What is women empowerment? For many of you, this is a phrase that has been thrown around a lot probably across the news or social media and has increasingly become a huge topic of discussion for women and girls alike. Its spotlight has been shone across almost every field: sport, business, school. Our NEF-She program is all about women empowerment and yet for many of us we might not quite understand what it means and how we can embrace the movement and put it into practice.
Women empowerment is a simple concept. The core of empowerment comes from our ability to bring ourselves up, to believe that we are able to achieve anything, that being female should not stop us from reaching our goals and in doing so inspiring our fellow female players to do the same. And most importantly we are equipping women and girls with the tools and allowing them to make decisions in life. We should be telling our stories and using our voices. We should be championing the brilliance of women across our club and world.
As Michelle Obama pointedly states:
“There is no limit to what we, as women, can accomplish.”
So now that we know that ‘women empowerment’ means giving power and strength to our female peers and instilling a belief in them and ourselves that we can achieve anything.
But how do we empower ourselves and help to empower others?
Here are some simple tips:
- Remind yourself daily that you are capable and worthy. Be kind to yourself and recognize when you need some time to yourself to recharge. Set yourself goals and objectives on how you want to achieve them
- Listen to our teammates when they have a story to tell. Don’t put them down and praise them for sharing
- Complement each other and not just about their looks. Compliment their ability, their commitment, their work rate, their leadership.
- Be positive and support each other. We play a sport that is highly competitive. Some players are stronger than others, faster than others, others have great skill. But every one’s individual contributions are what makes the overall team great. Remember that being competitive is a great attitude to have and we should be encouraging our peers to raise the bar. We should ‘play like girls’ and that means being passionate, working hard, be competitive, determined, strong, fast. It’s important to know that this does not and should not impact our relationships off the field.
- Be a leader and encourage others to be leaders too. Be confident to take charge of situations on and off the field and help bring your fellow teammates together. Can you inspire your teammates? Can you help them if they need further instructions?
Remember that greatness starts with one step. There is power in empowerment. Believe it and inspire others around you to believe it. Make it a part of who you are. Bring our fellow teammates up around us. Dream big, smash the ceiling and know that no matter who you are you are a leader, and you deserve a place at the top.
We are strong, we are talented, and we can achieve greatness! We are NEF- She!
