BEHIND the closed doors of a certain office tucked away in the upstairs of Leeds University Union, big things are happening. Phones are constantly picked up, meetings scheduled and emails monitored in a hawk-like among a group of workers each sat at their own crowded desk. One of these is Emma Mackenzie-Hogg, the University’s Club and Recreation Development Manager, who, next week, will launch her exciting and innovative campaign – ‘Uni Girls Can’ across campus.
Despite having been kept relatively on the quiet up until now, ‘Uni Girls Can’ will seek to engage more female university students in physical activity and help them overcome the social and personal challenges when participating in exercise.
The campaign will hope to emulate the success of ‘This Girl Can’ – an initiative launched by Sport England earlier this year after staggering research revealed a significant gender gap in sport participation. The country’s largest Sports Council revealed that two million fewer women than men aged 14-40 regularly participate in sport each week. The investigation also disclosed the reasons why most young women choose not to participate in physical activity – because of fear of judgement, for competency fears or for feeling guilty at neglecting their parental role.
As a result, ‘This Girl Can’ was launched; whose promotional video includes slogans such as “Sweating like a pig, feeling like a fox”. The video has been positively embraced by thousands following its initial publication on national television and has since stormed social media using the hashtag #ThisGirlCan.
After attending a conference chaired by the CEO of Sport England, Emma, like many other university representatives, was asked how they would realistically endorse ‘This Girl Can’ for a student framework. Inspired by ‘This Girl Can’, Emma decided to launch a university-based adaptation from the national campaign at Leeds University, translating its message from a national context to one that is suited for a student framework. ‘Uni Girls Can’, was born as a result.
And since giving birth to her twenty-one month-old baby, Emma herself has found that her life has taken a different turn in terms of inactivity. “Throughout different periods in your life your priorities change. I for one am not as active as I used to be. Now I sometimes do feel the fear of judgement when I’m out on a run as I don’t like leaving my little girl. It’s something I can definitely relate to. I do, however, want her to grow up and be proud of who she is and participate in sport,” she said.
Monday 12 October, the official seven-day launch of ‘Uni Girls Can’ will see a mixture of practical, motivational and academically stimulating events take place across Leeds University. Six guest speakers and two former athletes will descend on campus to share their unique experiences, tips and advice about participating in sport. Among these will be 21 times world champion Dame Sarah Storey, Great Britain’s most decorated female Paralympian. The ex-Leeds Beckett Sports Science student will deliver a practical spin session followed by a talk that will look at her outstanding sporting career; the barriers she has faced as a woman and her recent challenge of becoming a mum.
Mother and daughter marathon runners, Dr Jayne Rodgers (herself a former Leeds alumni) and her mum Bibi, famous for their award-winning food and fitness blog, ‘Veggie Runners’, will talk about the pressures women face when doing sport and share nutrition tips, followed by leading some runs.
The launch also includes a conversation panel at the Business school on 15 October, where BBC sports broadcaster Tanya Arnold, international hockey umpire Sophie Ashcroft, Alison Rose (Jessica Ennis-Hill’s Physiotherapist) and World Aikido Champion Laura Beardsmore will openly discuss the future of females in sport and what needs to be done to ensure participation remains a high priority among women. To top the week off, a ‘Catwalk Run’ is being organised at Cromer Terrace, where students are invited to embrace the fun, glamourous and colourful side of running. After a free nail painting session and the chance to sample Lornah Sports gym wear, guests will run down to the First Direct Arena before hitting up the Hidden Café for coffee and cake.
This is a fantastic opportunity for female students from all backgrounds and physical ability to learn more about the importance of staying active whilst studying and the benefits that can enjoyed.
Emma hopes that her campaign will be able to match the positivity of ‘This Girl Can’ and will ensure that university females have the support, guidance and impetus to challenge the stereotypical gender issues that have traditionally discouraged women to partake in sporting activity. “After the conference at Sport England, I went away and thought to myself, I’m in a bit of a position here to really make a difference for our students and staff,” she said.
To view the full programme of the ‘Uni Girls Can’ launch at Leeds University, visit http://sport.leeds.ac.uk/sport/uni-girls-can/
Fiona Tomas
Featured photo: The Gryphon