Sport NZ It's My Move: Tools and Resources
You can play a key role in engaging and creating positive environments for young women to participate – whether it’s as a parent, caregiver, coach, teacher or physical activity provider.
This guide offers practical advice, suggestions and tools for anyone wanting to grow their knowledge of the young women’s participation, and create events and opportunities specifically for young women.
The following information is designed to be used in full or chunks – acknowledging everyone will be at varying stages of the journey. At each point we’ll give you the chance to reflect on what you’ve read and bring to life some of these learnings into real examples.
1. Get to know your audience
Our national research study will help you understand what matters to young women, attitudes and beliefs influencing their behaviour, and give you ideas around how you can support and provide for them better.
Take a look at the research here.
Reflection
What are some motivations and barriers to consider around your specific audience? Are there additional challenges to be mindful of?
Knowing your audience, and recognising that not all young women are the same, will help you to shape your activity so that young women feel confident to take part in your sessions – but also have the means and access to be able to take part.
2. Know your approach
Once you understand and know your audience, consider how you might create or change environments that make young women feel safe, included and motivated. Factors like time pressure, the role of peers, the concept of fun versus competition, and ways to remove fear of expectation all play a key role.
A co-design approach aligns to the It’s My Move philosophy. It involves working alongside the young women to identify what it is they truly want and need; allowing them to lead.
As our research suggests, young women are more likely to get active and stay involved when they have a say in how their participation will look. This could also look like empowering young women to be in leadership roles, which is important. Guidance on getting young people into governance is available here.
Reflection
Who are the champions among your audience? Who can you engage to support your project? Peer to peer promotion is an authentic way to engage with young people.
3. Creating positive environments
So you’ve got an idea for an initiative or activity – or you want to change the way you provide physical activity to make it more welcoming to young women - now what are you doing to make sure it is fun and inclusive? Click here to see the five ways to support young women to find something they love (and stick with it)
