Girls & Women Empowerment in Sport for All

The inaugural Mission 2030 Workshop on Gender Equity took place on 8 March in celebration of International Women's Day and was held in partnership with the ITTF Foundation.

TAFISA and the ITTF Foundation have joined forces to offer insights on Girls & Women Empowerment in Sport for All. The Workshop provided an opportunity for productive discussion on methods to empower girls and women to reach their full potential in Sport for All. Over 150 participants learned from TAFISA, ITTF Foundation and Nike, Inc. as well as FLOT Mentees (EU-funded project aiming to empower a new generation of young African and European women to lead the Global Sport for All Movement) who shared their first-hand experiences.

Relive the Workshop through our video playlist below or on YouTube.

 

 

The Workshop did not only provide learnings, knowledge and experience sharing opportunities, but also practical solutions and recommendations on how to empower girls and women in Sport for All. Learn more about key insights and resources shared during the Workshop in our dedicated article

 

 

Workshop Speakers:

Wendy Gillett

Wendy Gillett -TAFISA Special Advisor for Oceania

Wendy Gillett joined Bluearth Foundation as CEO in January 2013 and went on to become a Strategic Advisor for the Board in late 2018. She has had a diverse career working across education, health, community services and sport and recreation however the themes across all settings has been to deliver system change and improve outcomes. She has won public sector awards for her work in sport and recreation and industry awards in community services. She is a strong advocate for women and girls in all spheres of life, and is passionate about the transformative power of sport, recreation and physical activity. She is also a Board member of the Kids Thrive - an arts based social change organisation, a founding member of the Women's International Stone Alliance and  TAFISA Special Advisor for Oceania.

Julia Tappendorf

Julia Tappendorf – Global Programmes and Operations Coordinator, ITTF Foundation

Julia Tappendorf has been working as Global Programmes and Operations Coordinator at ITTF Foundation since 2019. Beforehand, she's worked at the United Nations Office on Sport for Development and Peace and was a Research Assistant at the Faculty of Sport Sciences of the University of Leipzig. 

Mariette Brethouwer

Mariette Brethouwer - Made to Play Director, Social & Community Impact, Nike EMEA

Mariette has spent the last 12 years of her career working on Social impact with much joy– in both non-profit and corporate roles. She joined Nike’s Social & Community Impact team in 2016 to grow the EMEA partnerships portfolio and is currently the Director for Made to Play, Nike’s commitment to getting all kids active. Within the EMEA team, she is also responsible for the Girls strategy to increase participation and visibility of all girls on and off the pitch. She is a member of the Women of EMEA network and proudly calls herself an intersectional feminist.

FLOT Mentees

Tinka Leskovec, Phumlile Ndzinisa, Kaija Ruck, Onalenna Tsae - Female Leaders of Tomorrow (FLOT) Project

Female Leaders of Tomorrow (FLOT) aims to equip and empower a new generation of young African and European women who are currently working (or volunteering) in Sport for All with the necessary skills, knowledge, experience and guidance to lead the Global Sport for All Movement. Through a comprehensive global mobility and mentoring programme, the participants will strengthen their future employability and enhance their personal and professional development through the acquisition of new skills, knowledge and experience gained through nonformal education and time spent in foreign countries. Visit the project's website for more information.

 

Moderator:

Keri McDonald

Keri McDonald, TAFISA Business Development and Fundraising Manager

With over a decade of experience in Sport for All as a coach, volunteer, programme and event coordinator and project manager, Keri is presently employed as the Business Development and Fundraising Manager for TAFISA. As well as completing a Bachelor of Arts (Sport Management) and Master of Science (Sport Policy, Management and International Development), Keri has worked across the public, not for profit and educational sector in the UK and Australia to increase sport and physical activity opportunities for all citizens, with a strong emphasis on marginalised groups and vulnerable populations. Keri is also a PhD candidate at the University of Edinburgh investigating the evolvement of Sport for Development and Peace in the South African context.

This Workshop was the first from our TAFISA Mission 2030 Workshop Series; a series of 12 Workshops tackling the 12 themes of TAFISA Mission 2030. 

Resources