Dear Fast and Female Community,
“Sport can catalyze and sustain community belonging among youth.”
-MLSE Foundation, Change the Game 2.0: Change the Culture, Change the Game, (October 2022).
In Canada, we are within sight of a changing landscape for women in sport – but somehow, youth, like me, are still getting left behind…
My name is Kate Muller (she/her) and I am a second generation Canadian born and raised up north in Whitehorse, Yukon on the traditional territory of the Kwanlin Dün First Nation and the Ta’an Kwäch’än Council. I am lucky enough to be a part of Fast and Female’s first ever youth advisory council! I connect with other youth across Canada to create positive and safe experiences for the self-identified girls of our nation. My goals with Fast and Female are to encourage girls of the north to participate and flourish in sport! My favourite ways to move are volleyball and hiking in the mountains! No hiking in the winter though… Since joining the council in February of this year, I have attended virtual events and hosted my own in-person event for the girls that I coach in volleyball. Seeing their smiles and confidence grow after going through the team building exercises encourages me to try harder and hopefully host public in-person events soon! I find joy in empowering young women athletes and I love guiding them to discover all that they are capable of!
A recent study showed that 82% of youth reported not having anyone they feel they can talk to about experiences with racism or discrimination in sport. It saddens me to know that there are other youth across Canada who do not feel supported or have the tools to share about their experiences the ways I have been empowered to, through my work here at F&F: Supporting Women In Sport Foundation.
I am writing to you, today, to ask you to please join me in supporting Fast and Female this #GIVINGTUESDAY and help more youth join our team! We are the ONLY national girls’ charity of our kind with unique programs to keep self-identified girls moving in organized play and empowered everyday.
Given the uncertainty of the last few years, I’ve been finding myself reflecting a lot on how the pandemic has affected who I am and other youth, just like me. I recently read that 60% of youth without access to sport report deteriorating mental health and rate it lower now than before the pandemic, in comparison with 40% of youth who have been able to play a sport within the past year. This highlights the importance of organized play and positive sport experiences as a preventative intervention.
I feel so fortunate to be a part of an organization like Fast and Female that helps foster a brave space for me and builds my confidence through leadership, teamwork and resiliency skills. Our programming, events and initiatives strive to inspire girls to dream big and build the next generation of confident young women athletes who can succeed in all aspects of their lives!
Fast and Female is a Canadian charity on a mission to keep self-identified girls aged 8-14 healthy and active in sports. Founded in 2005, Fast and Female believes in the power of positive sport experiences and role models to give girls leadership, teamwork and resiliency skills.
DONATE to our #GivingTuesday campaign. Every single donation made goes directly towards helping to create spaces for girls and youth, like me, to build skills that help us to not only win in sports, but win in life!