Central’s young women can join the #itsmymove campaign, led by Sport New Zealand to help young women be active and healthy their way; all they’ll need is an internet connection and some space to move in. 

The campaign’s free short online workouts (developed with Les Mills) and podcasts specifically for young women have been released on social media platforms such as TikTok recently and are rising in popularity.

Dance, yoga, combat and cardio and skateboarding workouts feature in a campaign to get young women moving more

Sport Central regional coordinator Jo Knight said she’s been talking about the campaign in schools in Central and sharing it with rangatahi who’ll be leaving school soon during an ‘Adulting 101’ course in Alexandra last week.

Sport Central’s Jo Knight was a boxer in her early sporting days. Now she enjoys Ju-Jitsu, curling, darts and getting moving with friends, family and colleagues. PHOTO: Supplied

“It's focused on 14, 15 and 16 year old girls, it’s a smart campaign… well set out with a section for girls, parents and providers.”

Jo said there is widespread recognition that girls are dropping out of structured traditional sports.

“‘It’s My Move’ is about moving your body… it could be skateboarding or doing a TikTok dance… you don’t have to play structured sport, it just needs to be fun and active.” 

Research undertaken by Sport NZ shows that by the age of 16, there is a 17 per cent gap between male and female participation in sport and recreation in Aotearoa and by the age of 17, this increases to 28 per cent.

While the research also shows that 90 per cent of young women want to be active and 96 per cent of young women understand why physical activity is important for them, there are clear contributing factors to the decline in participation. These include body image, judgement, time pressures, motivation and loss of fun.

Sport NZ chief executive Raelene Castle said the aim is to create awareness around the reasons why many young women stop participating in structured sport and support them in finding activities they love to do.

“We need to take the time to understand what young women want when it comes to participating in physical activity. We need to create environments in which they can thrive, and encourage, motivate and enable them to move in whatever way works for them.

“`It’s My Move’ is focused on helping young women feel confident, be part of the conversation and empowered to participate on their terms.”

Active NZ research shows young women increasingly opt out of formal sporting environments as they grow older. By age 17, the top three activities young women undertake are running, workouts and walking.

Covid-19 has added to participation challenges for young women, with the ongoing disruption to recreation and sports and long periods of remote learning.

University of Waikato School of Health Professor Holly Thorpe said during the pandemic, young women have changed where and how they participate.

“Kicking a soccer ball around in the backyard with siblings, learning to skateboard on the footpath, practising TikTok dance routines and doing an online workout with friends are all great alternatives. Keeping moving for pleasure, learning, self-expression, connection with peers and physical fitness generally are more important than ever in our young women’s lives.”

The campaign seeks to raise awareness of the reasons for the participation gap with parents and providers and equip them with strategies to better support female rangatahi.

Jo said in Central there are plenty of options for unstructured sports for young women including recreational ice skating, great trails for walking, running or bike riding and skate parks for scootering and skateboarding.

“Otago bucks the trend and our numbers are above average for participation in sport and exercise…there are great options we have access to in our region and it’s about opening kids' eyes and parents to these things … perhaps [you’ve] moved into the area and aren’t familiar with all that is available.”

One such activity provider is Journeys Central Otago; a charitable trust who has been profiled in “It’s my move”.

Journeys identified a need within the community to connect and develop self-confidence, resilience, and outdoor skills in young women. 

What started off as a pilot focussed on mountain biking and on-foot adventures has grown to involve a co-design approach to meet the needs of the local young women, with 20 female instructors keeping things going. 

Co founder of Journeys and physiotherapist Megan Longman said the need for person to person connection is so important, especially in the post-pandemic environment. 

“Bringing different people together is so good for mental wellbeing.

She said her role was “incredibly rewarding” and working with people to develop a “love of being physically active” felt like a privilege.

“It's so neat to be involved in the worlds of young people in our community.”

Megan said the organisation needs women this summer in Roxburgh to train to become instructors. Anyone interested should contact Journeys directly. 

There is a fundraising rogaine (long distance cross country navigating) at Goulburn Station in the Ida Valley for Journeys on Sunday August 28. Get more information on this event here

Learn more about Journeys here. For the free workouts visit the It’s my move website, or watch Journeys here

Are you or your whanau staying healthy in an innovative way? Share your story with our reporters via email: [email protected]