The Tania Dalton Foundation is working on ways to get more girls active. Photo / Supplied
The Tania Dalton Foundation is working on ways to get more girls active. Photo / Supplied
A programme coming to Taupō next month aims to help Kiwi girls unlock their talent and be their best selves.
The Tania Dalton Foundation's (TDF) Boost programme is run during the school holidays and is targeted at girls who may have an interest in sport or physical activity but do not play on a regular basis.
TDF programme coordinator Ant Hyde says Boost is a three-day, active recreation programme for Year 7 and 8 girls.
"It's not for the sporty girls. It's for the girls who maybe have an interest in being active but for various reasons they aren't," he says.
"They might not exercise on a regular basis, but they might want to."
The Boost programme gives girls a taste of a wide range of sports. Photo / Supplied
Girls can apply for the programme, which can take up to 30 participants, and it is free for successful applicants.
"Over the three days they do nine different sports and activities. They'll do netball, basketball and those sorts of team sports, but they'll also do dance, they'll go to a crossfit session, some cycling.
"We realised pretty early on that not all girls actually want to play sport. A lot of people, especially at that age, think that being active just means being in a sports team. It's really not.
"Being active can be a whole range of things and that's what we're trying to offer these girls."
Hyde says there can be a number of reasons girls this age haven't been more active previously.
"We've been running this programme for a couple of years around the North Island, this is our first one in Taupō. What usually happens is at the end the girls fill out a two-page review form on what they enjoyed doing as well as the barriers stopping them doing these things.
GIrls playing basketball during a previous Boost event. Photo / Supplied
"Time is actually a big one, we find. Cost is another and for quite a few of them it's family support - there has to be someone able to get them somewhere. There has to be some sort of adult drive initially to get the child going.
"After each programme, I email each parent individually, tell them what their child enjoyed and what barriers they thought they might have to doing it. Then we start that discussion about how we can break down those barriers.
"We don't just want this to be a holiday programme, we want to try and have a real positive, long-term impact on these girls."
Sport Waikato, through its This is ME initiative, is supporting the Boost programme event in Taupō. This is ME encourages, supports and celebrates girls and women of all ages getting out there and active, whatever way they choose to.
Sport Waikato women and girls initiative adviser Dr Roxanna Holdsworth says it is all about looking at the needs of women and girls, what they're telling us and how to work with influencers in the sport and education settings to ensure women and girls have opportunities to be active.
"Boost really is truly aligned with what This is ME is all about and what we're hoping to achieve.
"We find body image issues can be a barrier when young girls reach secondary school, when we're trying to work out what society thinks we should be and look like, versus what we are comfortable with.
"We also see girls having to prioritise a bit more with how they spend their time, with things like homework, after school activities and even employment, which can all take away from being able to do physical activity. Then there are things like costs and travel as well."
The Boost programme, coming to Taupō in April, is looking at different approaches to get girls active. Photo / Supplied
She says initiatives like This is ME and Boost are making a difference and there are wide-ranging benefits for those involved.
"We're pretty lucky to be able to work with providers and influencers across the Waikato region to be able to see those innovative and creative shifts as we deliver physical activity to girls, looking more at using their voice to shape what those opportunities look like, how we can meet their needs and overcome those barriers for a lifetime of being active."
• Anyone interested in applying for Boost or wanting more information can email Ant Hyde at anthyde@taniadaltonfoundation.org.nz
