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Cash to keep girls active
26/02/2008
A programme to tackle high levels of physical inactivity amongst girls is to be rolled out across all of Scotland's 381 secondary schools.
'Fit for Girls' (FfG), a national drive that will be led by sportscotland and backed by Government investment of almost £530,000, is aimed at schoolgirls aged 11-16 with the intention of encouraging them to adopt more active lifestyles.
The FfG programme will involve five Youth Sport Trust (YST) trainers providing training for teachers and Active Schools Coordinators, so that specially tailored activities can be developed for girls both in school and outside the curriculum.
Successful pilot schemes, supported by funding from the Big Lottery Fund and YST expertise, have already been run in 27 schools, with research showing that average participation rates increased from 18 per cent to 26 per cent in three quarters of the schools involved.
Physical activity among girls declines sharply as they get older. At age 11-12 only 56 per cent of girls are meeting the national recommendation for physical activity of one hour most days per week. This figure drops to just 41 per cent by the time girls are aged 13-15 year.
Sport Minister Stewart Maxwell said:
"The benefits of physical activity to the health and wellbeing of girls are enormous and the Scottish Government is committed to increasing participation across all ages.
"Worryingly, as young girls approach adolescence there is a decline in participation and involvement in exercise. We are keen to tackle this trend and to encourage girls to continue to enjoy activities into and well beyond their teens.
"This new investment will give girls and young women more opportunities and choices to enjoy the social, psychological and physical benefits possible through physical activity."
sportscotland Board Member Louise Martin CBE said:
"sportscotland welcomes the funding from the Scottish Government to roll-out the Fit for Girls programme across the country. What is unique about this programme is that it encourages girls to take ownership of their physical activity programme and allows them to choose a wider range of often non-competitive activities like dance and trampolining. It is also about making the school environment more 'girl friendly' when it comes to physical activity.
Endorsing the programme Liz McColgan MBE, Olympic and Commonwealth medallist said:
"If girls are to get and stay involved in sport throughout their lives it is essential that they have a positive experience at school. Girls face a number of barriers to participation so it is great to see the funding focusing on the training of teachers to ensure they have knowledge and understanding of the issues and are able to tailor activities that encourage all girls to take part."
Steve Grainger, Chief Executive of the Youth Sport Trust, said:
"Fit for Girls is specifically designed to make the experience of PE, sport and physical activity more appealing to teenage girls, who are not engaging at present . We are delighted to be delivering the programme in partnership with sportscotland as part of our wider work to create more new and exciting opportunities for young people to engage in PE, sport and physical activity and continue this participation into later life."
Alison Magee, Scotland Chair of the Big Lottery Fund said:
"I am delighted that the Scottish Government has decided to take forward the excellent work achieved through the Girls In Sport pilot funded by the Big Lottery Fund. This demonstrates that Lottery money can be used to try out new and innovative projects which can then be delivered across the country. Encouraging girls into sport can establish lifelong healthy activity and it's excellent news that sportscotland now has the statutory funding in place to allow all young women the opportunity to benefit."
The FfG programme is building on the success of the pilot programme (Girls in Sport and Physical Activity Project) which has launched 2003 and managed by sportscotland and the Youth Sports Trust. The pilot was funded as part of the £2.8 million Out of School Hours Learning (OHSL) programme by the Big Lottery Fund through sportscotland with additional investment from Health Promoting Schools and Scottish Government health funding.