Girls at Bat

Girls At Bat is a girls-only baseball program co-designed and delivered in partnership with the Jay’s Care Foundation. Designed to combat negative stereotypes and empower young girls and women, Girls At Bat weaves in fun and challenging baseball drills with vital self-esteem, team-building and personal health activities to make both playing and coaching feel fun and safe, ensuring that all participants gain far more than baseball skills.

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ABOUT THE PROGRAM

Extensive research has shown that physically active children have an improved ability to concentrate, and that exercise reduces stress, improves sleep, and decreases symptoms of depression and anxiety. Perhaps most importantly, physical activity also develops children’s self-esteem and confidence. Their ability to overcome challenging situations improves with an active lifestyle and they simply enjoy a better, sunnier outlook on life while developing further social skills such as leadership and empathy.

Yet only 59% of girls between ages 3 & 17 participate in sports

Girls need sports and more female role models practicing and coaching them in sports to ensure that they live long and healthy, active lives and reach their full potential. Girls At Bat Clinics are designed to be a spark that ignites that passion in communities all across Canada by empowering girls and young women who would normally sit on the side-lines or not even go near the field, to have the courage to try.

In order to ensure that the Girls At Bat experience is profound for the girls involved, Jays Care and Plan International Canada devotes significant time, expertise, training and coaching to the local women who are the key implementers of the program. These women identify the needs of their community and engage girls to participate and lead the workshop delivery itself. Through specialized coaching and training, both female coaches and girls gain both skills and valuable experience.

Girls At Bat is unique in its approach to sport engagement because it engages women from local communities to run the workshops themselves. Girls At Bat seeks to engage individuals who would typically shy away from active play in meaningful sports engagement to change their outlook on physical activity and build self-confidence in the process.

Outcomes

For Girls

Increased self-esteem and awareness of positive body image
Enhanced baseball and physical literacy skills
Enhanced connection and commitment to regular physical activity
Enhanced relationships to peers and positive female role models

For Female Coaches

Enhanced passion and commitment to be female role models in sport and play
Increased confidence in planning, leading and assessing positive girls-only programming
Enhanced skills in leading outcome-based programs for girls

For Communities

Increased number of accessible and reliable baseball and self-esteem building programs available for girls
Increased number of girls participating in regular sport programming
Increased number of women in sport leadership and coaching positions through sport on their communities

Girls At Bat is having a real and lasting impact on the lives of girls and young women across Canada. Together, we can ensure that all girls feel safe, supported, and ready to take on any challenge thrown at them!

© 2019 Plan International Canada Inc. The Plan International Canada, Because I am a Girl, and Spread the Net names and associated logos are trademarks of Plan International Canada Inc.

CRA Charity Registration Number: 11892 8993 RR0001
*The Standards Program Trustmark is a mark of Imagine Canada used under licence by Plan International Canada.