Play for Equality

Context

A disappointing trend can be observed in Ukraine – girls do less sport than boys. According to a ministry of finance report, women make up only 25% of those who play sports. In Ukraine, an average of 20,000 boys attend sports schools, as opposed to only 6,000 girls (Lviv State University of Physical Culture, 2012). This discrepancy is caused by the many stereotypes that girls face when they want to play sports. It is necessary to convey the value of sport to the younger generation of girls and debunk stereotypes about women's sports.

Project content

Play for Equality is a project for physical education teachers designed to increase the involvement of girls in sport. Our main message is to communicate the accessibility of sport for girls and motivate them to get involved. During the project, we want to debunk stereotypes about women's sport and engage PE teachers and teenage girls in discussions about self-determination, the need to fight bullying and stereotypes and the importance of women's leadership, equal access to sport, sports physiology and motivation.

Objectives

The mission is to interest teenage girls in sports and physical activity in general, and to develop women's leadership.

Our objectives are:

• Debunk stereotypes that suggest some types of sport are ‘not for women’;
• Motivate girls to play sports and lead an active lifestyle;
• Educate PE teachers on gender issues in schools;
• Bring about positive changes in society by promoting sports activities;
• Create permanent centres for the development of women's sports.

Project activities

• Provide a 10-day online (or offline, if possible) training programme for 100 PE teachers;
• Deliver sports equipment to 100 schools;
• Create a five-minute educational video about gender inequality in sport for use throughout Ukraine;
• Create 100 permanent football teams for girls in schools for a period of at least 6 months;
• Organise a four-day camp for 10 representatives and trainers from football teams:

Expected results

• 100 permanent football teams created for at least 1,000 teenage girls;
• 100 schools provided with equipment for safe football lessons and help them organise football teams;
• 240 girls involved in a football tournament and training about women's leadership, gender equality, healthy living, and other related topics;
• 100 PE teachers involved in educational training;
• 1 educational video on women's sports and debunking associated stereotypes.