New outdoor experience developed to support young women engage in sport.
Organisation: Adventures Specialties Trust
Location: Auckland
Funding: $10,000
Purpose: To fund outdoor recreation programmes for young women facing barriers to participation
Adventure Specialties Trust used support from the Physical Activity and Wellbeing Fund to kickstart ‘The Girls Journey’, a five-day outdoor experience for ten kōhine young women who haven’t engaged in traditional sport.
This programme established a supportive, all-women outdoor adventure group. This empowered participants to try new ways of being physically active, such as snorkelling, camping, tramping, and caving.
Girls hike up a mountain during a ‘The Girls Journey’ excursion, Tāwharanui Regional Park, Auckland.
All the activities were focused on building the confidence, resilience, teamwork, and leadership of participants.
One participant looked back at on her experience with the programme and shared this reflection.
“I’ve learnt that I can push myself, which will help me in life because now I know that whenever I feel like I can’t do anything, I can look back on this trip and remember how far I can push myself and go.”
Participant in 'The Girls Journey' jumps off rock into ocean after a long day of activities.