British Olympians create campaign to encourage girls to get active

GB internationals Jenny Meadows and Emily Freeman have launched a new initiative aimed at inspiring girls to get active.

Their #SeeSportyBeSporty Role Models posters campaign is currently seeking support on crowdfunding website Kickstarter, which asks supporters to pledge anything from £3 to £5000 to be a part of the project, with rewards for those who pledge.

The aim is to raise a total of £6000 that will allow the team to share photos of girls aged 10-15 doing sports they love with an initial round of 2500 UK primary schools, aiming to help close the gender sport gap.

Creation of the campaign was in response to research which Meadows and Freeman, with their co-director Natalie Jackson and social enterprise company Totally Runable, say has shown an alarming gap in the activity levels, and confidence, of girls and boys when it comes to being physically active.

“We know first-hand the benefits that being physically active can bring girls and boys,” says world and European 800m medallist Meadows, “but from the work we do in schools we also know that there is still a huge difference in the messages girls often get about being ‘sporty’ and the messages society sends to boys.”

Beijing Olympic sprinter Freeman adds: “A picture is worth a thousand words and we often hear from girls at primary age that they are still far more likely to see posters, books or news articles about men or boys being sporty, so we would love to reach our £6000 funding target to produce this set of posters to be sent to 2500 UK primary schools to raise awareness and help redress that balance.”

As well as funding to make their posters, the team are looking for two final ‘Role Models’ to feature in them.

“We have four of our role models chosen already: a footballer, a kickboxer, a set of twin basketball players, and of course a runner,” Jackson says, “but we are on the lookout for at least two more female role models, aged 10-15.

“We are asking anyone who would like to nominate themselves, with parents’ permission, to email [email protected] with a photo of them doing their sport and 150 words about why they would love to be a #SeeSportyBeSporty Role Model.”

The Kickstarter campaign will run until May 10.