pressures of competitive sport.” (Girls and Young Women Profile, Sport NZ 2018).

As such, GirlGuiding New Zealand focuses on providing our girls with a safe and secure place to participate in a wide range of active recreation opportunities and challenge themselves to a level they are comfortable with. As we have found in our recent research, Sport NZ research has also highlighted the importance of the fun and social aspect for girls as being key to taking part in activities.

[bctt tweet=”Sport NZ’s recent research into the participation of girls in sports and active recreation has found that providing girls and young women with the opportunity to challenge themselves at a level that suits their ability is important” username=”girlguidingnz“]

Our girls are in charge of their Guiding journey, they have the chance to explore the outdoors by immersing themselves in activities such as kayaking, horse-riding, hiking or anything of their choice. Participating in these activities as part of a group and having opportunities to take a lead role also helps girls develop their teamwork and leadership skills. By challenging girls to achieve goals, we hope to prepare them to, in the future, be the guide in all aspects of their life.

It is important as parents, caregivers and the overall community, to know that Guiding is not just about having fun during the activities. Our aim is to contribute to the well-being and healthy-living of all girls around New Zealand.