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“Me making an impact is doing something that is meaningful and fulfilling so that I will always keep doing it and bringing the best version of myself to it.”
The push for stronger women is more prominent than ever. But there is still lots to do. Sports are a way for people to showcase physical ability, nurture skills, and build confidence. In this episode, we reconnect with Alicia Lui, Founder of Women in Sports Empowered HK (WISE HK) to hear about their work bringing girls and women into sports to contribute to this greater movement for gender equality.
How can we promote confident, strong, resilient girls and women to impact their community? WISE HK promotes the benefits of playing sports to girls and women uses sports to empower them to lead active, meaningful and self-fulfilled lives. We last spoke to Alicia about a year ago on episode 51. This time, Alicia goes into more depth about how the idea behind WISE HK was to combine women’s issues and sports. She also shares her own perspective in founding this organization. WISE HK has had girls as young as four years old participating in their programs and continues mentor young women to be leaders.
In this episode, you will learn about
- How sports can foster leadership and empower young girls
- Alicia’s reflections on her personality traits and challenges on her founder’s journey
- The different ways WISE HK empowers girls to be sports organizers
- Why it is important to critically think about the definition of “sporty”
“So many women and girls grow up thinking they are not sporty, and that’s why they don’t play sports. We can’t let this definition define who we are.”
Alicia continues to question what it means to be “sporty” because the label has been used to make girls feel they are not good enough to participate in athletics. This episode dives into a deeper discussion about how even the little things can affect which activities are meant for women to succeed in. To recreate gender norms, Alicia describes how WISE HK is teaching girls to be active and giving them the tools to manage their own sports activities. By giving girls the guidance, networks and skills to be active agents in sports, WISE HK is fostering a new generation of powerful women who will impact the world.
Do you have an interest in participating in sports? Have you thought about gender segregation in sports and other aspects of society? Do you want to be part of this feminist movement to cultivate confident powerful women? Are there girls in your life who you want to empower and would benefit from gaining leadership skills through WISE HK?
If you want to get in touch with Alicia and WISE HK after listening to this episode, you can visit their website, or follow them on Facebook and Instagram. They organize many different programs and panel discussions that you can become involved in to be a part of this community dedicated to empowering girls and women in Hong Kong.
This time we also say THANK YOU to The G.R.E.E.N. Hospitality Conference, hosted by Soap Cycling, making it possible for two of our #impact Club members to join their brilliant event.
