GirlGuiding Gets Girls Moving

For Immediate Release (8 October 2019)

GirlGuiding Gets Girls Moving

GirlGuiding NZ has been chosen by Sport New Zealand as one of nine organisations to be funded by the Young Women’s Activation Fund to help get New Zealand girls moving.

This fund supports initiatives aimed at encouraging girls 12 to 18, particularly those not currently involved in physical activity, to engage in play, active recreation or sport. With this funding GirlGuiding NZ will be able to amplify its already positive influence in the lives of 12 -18-year olds by engaging with young women not currently connected with Guiding, and developing their confidence and leadership through a wide range of active recreation opportunities Currently many young girls reduce their activity when they reach adolescence. GirlGuiding NZ’s 2018 research of 3,000 Kiwi girls aged 10 -17 years told us that older girls are less likely than younger girls to say they feel confident or happy some or most of the time. They are also less likely to say they are good at sport. In a follow up study only 7% said they felt happy when they were playing sport or exercising and just 10% used sport or exercise to help them feel better when they were worried.

This aligns with Sport NZ research which found weekly participation for girls significantly declines between ages 12–14 years and 15–17 years because of girls feeling that they are “not fit enough”, “not confident enough”, “don’t want to fail” and “don’t like other people seeing me being physically active”.

For over 110 years GirlGuiding New Zealand has been dedicated to supporting girls to reach their potential by providing a supportive environment in which girls can thrive, test their comfort zone, increase their self-confidence and willingness to have new experiences. Having already developed a Community programme of fun and educational activities for non-Guiding girls, funding from the Young Women’s Activation Fund will enable GirlGuiding NZ to develop more creative and interactive activities for girls and young women and build confidence, enjoyment and friendship, and develop leadership skills through their participation in active recreation.

Find out more about the Young Women’s Activation Fund and its recipients here.

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