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By: Kara McMahon
“Girls have the power to change the world.”
With these words, team leader Margot commenced the 2014 International Day of the Girl at Fútbol Sin Fronteras Granada. Speaking to over 100 girls across all five FSF teams, Margot explained that the Day celebrates and teaches that girls do not have to wait until adulthood to start making positive change in their communities: girls can make change every day. Citing Malala Yousafzai, young global champion of girls’ education and 2014 Nobel Peace Prize Co-Winner as an example of how girls can change the world, Margot invited the girls to think about their unique capabilities and potential as young female and athletic leaders in Granada.
Since 2012, the United Nations has commemorated October 11 as the International Day of the Girl Child to promote girls’ rights and promote worldwide gender equality. The UN theme for 2014 was Empowering Adolescent Girls: Ending the Cycle of Violence and recognizing the unique challenges that girls face all around the world.
FSF celebrated the Day of the Girl this year with a series of activities on and off the field, focusing on team building, girls’ rights, the importance of education, as well as ending the cycle of violence.
On Saturday, October 11, all FSF teams gathered at the Multi-Estadio field for a day of games – wheelbarrow races, jump rope competitions, and an intense version of dodgeball. Girls from youngest to oldest teams worked together in each game as members of Sweet Lake and the Estrellas helped the Maripositas and Princesas accomplish each task.
On Tuesday, October 14, the coaches led stations in the FSF Office, Tres Pisos, to reflect on the importance of the Day of the Girl. Activities included a conversation about the “Rights of the Girl” that asked the girls to design their own rights, as well as a powerpoint presentation on global women leaders such as Malala. Coaches asked girls how they could implement these lessons in their everyday interactions.
The week ended with a workshop for the older FSF teams led by Ixchen, a Granada-based women’s center. In fitting with the 2014 Day of the Girl theme, “Ending the Cycle of Violence,” representatives from Ixchen discussed preventing violence in romantic relationships and let them know what helpful resources are available in Granada should a dangerous situation arise in their lives.
The messages of the FSF Week of the Girl gave the girls hope for better education, an end to violence against girls, and opportunities to step up as leaders now, both on and off the field.
