That girls and women in sport deserve attention and support is clear. Sport provides so much to anyone who takes it up. There are the physical benefits, like better heart health. But there are the mental perks, too, like lowering depression and anxiety. Now, H&M Move, through their community programme, Move Together, has teamed up with grassroots organisation ActivateHer to empower young girls in Cape Town to keep playing.
About ActivateHer
Located in the township of Khayelitsha, ActivateHer works to dismantle traditional gender stereotypes associated with sports. It offers girls aged 3 to 14 from vulnerable socioeconomic backgrounds the chance to engage in physical activity in a safe, supportive space. Using the power of sports, ActivateHer translates what is played on the field or court into education about leadership development, physical health and life skills.
H&M Move & ActivateHer
H&M Move recently announced a two-year partnership with global non-profit Women Win to promote girls’ and women’s empowerment through sport, with a special focus on football. The partnership sees H&M Move supporting Women Win’s ONSIDE Fund, which focuses on hyperlocal organisations tackling inequalities through movement.
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One of the 7 hyperlocal organisations participating in the collaboration is ActivateHer, situated in Khayelitsha. ActivateHer provides sporting opportunities to young girls in under-served communities around Cape Town. Working to break down traditional gender stereotypes associated with sports, ActivateHer provides girls with opportunities to practice sports. They also focus on leadership development, social-emotional learning, and health education.
Plus, H&M Brand Mover and AC Milan soccer star Nadia Nadim travelled to Cape Town to join ActivateHer on a school outing, engaging with the girls and coaches through motivational movement and leadership sessions. “It has been incredibly important for me to meet the amazing young girls in Cape Town. We shared our stories, played games, danced and learned a lot from each other,” says Nadia. “It was my mission to boost their confidence and let them know that no matter where they came from or what obstacles they faced, they have the power within them to succeed. Their strength equally boosted my confidence and belief in myself!”
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Why empowering girls through sport is important
“It’s all about removing barriers for young people to enjoy all the benefits of physical activity,” says Diana Amini, Head of the Move Together Programme. “Of course [there is] the physical benefit, but we also see the potential in how sport movement can really bring people together to create collective energy. And also meet new friends, boost leadership skills and education. There’s so much that you can do through using sports movement as a tool.”
For Adele Bruggeman, founder of ActivateHer, starting sports at a young age can be a positive formative experience for young girls. “We focus on using sport as a tool to help girls recognize their role as active citizens,” she says. And through that, [they] develop leadership skills. We start with girls from the age of three, creating that pathway to play and exposing them to a wide range of sports which includes football but among other things, both traditional and non-traditional sports that gives them that safe place to play after school and access positive female role models.”
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