Girls Active Programme - Sligo Sport and Recreation Partnership
Girls Active Programme - Sligo Sport and Recreation Partnership
Girls Active Programme - Sligo Sport and Recreation Partnership
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Discussion<br />
enjoying more physical activity.<br />
• Generally, the girls were satisfied with the way<br />
in which the programme was implemented in<br />
their schools.<br />
The programme has, therefore, created opportunities<br />
for a large number of girls to undertake physical<br />
activity in a supportive school environment.<br />
Whether their involvement in physical activity will<br />
be a long-term one is too early to say at this stage,<br />
but their increased awareness of the issues relating<br />
to physical activity will improve the likelihood of it<br />
being so.<br />
5.2 Characteristics <strong>and</strong><br />
Implementation<br />
The main characteristics of the operation of the<br />
programme are outlined in Section 2. The findings<br />
in Section 4 provide detailed information on the<br />
implementation of the programme in individual<br />
settings <strong>and</strong> on the responses of girls <strong>and</strong> other<br />
stakeholders. In general, it is apparent from<br />
the available data that <strong>Girls</strong> <strong>Active</strong> has been<br />
successfully implemented in many schools in the<br />
region <strong>and</strong> has generated a very positive response<br />
from stakeholders. At the same time, the roll out<br />
of the programme has presented challenges <strong>and</strong><br />
further opportunities for all involved.<br />
5.2.1 General<br />
From all the findings it appears that the<br />
characteristics of the programme that appealed<br />
most to the participants were the fun <strong>and</strong> exercise<br />
elements. <strong>Girls</strong> also responded strongly to the<br />
‘novelty’ of the activities <strong>and</strong> the presence of<br />
friends. In addition, four out of ten felt that the fact<br />
that activities were girl-only was another plus for<br />
the programme.<br />
These, <strong>and</strong> other characteristics such as the<br />
absence of competition, time to change clothes<br />
<strong>and</strong> meeting new people, were built into the<br />
programme primarily in response to the earlier<br />
consultation with girls, so it is not surprising that<br />
participants responded to them in a positive light.<br />
They are also linked to many of the reasons that<br />
participants were disenchanted with traditional<br />
sports in the first place.<br />
School staff also responded positively to the<br />
programme. Both principals <strong>and</strong> co-ordinators<br />
commented on the general enthusiasm of the<br />
participants for <strong>Girls</strong> <strong>Active</strong> <strong>and</strong> on how it seemed<br />
to have influenced them in a positive manner,<br />
both in relation to their overall demeanour <strong>and</strong> in<br />
relation to their interest in pursuing opportunities<br />
for increased physical activity.<br />
Overall, the programme has been successful in<br />
terms of its implementation in schools. It is clear<br />
that most girls maintained their level of participation<br />
throughout the year <strong>and</strong> were satisfied with<br />
the sessions, the instructors <strong>and</strong> the support<br />
provided within the schools. A positive general<br />
satisfaction rating of 90% from participating girls<br />
via the questionnaire speaks for itself in this regard.<br />
Clearly, the fact that girls had an input into deciding<br />
what type of activities were undertaken in the<br />
programme paid dividends.<br />
Similarly, co-ordinating teachers <strong>and</strong> principals<br />
generally expressed satisfaction with the support<br />
provided by the steering group whether through<br />
funding, instructors’ database, ready accessibility<br />
by phone <strong>and</strong> teachers’ in-service training. In<br />
addition, the Activity Fest was mentioned as a<br />
valuable opportunity for girls to broaden their<br />
experiences of the programme.<br />
5.2.2 Strengths<br />
Staff in the case study schools identified the<br />
strengths of the programme as follows:<br />
• Design of the initiative that incorporates<br />
external instructors <strong>and</strong> a flexibility of approach<br />
in response to the needs of the girls,<br />
• Financial assistance provided, <strong>and</strong><br />
• Quality of staff involved – commitment of coordinators,<br />
expertise of instructors, support<br />
from the steering group.<br />
One of the clear strengths of the programme is that<br />
it has been developed <strong>and</strong> rolled out in consultation<br />
26<br />
Evaluation of the <strong>Girls</strong> <strong>Active</strong> <strong>Programme</strong> - 2003 – 2005 Report