Girls Active Programme - Sligo Sport and Recreation Partnership

Findings
“Some didn’t go that often but I went because I liked it”
Benefits and impacts. The girls, co-ordinator and
principal all referred to the many benefits of the
Girls Active initiative. The girls themselves focused
on the opportunities that the programme provided
for fun (see quotes above) and for getting fitter and
feeling better:
“This [Girls Active activity] was an exercise. It made
you feel better, healthier, more upbeat”
“I felt pride in myself having done some kind of sport
instead of having done nothing”
Girls also referred to the novelty of the activities
and of feeling a sense of belonging:
“It was something new. Everybody else does
basketball but I did tai chi. It was fun”
“You always feel involved, you’re always taking part”
Many highlighted the fact that they now would
wish to undertake more exercise as a result of their
involvement in Girls Active – if more facilities were
available:
“It’s a pity we don’t have something to go to at lunch
[now], we’re not allowed [take part this year]”
“I loved aerobics, it was the best of the lot ... I would
have done it outside of school but there were no
classes on ... I’d do it definitely. I looked for some
[classes]”
Both the girls and the co-ordinator reported that
other girls expressed interest in joining the group,
although they also received some “slagging” from
other students:
“Many girls are very anxious to be in the group ... the
boys are even half-curious” (Co-ordinator)
“People looking in through [gym] windows put us off.
I felt uncomfortable. That always happens in the gym
anyway, it would put you off” (Girl)
The co-ordinator described how the girls became
enthusiastic for the programme through developing
a group identity even though some may have been
unhappy about their weight or were previously a bit
socially isolated. She stated that:
“The girls feel special, they are the ‘Girls Active
group’. Everyone in the group is the same, they don’t
have to be good [at sport]”
The principal also referred to the social benefits
of the programme for the participating girls, along
with the fact that they were now more physically
active. In this school, girls were allowed the “treat”
of being permitted to stay in their tracksuits on
the day of the Girls Active session and were alsopresented
with Girls Active t-shirts and certificates
on school prize-giving day at the end of the year. In
this way they had their own identity and stood out
from the student body.
Overall, the principal was very enthusiastic about
the programme, “It’s been a great success”.
Strengths and Weaknesses. The principal
described the strengths of the programme as
lying in the benefits to the girls taking part, i.e.
the fact that the girls were doing physical activity,
their greater confidence with regard to same,
their increased openness to new ideas and their
improved relationships with others. He saw no
weaknesses in the programme. The co-ordinator
listed as strengths the range of activities available,
the quality of the support provided by the steering
group including the provision of the database of
instructors and the financial assistance. She cited
the limitations on the length of Girls Active sessions
imposed by their extra-curricular nature and the
difficulty in locating instructors as weaknesses of
the programme.
Links with other school programmes. The Girls
Active co-ordinator is also the SPHE co-ordinator
in the school and she acknowledged that there is
a link between her work on both programmes. The
girls reported that physical activity was discussed
in SPHE class during the year. The principal
Evaluation of the Girls Active Programme - 2003 – 2005 Report 17