“Overpower. Overtake. Overcome.” – Serena Williams
“Somewhere behind the athlete you’ve become and the hours of practice and the coaches who have pushed you is a little girl who fell in love with the game and never looked back… play for her.” – Mia Hamm
“Courage, sacrifice, determination, commitment, toughness, heart, talent, guts. That’s what little girls are made of; the heck with sugar and spice.” – Bethany Hamilton
Culture and prejudices have held the Nigerian girl backward far too long. In most cultures in Nigeria, girls are not allowed to participate in physical activities meant for ‘boys’. The pressure to conform to traditionally “feminine” stereotypes leads many girls to abandon sport entirely. Such cultural barricade has created an unequal gender representation in sports.
Most Nigerian parents and guardians have palpable silent fears in their hearts: what would happen to their daughters and wards if they are left alone in the midst of men and boys? Who will protect them when they are molested? Such fears are not unfounded.
It is a movement to bridge gender inequality in sport and to educate Nigerian women and girls on the power they can derive from teamwork, self-reliance, self-defence and resilience.
Also the Power Up Girls campaign is an advocacy for Nigerian women and girls to have safe sporting environments without fear of molestation or any form of abuse. We want Nigerian sport to be their place for social connections and a refuge from violence in homes and communities, and help them to understand their bodies and build confidence and the ability to speak up, particularly during adolescence.
Give your voice in a collective campaign towards creating an abuse free sporting environment for girls by signing up for the ‘I promise’ campaign where everyone including public figures and celebrities will use their Twitter and Instagram handles to promise to be part of encouraging equal representation of women and girls in sports and ensuring a zero tolerance for abuse in sport.
Sport can empower women and girls to succeed and the earlier all stake holders know this the better for sport development in Nigeria. Join the Power Up Girls campaign as we engage girls, their siblings, guardians and parents in schools, parks and communities in sport. Let’s celebrate their remarkable achievements and potential in sport while calling for firm action to tackle gender barriers.
Join the advocacy Fun Race to eradicate barriers to gender equal sport participation and safety in Nigeria.
March 14th, 2020.
ABUJA. LAGOS. KANO. PORT HARCOURT.
#ACYSD2020 #YouthSportsMovement #EachforEqual #IWD #IWD2020 #InternationalWomensDay #WomenInSport #PowerUpGirls #IPromise #Nigeria
I am a Girl. I should play like a Girl!
