The goal of Girls Soar is to “To celebrate, motivate and educate girls".  Our objective is to help inactive girls become active both in their schools and at home.

WHAT IS GIRLS SOAR?

Girls Soar is an initiative of Active Halifax Communities.   This initiative was created in response to a study conducted on the physical activity level of youth in Canada.  Some of the findings showed that:

• Physical activity decreases as the ages of girls increases, girls drop out of sport at a rate that is six times greater than boys by the age of 14. (CAAWS)
• By age 18, more than 50% of women perceive themselves as too fat, despite having normal body weight oIf a girl does not participate in sport by the time she is 10, there is only a 10% chance that she will participate when she is 25. (CAAWS)

• The Girls Soar initiative is dedicated to increasing opportunities for girls and young women to be active.  We are working to increase the number of female centered opportunities for physical activity primarily through promotion and education in the Halifax Regional Municipality. The basic principle of female centered programs is to provide girls and young women with equal access to active opportunities that meet their needs. 

WHY DO WE NEED GIRLS SOAR?

Overall, 12% of children and youth are accumulating enough physical activity to meet Canadian guidelines and only 5% of adolescent girls are meeting Canadian physical activity guidelines. (CFLRI CAN PLAY 2007-2009).

WHAT DOES THE RESEARCH SAY?

Despite significant growth in the area of advocacy for the advancement of women and girls in sport and physical activity, studies are consistently showing alarming statistics for both fitness levels and participation rates for girls.

"Physical inactivity has become an increasingly alarming situation in the Province of Nova Scotia.  Beginning at the young age of 12, girls’ involvement in physical activity declines steadily, where less than 1% were still active by grade 11".

Additionally, 62% of Canadian girls are not considered active enough for health benefits, and they become less active as they grow.

It is also known that female high-school athletes are 92% less likely to get involved with drugs, and are 89% less likely to get pregnant when they are involved in sport (Sport Matters, Online).  They are also three times more likely to graduate from high school than their non-athletic peers.

GIRLS ONLY?

Female-only programs provide a supportive environment where girls may feel comfortable to attempt new skills and participate on their own terms (Fenton, 2000; Henderson & King, 1998).

Participation in programs successfully allows adolescent girls to define themselves in terms other than weight, appearance or image (Jaffee & Wu, 1996) and provides them with essential choices that ensure that their individual needs and interests are sufficiently met (Fenton, 2000; Henderson & King, 1998).

If you would like more information on Girls Soar including ways to get girls in your community more active, please contac the ACTIVE Halifax Communities Coordinator at active[at]halifax.ca or call 490-5447.