Life Skills through Sport

What are self-esteem and confidence?
Self-esteem is one’s subjective evaluation of their own worth or abilities.

Why are they important for adolescent girls?
In many communities, girls often lack spaces to build their confidence and self-esteem in constructive and healthy ways, particularly when it comes to communicating their needs and wants, exercising their rights, and expressing their emotions.

How can sport strengthen self-esteem and confidence?
Sport programmes help girls learn to use their voices in confident and strong ways, such as organising and coordinating with teammates during a match, demanding foul calls from the referee, voicing opinions and feelings to the coach during the match or at practice. Stepping out onto a playing field takes courage and confidence, and the more that girls play, the more they build their self-esteem. Learning new sport skills also builds confidence and self-esteem, helping girls realise that physical activity is not just for boys in the community, but that they too can learn and master the same skills.

Examples:
Goal Programme Sessions

• Our Positive Qualities
• Girls Against Aggression
• Outer confidence
• Inner confidence

What is leadership?
Leadership encompasses the ability to lead, influence, or guide a group of people.

Why is it important for adolescent girls?
In many places, girls rarely or never get the opportunity to lead. When they are never provided with this opportunity, it is difficult for them to understand that their opinion and perspective matters and is important and valid.

How can sport strengthen leadership?
One of the most powerful ways for girls to develop leadership skills is for them to experience leadership roles. When they are expected to lead others, they often find power and abilities within themselves they might not know existed. Sport provides multiple opportunities for girls to become leaders. Something as simple as leading a warm-up session can help girls develop their confidence, voice, and self-awareness.

Additionally, sport provides a unique opportunity for girls to see women in leadership roles such as trainer, coach, referee or organisation leader. The more girls are exposed to other women in leadership positions, the more they will be able to envision themselves in these positions.

Examples:
Goal Programme Sessions

• Who is a Leader?

What is negotiation?
Negotiation is the ability to take part in a negotiation process by respecting others while being assertive, being cooperative, using communication skills, showing leadership skills and saying no when one’s well-being is threatened.

Why is it important for adolescent girls?
The better girls are able to communicate, negotiate and understand how to refuse advances, the more likely they are to avoid dangerous peer pressure that may result in lying, stealing, crossing emotional and physical boundaries, abuse, and unsafe sexual experiences.

How can sport strengthen negotiation skills?
Practising using their voice to communicate and negotiate in loud and forceful ways during a sport practice can help girls gain the confidence to use that voice off the field. For example, a girl who builds confidence on the field might be more likely to speak up in her best interest, or say no when approached for sex or pressured to do drugs. Learning to negotiate playing time on the field, position choice or rules of the game can help girls learn to negotiate and communicate their rights off the field such as at school, home or in a relationship. Communication, negotiation and refusal skills are also critical in protecting girls from various forms of gender-based violence and in asserting their sexual and reproductive rights.

Examples:
Goal Programme Sessions

• Learning to Say No (and meaning it!)
• Say it with Silence
• Peer Pressure

What is emotional literacy?
Emotional literacy is the ability to understand and express one’s behaviours, emotions and feelings. This skill is important for understanding oneself and interacting constructively with others.

Why is it important for adolescent girls?
Adolescence can be a very confusing and emotional time for girls, particularly because they are going through significant changes. It is important for girls to be able to understand what is happening to them not only physically, but emotionally as well, and learn how to express those feelings, emotions, fears and confusions in healthy and positive ways. Too often, girls feel like they are going through these changes alone and do not reach out and ask for help, explanations or support.

How can sport strengthen emotional literacy?
Girls can find safe spaces (both physically and emotionally) in a sport programme where they can discuss and talk about what they are feeling as they experience adolescence with others who are going through similar experiences. Additionally, role models such as coaches and facilitators are in a great position to become confidants and guide girls through this confusing period in their lives. Through sport, girls learn how to share their feelings, trust others and feel part of a group, all factors that will make it easier for them to discuss and express what is going on inside their heads.

What is stress management?
Stress management is the ability to address feelings of tension, anxiety, or pressure and deal with them in positive ways.

Why is it important for adolescent girls?
Many situations can cause stress for adolescent girls, who face the normal stressors of adolescence in addition to stress related to gendered expectations of their role in society. These include schoolwork and exams, family conflict, relationships with friends, decisions about whether to have sexual intercourse, or future plans for careers.

Recurrent stress can result in lower levels of self-confidence and self-esteem, and lead to vicious cycles of self-doubt and self-blame. By developing stress management skills, adolescent girls can deal with stress in healthy, positive ways that make them more resilient to future stressors.

How can sport strengthen stress management skills?
Sport and other forms of physical activity can help lower overall stress levels and improve physical and mental health. Building relationships between team members and coaches also helps girls create support networks they can turn to when they are stressed or anxious.

Playing sports can also create stressful moments and provide girls with opportunities to deal with this stress by practising stress management skills (like breathing exercises, positive self-talk, or visualising success). Practising these techniques in high-stress situations on the playing field can help reinforce these skills for when girls face stressful everyday events.

Examples
Goal Programme Sessions

• Being Mindful

What is resilience?
Resilience is maintaining effort and interest despite failure and adversity.

Why is it important for adolescent girls?
A skill like resilience is likely to help a girl succeed on her sport team, at school or in her job despite the many societal obstacles that prevent adolescent girls from reaching their full potential. This skill is especially important when girls must cope with traumatic events that happen early on in their lives, causing harmful emotional damage, a decrease in self-esteem and even depression. Traumatic events could include being pulled out of school by family, barred from participation in sport or other leisure activities, forced labour at a young age, or any form of gender-based violence.

How can sport strengthen resilience?
Through sport, girls learn to manage stress when playing matches and games or trying out for and learning new positions. Importantly, sport can teach girls not only how to win and celebrate, but also how to lose and try again, emphasising resilience in the face of obstacles and failure.

Examples
Girls Against Aggression

• I am Resilient
• Resilience

What is teamwork and cooperation?
Teamwork and cooperation are important skills to develop that are transferable to multiple life scenarios. Being a good team player means that you not only celebrate individual strengths and differences but collaborate as a group of unique individuals to achieve a common goal. Teamwork and cooperation can also teach other important skills such as effective communication and listening.

Why is it important for adolescent girls?
Often, girls are not celebrated for their unique strengths and skills, which can make it harder to see their personal value. When they learn to collaborate with others, they experience an environment where their skills and qualities are valued. This can lead to increased self-esteem and willingness to work with those around them in school, at home, on the field, or in a job.

How can sport strengthen teamwork and cooperation?
Playing on a sports team with a supportive coach and teammates who help develop a personal sense of value illustrates the positive aspects of teamwork and shows how when players cooperate and pool their skills and talents, they can win games or reach objectives they could not have individually. Being a team player and cooperating on the field can help girls work in groups at school, contribute to different areas of family life, or be group leaders in their jobs.

Examples
Goal Programme Sessions

• Ground Rules
• Power With

What is problem solving?
Problem solving is the ability to think through steps that lead to a desired goal by identifying and understanding a problem and devising a solution to address it. Problem solving begins with recognising that a problematic situation exists and establishing an understanding of the nature of the situation. It requires the solver to identify the specific problem(s) to be solved, plan and carry out a solution(s), and monitor and evaluate progress throughout the activity.

Why is it important for adolescent girls?
With threats such as gender-based violence, abusive relationships and cultural stereotypes that strip girls of their sexual and reproductive health, education, work and leisure rights, it is important for girls to learn how to solve problems and take ownership of their lives.

An important aspect of problem-solving is understanding that sometimes a problem cannot be solved alone. Therefore, it is essential for girls to be aware of and able to access external resources that can provide support if they are experiencing abuse, or if they have specific questions or concerns related to menstruating or sexual and reproductive health. When girls know how to access these services and aren’t afraid to do so, they greatly reduce emotional and physical health risks and gain valuable care, information, and support.

How can sport strengthen problem solving skills?
Sports can provide a place to practise problem-solving skills. By introducing challenges in play, for instance introducing several balls to the game or adapting the rules to make it harder to win, girls get to practise thinking about solutions.

Trusted coaches or woman facilitators are ideal for introducing girls to community resources and services. They can take the girls on visits to various service providers and introduce them, in non-threatening and comfortable ways, to contacts at the institutions who can help the girls get the treatment or help they need. This initial introduction through a sport programme field trip can make girls more comfortable and less afraid to access these services outside of the programme later in life.

Examples
Goal Programme Sessions

• Help in My Community

What is critical thinking?
Critical thinking is the ability to question and interpret information, connect ideas, and make decisions based on that information.

Why is it important for adolescent girls?
With critical thinking skills, adolescent girls can analyse the information they receive, reason with their own experience and other knowledge, and identify solutions to problems in their own lives and in their communities. These skills are especially important for understanding their surrounding environment, the role that they are expected to play within society, and the role they actually want to pursue.

How can sport strengthen critical thinking skills?
Sport programmes can be excellent environments to gain access to information and build understanding that supports critical thinking. Through the guidance of knowledgeable coaches and the support of their teammates, girls can explore through their own perspective what is important to them, be met with alternative viewpoints, and understand what strategies to use to solve problems.

Sport programmes can reach girls who are not in school, in rural areas and in communities where girls are not always able to access accurate information or given opportunities to practice critical thinking skills, particularly related to their rights and roles in society.

Examples
Goal Programme Sessions

• Wants and Needs
• Gender in our Community

Gender-Based Violence
Critical thinking and decision-making are crucial for adolescent girls faced with the risk of gender-based violence, before, during and after the violence and abuse takes place. Knowing how to navigate the risks of gender-based violence and making decisions during or after experiencing abuse in order to lessen the impact of harmful consequences are critical skills that adolescent girls need.

As an organisation offering sport programming for girls, you can:

• Connect with local service providers, such as social welfare organisations, to help educate participants and counsel those who have been victims of gender-based violence. Be prepared to transport a girl to a service provider instead of simply making a referral.
• Report instances of gender-based violence to the police and family, if this does not further jeopardise the girl’s safety. If a family member is involved in the violence, or authorities cannot be trusted to handle the situation at hand, use alternative service providers.
• Invite someone who has experienced and overcome gender-based violence to come and share their story with the group.
• Train peer educators about responding to gender-based violence. A girl is often more willing to talk to a peer about being abused.
• Use alternative communication forms, such as poetry, music or theatre to open up sensitive discussions about gender-based violence.
• Conduct outreach events to raise awareness about gender-based violence in your region.

Examples:
Goal Programme Sessions

• History of Violence
• What is Gender-based Violence?
• Speaking up against Violence

What is decision making?
Decision-making is the process of choosing between two or more courses of action, and includes looking ahead to what the consequences of these actions will be.

Why is it important for adolescent girls?
Adolescent girls have to make important decisions related to school and studies, relationships, sex, and contraceptive use. Some of these decisions are easier to make and the right choice is clear. Others are more difficult and require girls to consider different perspectives and consequences of these decisions. Being able to consider the benefits and risks of different decisions before making a final choice is a vital skill for girls to make informed decisions that impact their lives.

How can sport strengthen decision making skills?
Playing sports can help girls practise making decisions, and oftentimes under pressure and with short time frames. For example, a leader might have to make difficult decisions about who they choose to play in a match. The more girls practise making decisions in a training environment, the more comfortable they can become with making decisions in their personal lives as well.

Examples
Goal Programme Sessions

• Making Decisions
• Share with Care (Digital Safety)
• Contraception
• Risky Behavior

What are goal setting and time management?
Goal setting is the process of identifying something that you want to accomplish and establishing measurable goals and timeframes to get there. Setting goals means that a person has committed thought, emotion, and behaviours towards attaining the goal.

Why are they important for adolescent girls?

In many communities, girls are often not taught to take pride in their skills and qualities or encouraged to set and reach goals. Educating girls on setting life goals for themselves and creating a plan to reach those goals helps them realise their own value.

Whether they are educational, career or family goals, objectives help girls focus and gain control of their behaviour and actions, make healthy decisions and improve their confidence and self-esteem. Girls are frequently conditioned to believe that they have a limited role to play in life: to be married off, to be someone’s wife and become a tool for reproduction. By opening up the discussion about what they want for themselves, and how they could start planning to get there, they can become more intentional about their lives and their personal goals.

How can sport strengthen goal setting and time management skills?
By learning to set small goals and reach them, like juggling a football 10 times or running a kilometre without stopping, girls learn through sport that the possibilities of developing skills and reaching goals are endless. Girls start to believe that they can accomplish and achieve objectives by working hard and putting their energy into the goals they have set.

Good coaches and facilitators can help girls transfer this skill off the field, by showing them that the possibilities that exist for them are numerous and not limited to what society tells them their roles should be. A girl can learn that there are similarities between working hard to run a certain distance and studying hard to pass a certain exam and continue their education.

Examples
Goal Programme Sessions

• My Goals
• Planning for a Future Career
• My Plan