If She Can’t See It, She Can’t Be It

Posted By: MariaPalarino
Posted On: November 19th, 2019
Attending: Waterford Institute of Technology

20×20 is a fantastic campaign happening in Ireland right now. The goal of the campaign is to change the subliminal bias in the Irish psyche that exists around girls and boys (or women and men) when it comes to sports. 20×20 has partnered with The Federation of Irish Sport and all of Ireland’s leading sporting organizations have come together to pledge their active participation in supporting the initiative. It’s an all-inclusive movement to shift the cultural perception of women’s sport by 2020 with:

  • a 20% increase in media coverage of women in sport
  • a 20% increase in female participation at all levels of sport (whether it be players, coaches, referees, or administration)
  • a 20% increase in attendance at women’s games and events

The main emphasis of the campaign is that anyone can encourage a young woman to get involved in sport and that need these participants to ‘show your stripes,’ because if she can’t see it, she can’t be it.

I pledge to give more opportunities to support girls when it comes to sport, to coach and develop young female athletes, and to help those who aspire to become an elite athlete. For the past few weeks, I have had the opportunity to go St. John of God’s Primary School for the Waterford Sports Partnership Hoops for Girls Program in support of the 20×20 movement. I coach the 3rd, 4th, and 5th class girls every Monday for 35-minute sessions. The girls are always so excited to work on their basketball skills each week and hearing positive feedback from their teachers about how much they are loving the program is very rewarding.

If you are interested in supporting the 20×20 movement, take a look here to see how you can get involved. #ShowYourStripes #CantSeeCantBe #20×20

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