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| Volume 8 Number 2 | Summer 1997 |
GIRLS AND WOMEN IN PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND SPORT
What's inside this issue...
| I often get inquiries about the
importance of female role models - are they really
important? My answer is always the same - yes! they are
important and we need to find more of them! Knowing that women make up 52% of the population, I get frustrated when we seem unable to locate or name suitable women role models. I know that they are out there, but for many reasons they are difficult to find. One of the main reasons is the lack of female role models on TV and in the newspapers. The media's preoccupation with professional sports contributes to the lack of female representation in sports. When we don't see women represented in the media, we have difficulty naming women role models. This lack of representation also contributes to a lack of career choices for girls. An effective female role model will show that there are a variety of sports careers that are available such as sports writing, sports broadcasting on TV or radio, or becoming an athlete, a coach, or a trainer. Do our actions speak louder than words? You bet. I often hear the argument from parents, coaches, teachers, or other adults that they tell the kids around them about the importance of not smoking and keeping active and therefore don't have to model it. But if kids and teens see the adults in their life smoking and lying on the couch, what makes you think that they will do what you say and not as you do? It has been proven that kids who are exposed to adults who smoke are 50% more likely to take up this habit themselves. As they grow up, they are going to imitate the image that they have in their minds and they will forget most of what you have told them. We are all potential role models. Some people don't feel comfortable taking on this responsibility, but it is true. If you have any contact with kids, either as a parent, coach, relative, or friend, chances are that the children around you will model your behaviour. I recently heard about a study that found that approximately 80% of a child's behaviour is based on what they see and only 20% of it is based on what they hear. The impact of role modeling becomes clear when you have a personal experience. A colleague joined a noon hour ice hockey team, which was a new experience for her, and soon after her 4 year old daughter also wanted to play ice hockey. After the first day of her daughter's hockey program, she came home disappointed. She was upset that her skating program didn't give her bruises like her mom had from her hockey games. This story really demonstrates how kids want to imitate the adults in their lives, even if it involves getting bruises from hockey. In terms of physical activity, the need to role model active lifestyles becomes very apparent. We know that, given the chance, girls will drop out of physical activity during their high school years, if not before. If we want to keep girls physically active throughout their adolescent years, it is very important for them to have active female role models around them. |
A study showed that girls are 22% more
likely to be active if their mothers are and 11% more
likely to be active if their fathers are active. This
statistic demonstrates the importance of having active
women personally reinforce the importance and the
benefits of staying physically active. In a recent survey of coeducational physical education in Vancouver, some teachers suggested that better role models for females would help increase their participation in PE. They felt that if females have not had the influence of a positive physically active role model by Grade 10, it is too late. Wendy Long, sportswriter for the Vancouver Sun, recently wrote a book entitled "Celebrating Excellence: Profiles of Canadian Women Athletes" primarily because nothing of this sort is available in Canada and to give girls and young women an entire book filled with outstanding female role models. There are many effective role models out there, but we don't see them enough. We need to seek out competent and skillful women and use them as examples of what girls and women of all ages can strive for. The Esteem Team is a great example of a group who has done just this. This group of BC world class and Olympic athletes visit communities around the province to speak with students. The success of this program is based on the fact that the athletes share their experiences in sport to encourage students to make positive life choices. And the female athletes in their program get many requests to share their stories to encourage female students to get involved in sport and physical activity. What can we do? Expose the girls and young women in your lives to effective, skillful, physically active female role models. It is important for girls to see competent women in these capacities, especially when it comes to sport and physical activity. This will give girls a variety of careers to strive for in their future and some exposure to women in roles that they may not have seen before. Encourage girls and young women to be active through your own actions - take them out on active excursions or enroll in a physical recreation course that you can both enjoy. And remember - even if we don't feel like role models, to the youth in our lives, we are role models. written by Tammy Lawrence |
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The Magazine for Girls and Their DreamsNew Moon Network: For Adults Who Care About Girls |
New Moon: The
Magazine for Girls and their Dreams is a 48-page,
advertising-free, 
international magazine for
every girl who wants her voice heard and her dreams taken
seriously. With girl editors ages 8 to 14 and girl contributors
from all over the world, New Moon celebrates girls, explores the
passage from girl to woman, and builds healthy resistance to
gender inequities. NEW MOON encourages a girl to learn about
girls from other cultures, explore her true self, dreams and
ideas, and keep her voice and self-assurance. A celebration of
girls, New Moon is a great gift!
New Moon Network: For Adults Who Care About Girls is a companion publication to NEW MOON. New Moon Network helps teachers, coaches, counsellors, and other adults who are working to broaden horizons for girls.
Subscriptions to New Moon and New Moon Network are now available directly from Promotion Plus. To order send $40.00 per subscription (or $65.00 for both) with your request.
New Moon Publishing is pleased to donate 25% of the subscription price to Promotion Plus.
Association Management Consultants (AMC's) 1996 Salary and Benefits survey of Association Executives employed in British Columbia confirmed some interesting facts. Of the 150 respondents of the survey, the average salary for female Executive Director's was 70% of what their male counterparts were paid and only two of the fifteen executives from the top paying associations were female. For more information contact AMC at (604) 669-5344.
This paper reviews key issues surrounding the advancement of opportunities for girls and women in physical activity, sport, and health and the challenges which are preventing a further increase of female participation in sport and recreational physical activity. Issues of discussion include the socioeconomic status of women, negative body image, persistent disempowering stereotypes of the female body, the issue of women's health, and their control over their own bodies. Copies available from Promotion Plus at 737-3075.
Caroline Depatie recently defended this thesis as part of a Masters of Human Kinetics at the University of British Columbia. The thesis investigated the work conditions in Canadian daily newspaper sports departments and assessed the differential impacts of hiring practices, assignment procedures, and promotion opportunities on women and men sports reporters respectively. A copy of the abstract is available from Promotion Plus at 737-3075.
Congratulations to the winners and nominees of the Vancouver YWCA Women of Distinction Awards:
Sandra Stevenson, Executive Director of Sport BC, received the Recreation, Sport and Active Living category award. Other nominees in this category: Joslin Kobylka, Hallie Lecker, Leah Pells, Lily Tham, and Diana Zoe Coop.
Beverly Spring received the Health and Wellness category award. Other nominees included: Penny Ballem, Alice Klinkhoff, Gloria Lemay, Kathleen Lindstrom, Myrna Millar, Suzanne Montemuro, and Karen O'Shannacery.
Lara Lauzon, Body Moves host, received the Victoria YWCA Women of Distinction Award for Sport, Recrea-tion and Active Living and Elaine Holmes received the award for Health and Wellness for her work with a street youth program.
Charmaine Crooks has been named to the Top 40 under 40 Business People in Vancouver by Business in Vancouver magazine.
Darlene Irvine, President of Synchro Swim BC, received the Volunteer Sport Leadership Award at the Kaizen 1997 Conference.
Unfortunately, Promotion Plus must report that the BC Women in Coaching Professional
Development Funds that were distributed through our office are no longer available. Promotion Plus would like to thank the Recreation and Sport Branch and the National Coaching Institute (NCI) for their past support of this program, which in the last 4 years has allowed over 60 women to advance their coaching certification. The newly established Bob Bearpark Coaching Bursary Fund features an "Equity & Access" category which supports women coaches. Contact the CABC at 298-3137 for details. Any other sources of funding for women coaches that we find will be announced in our newsletter.
Interested in volunteering?
Promotion Plus is looking for enthusiastic, dedicated individuals to join our Board of Directors. For more information call us at 737-3075.
We have many Promotion Plus ads available from our office to can be used in your newsletter or publications. Call 737-3075 to order yours.
Small business is one of the fastest growing sectors of the Canadian economy, and women are leading the way. Women own approximately one-third of small and medium-sized businesses and account for an ever-increasing number of Canadian entrepreneurs. The number of self-employed women in Canada is not only increasing at a phenomenal rate, but women-owned businesses have a much higher survival rate than small business in general.
Promotion Plus recently offered a series of workshops for women interested in starting their own business. The first was "An Exploratory Workshop for Women Entrepreneurial Wannabes" which explored the basics of business ownership and issues of self-employment. Positive response from the first workshop lead to "Developing Your Business Plan", a workshop where participants explored their business idea through the creation of a business plan.
Promotion Plus will be offering these or similar workshops again next fall, so if you are interested in either, let us know!
... 50% of women entrepreneurs started the their businesses with less than $10,000.
WISRAN (Women in Sport and Recreation Administration Network) meets on the last Wednes-day of every month, from September to May. The speakers and topics for this season were: Cheryl Smith - "Looking at the Boss in the Mirror", Joyce Resin - "Taking Control of Your Health", Karin Larsen - "Sports Broadcasting- a Women's Perspective", Shari Graydon - "The Portrayal of Women & Work in the Media", Carol Tarnowsky - "Being Aware is Half the Battle" (self-defence), Karen Orava - "An Insider's Look at the Sports & Entertainment Industry", Sally (Willis) Stewart - "Save Your Bones", and Marion Lay - "Achieving Equity in Your Everyday Life".
We Need Your Help! Promotion Plus is starting to plan for next s
The sport of Ultimate is the fastest growing team sport in North America and the participation of women has greatly contributed to this growth. Ultimate is a non-contact sport played by teams of 7 members. The object of the game is to score goals by successfully passing a disc to a teammate in the end zone. The disc may only be moved by passing, as the thrower is not allowed to take any steps.
Currently, over 1000 individuals play in a co-ed league in the lower mainland, which provides recreational and competitive opportunities. In this league 4 men and 3 women field a team of 7, an increase from the previous requirement of 5 men and 2 women. National Championships for the co-ed club teams are held and this year will be taking place July 26 - Aug. 2 at UBC.
In addition to the co-ed league, 4 women's teams exist in Vancouver which participate in a BC women's league and travel to other tournaments such as the National Championships for women held every other year.
Opportunities also exist to play ultimate at the university and high school level. UBC had a women's ultimate team this past year which competed in a US based league and was the first Canadian team to compete in the US National Championships for Ultimate. In the high schools, a co-ed league has been organized and is growing in popularity.
The BC Disc Sports Society was formed to encourage Disc Sport development in BC. They offer Disc Golf, Ultimate, and other Disc Sport promotion, education, and support at all levels of play. To find out more information about these sports and existing leagues call the BC Disc Sports Society at 878-7387 or e-mail them at discbc@alternatives.com.
The On the Move handbook has been updated and reprinted. CAAWS first published the handbook in 1994 and it has now gone through its third printing.
The handbook includes success stories of On the Move programs in different communities, statistics about girls and women in physical activity and sport, and contact names and numbers.
All of these sections have been revised to contain the most up to date information and contacts available.
The On the Move handbook is designed to encourage non-active girls and women to participate in fun-filled, supportive, recreational physical activities.
On the Move programs have been established in various physical activity set-tings such as parks and recreation de-partments, Y's, and many schools across the country.
Call Promotion Plus at (604) 737-3075 for more information or to order your copy of the On the Move handbook. English and French versions available.
Cost is $10 each plus $3 shipping and handling.
- Information compiled by Jennifer Fenton, MA
The Bad News Is...
By the age of six both boys and girls believe that boys are better than girls at physical activities. (Dahlgren, 1988)
Although a majority of young women say they feel good about themselves, young men consistently score higher on all measures of self-esteem. (Edwards, 1992)
The Result Is...
By secondary school many girls use whatever excuse they can to drop out of sport and physical education. This is often because of inadequate opportunities and skill development in primary school. (Women's Sports Foundation, 1989)
The greatest drop in the percentage of student participants across grade levels is for females on school teams. (McCreary Centre Society, 1992)
What do Girls Want?
- To have fun.
- To have some sex-segregated opportunities for skill development and safe play.
- To choose their own clothing.
- To feel they are participating in a fair and safe environment.
- Variety of activities with lots of involvement such as in-line skating, orienteering, ultimate, skating, skiing, biking, wheelchair basketball, beach volleyball, bucketball, outdoor activities, thematic games.
- To be involved in some of the decisions of the programs offered.
(Fenton, 1996)
What Can You Do?
- Focus lessons on enjoyment, participation, and skill development.
- Emphasize the social interaction benefits.
- Demonstrate that you value the benefits of being physically active; children will notice.
- Explain physiological expectations of exercise - debunk myths about sweating and injuries.
- Ensure both boys and girls receive the same time, resource alloca- tion, equipment, and instruction.
- Partner with your community centre - share facilities and cross participation.
- Dare to be different - does basketball need to be taught the same way every year?
(Australia Sport Commission, 1993; Promotion Plus, 1996)
What Can a School/ Community Do?
- Build school spirit with physical activity and sport programs that include everyone.
- Encourage all teachers and administrators to support girls in physical activity. There is power in numbers.
- Provide alternative and modified physical activities.
- Offer female-only gym time.
- Provide female role models - seeing is believing.
- Ensure equity in sport posters, photographs, award systems, assemblies.
- Encourage females to take leadership roles as officials, coaches, and team captains.
(Fenton, 1996)
Some learning and competitive environments may be intimidating for girls and women. Sometimes it is necessary to provide a sex-segregated environment that is encouraging and fun and provides an opportunity for girls and women to learn basic sport skills in a safe and supportive atmosphere.
The movement of gender equity is not intended to disenfranchise men; rather, it is a long over due process to bring women to an equitable level. There is no such thing as reverse discrimination. Those currently receiving the benefits must learn to share the existing resources and programs. Opportunities are not being taken away from men, just additional ones being created for girls and women.
Gear Line uses the name GAIA (Mother Earth) Adventures to present Outdoor Adventures for Women. They provide nature hiking, mountain biking, introduction to outdoor rock climbing, backpacking & cross country skiing for women adventurers. Upcoming events include:
July 1997
July 4-6 - Backpack Carmanah old growth forest, Vancouver Island
July 19 - Bike Alice Lake, Squamish
July 26 - Hike Lynn Peak, VancouverAugust 1997
Aug. 15-17 - Backpack Garibaldi Park
Aug. 23 - Rock Climb Smoke Bluffs
Aug. 30 - Hike Lynn PeakFor more information call GAIA Adventures at 875-0066.
For any interested young female basketball players, the "RICHMOND HOOPSTARS SUMMER BASKETBALL CAMP 1997" will be held at Hugh Boyd Secondary this summer. It will be a great opportunity for any girls who currently play basketball competi-tively or recreationally to improve their skills and have fun for a week in July. The camp will focus on individual basketball skills such as passing, ball-handling and shooting aswell as team skills and strategies. The cost per athlete is $80.00 which includes a t-shirt and daily prizes, not to mention quality instruction from some of Richmond's top girls' basketball coaches.
- Week 1
Girls currently in gr. 6,7, or 8
Date: June 30 - July 4, 1997
Time: 9am - 3pm each day
Cost:$80.00
- Week 2
Girls currently in gr. 9, 10, or 11
Date: July 7 to July 11, 1997
Time: 9am to 3pm each day
Cost: $80.00For information or registration contact Paula Brown or Lisa Metheral at Hugh Boyd tel. 668-6615 or fax 668-6569.
The North American Indigenous Games (NAIG) will be held from August 3 - 10, 1997 in Victoria, BC. More than 6,000 athletes, cultural performers and entertainers will transform Victoria into a world stage for a rich and diverse explosion of First Nations Culture. Contact (250) 361-1997 for more information.
Triathlons for the novice or the elite. Race Dates:
July 20th - Montreal
Aug. 3rd - Toronto
Aug. 31st - Edmonton
Sept. 7th - VancouverVancouver Training Clinics start July 9th and will be held on Wednesdays and Sundays. Call (604) 878-1875 or 1-888-822-CWTS for more information.
When Girls Feel Fat... Public Information Seminar
Sandra Susan Friedman, author of When Girls Feel Fat: Helping Girls Through Adolescence (see resources on pg.8 for more info.), is holding a public information seminar for parents and other mentors.
Date: Tuesday, June 24, 1997
Time: 7:30pm - 9:30pm
Place: Robson Square Conference Centre, Judge White Theatre
Cost: $12.50 at the door
Leadership development workshop June 20, 21 & 22, 1997 at Deka Lake Wilderness Camp. It is the intent of this workshop to train leaders on methods that will encourage women and girls to participate in outdoor leisure pursuits and physical activity for personal empowerment. Call K-J at (250) 828-3580 for more information and/or registration.
BC Games for Athletes with a Disability - July 9-13, Chilliwack. Call 737-3039 for more information.
BC Summer Games - July 24-27, Burnaby. Call (604) 294-1997 for details.
13th Congress of the International Association of Physical Education and Sport for Girls and Women (IAPESGW) July 27 to Aug.1, in Lahti, Finland.
North American Indigenous Games, Aug.3-10, Victoria. Call (250) 361-1997 for more information.
1997 Canada Summer Games, Aug.9-22, Brandon, Manitoba.
International Coaching School, August 23rd-30th, 1997, Victoria, BC. For more information contact the NCI at (250) 721-7589.
Run for the Cure - Sunday, October 5th, 1997. Call 263-5440 for details.
Volunteers Needed
Promotion Plus is supporting the Run for the Cure which takes place on Sunday, October 5th. This is an inclusive family walk/run (1km walk, 5km walk/run) with all proceeds going directly to research for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation.
We are asking our Network members to volunteer for this event. Motivated and energetic individuals are needed. Call the Promotion Plus office at 737-3075 for more information.
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Send completed form to: #305 - 1367 West Broadway, Vancouver, BC V6H 4A9 Phone: (604) 737-3075
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The following resources may be ordered from Promotion Plus by calling (604) 737-3075.
On The Move: A Handbook - designed to encourage non-active teenage girls and women to participate in fun-filled, supportive, recreational physical activities. Handbooks are $10 plus $3 shipping.
When Girls Feel Fat... Helping Girls Through Adolescence, Sandy Friedman, 1997. When Girls Feel Fat gives parents, teachers, and professionals clear and proven strategies to deal with conflict and to recognize the "worries about weight" that can lead to serious eating disorders. $21.40 (incl. tax) plus $3 shipping.
Making An Informed Decision About Girls' Participation on Boys' Teams, 1995. Should girls sign up for boys' teams? This handbook addresses this complex question and is a tool for informing leaders about the options involved in making a sound decision related to girls' participation on boys' teams. 30 pages, $10.
"Do It For You! Take the Challenge" Full-colour 18 x 24 poster and video promoting the joy and fun of physical activity for girls and young women. Video available on loan or for purchase for $10. Poster available for $2 from Promotion Plus. (plus $3 shipping)
CAAWS Catalogue: A Sourcebook on Girls, Women, Sport, and Physical Activity. A compilation of handbooks, reports, studies, videos, pamphlets, information kits, organizations and programs concerned with issues on girls, women, and sport. No Cost.
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NETWORK NEWS
A Quarterly Publication of Promotion Plus
Editor/Writer: Carrie Linegar Administrative Coordinator
Editor in Chief: Tammy Lawrence
Executive Director
Publisher: Promotion Plus
Please contact us with any questions, comments or for more
information at:
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Phone: (604) 737-3075
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