After teaching girls in Health and Physical Education for over 20 years and coaching girls for almost 30 years, I noticed the need for a program to help girls develop confidence and life skills such as resiliency. As social media and technology have become prevalent in our society, studies have shown that self-esteem among young girls has decreased and their participation in sport dramatically drops off around the age of 12 years old.
Using my experience and knowledge in the area of basketball as well as team-building, I began Girls Got Game, a program that focuses on empowering girls (Grades 3- 8) as they learn about and develop basketball skills, to help young girls combat this trend in our society. In our skill development sessions and camps, we focus on collaboration, communication, critical thinking, goal setting, and learning from mistakes. Through sport, they are able to be active, social and develop skills that will help them be successful in life, all while having fun!
We also had the opportunity, prior to COVID, to run a basketball and cooking camp for a week, where the players learned how to cook and play!
The goal for the program is to eventually become a house league and mentorship program, providing positive, female role models for the young girls. Older, experienced players would volunteer to teach and coach, learning how important it is to give back to the community. We are also looking to expand to a multi-sport program as well so we can include girls who may not be interested in basketball, but who would benefit from the opportunity of being a part of the Girls Got Game program, especially now as COVID has really hindered girls from participating in sport. A study done by the Canadian Women in Sport in July of 2021, states that 1 in 4 young girls and teenagers who were active pre-COVID are not planning on returning to sport programs, due to lack of confidence and apprehension.
Check out our website for more information as well.