Girls today in the United States are far less likely than boys to achieve the recommended amounts of physical activity. By age 14, girls are dropping out of sports at two times the rate of boys.
In an effort to inspire girls and women to continue to be physically active, the Alliance for a Healthier Generation and the Clinton Foundation are joining forces for a second year to shine a spotlight on the disparities between girls’ and boys’ physical activity rates and inspire a new generation of strong, active women.
“Data shows that across the United States, less than 50% of middle school girls get the recommended amount of physical activity each day,” says Chelsea Clinton, Vice Chair of the Clinton Foundation and Board Member of the Alliance for a Healthier Generation. “Why does this matter? This gap in physical activity results in fewer opportunities for girls to develop critical teamwork, confidence, and leadership skills that will help them thrive throughout their lives– as well as to be physically healthy.”
Building off the success of its first year, the #GirlsAre campaign demonstrates the myriad ways girls show their strength using the hashtag #GirlsAre, and encourages supporters to sign the pledge to celebrate girls’ athleticism and to write an empowering note to your younger, athletic self. Launching today and running through June 4th, the campaign coincides with National Physical Fitness & Sports Month in May.
The #GirlsAre campaign is bringing together more than 40 non-profit and media partners, as well as celebrity voices to inspire a new generation of strong, active women.
Media partners for #GirlsAre include Fatherly, Refinery29, and Woman’s Day.
Campaign partners include AdCap, Afterschool Alliance, After-School All-Stars, American Heart Association, Baseball for All, BOOST Collaborative, Boys and Girls Club for Greater Houston, Cage Cricket USA, Carl Sandburg College, Changing the Game Project, ChildObesity180, Coach Cam, Duval County Medical Society Foundation (NEFL), Fuel Up to Play 60, GENYOUth, Girl Scouts of the USA, Girls on the Run International, INEOS ICAN Foundation, JJ’s I’m Me Foundation, LA84 Foundation, Lakeshore Foundation, National Afterschool Association, National Farm to School Network, National Fitness Foundation, National Girls Collaborative Project, National Recreation and Park Association, Play Like a Girl, Safe Routes to Schools National Partnership, Salud America, Sportime featuring SPARK, Sports and Arts Foundation, Texas A&M School of Public Health, The First Tee, The KenKou Group, The OrganWise Guys, Tony Hawk Foundation, Up2Us Sports, Voices for Healthy Kids, the Wasserman Foundation, Women’s Sports Foundation, YMCA of Greater Houston and YWCA Chicago.
Influential voices include Hilaria Baldwin, Joy Bauer, Wade Davis, Kaliya Johnson, Becca Myers, Megan Rapinoe, Rachael Ray, Allison Stokke and Abby Wambach.
