City of Casey has launched a new program aimed at inspiring, encouraging and breaking down barriers to get more women and girls involved in sport and physical activity called the We Are We Can We Will program.
Council kicked off the program with a fitting launch event at Casey Stadium recently, featuring an inspirational presentation from Olympic freestyle swim champion Elka Whalan Graham and a group fitness activity delivered by former Melbourne Vixens netballer, Ashlee Howard.
City of Casey Mayor Cr Geoff Ablett said council is committed to improving the health and wellbeing of our community.
“Through this campaign, council aims to empower and support more women and girls to get active and get involved in sport and recreation opportunities in the local community,” he said.
“While it’s widely known that being active is important for our physical and mental health, research shows that females of all ages generally have lower physical activity participation rates than males.
“Female participation through sporting or recreational clubs is lower and women and girls generally experience more barriers preventing them from being as physically active.
“As we roll-out this program initially over the next 12 months, council hopes to inspire, boost confidence, reduce stigma and stereotypes and address barriers to participation to support more women and girls to get active.”
Through We Are We Can We Will, council will be sharing the stories of local campaign ambassadors who are involved in sport and active recreation in a range of ways, promoting a variety of local sport and recreation opportunities that exist across Casey and providing learning and development opportunities that increase the skills of women and girls enabling greater involvement across all aspects of the sector.
They will also be hosting a summit that will bring together women and girls from across Casey to take part in workshops, roundtables, practical sessions and panel sessions.
The first education workshop, Introduction to Sports Coaching Principles and Practice, is on Wednesday 25 July at 6.30pm at Olive Road Sports Complex, 2-81 Frawley Road, Eumemmering.
This free workshop is targeted at women and girls aged 16 and over who are involved in coaching junior players, who would like to know more about the fundamentals of good coaching practice.
Topics covered will include how to plan motivating and fun sessions, coaching styles, giving feedback, how to structure practice and approaches to organising sessions.
For further details on how to register, as well as a range of sport and active recreation opportunities in Casey, visit www.casey.vic.gov.au/womeninsport.
