On Educating Girls: Creating a World of Possibilities

Navigating the ups and downs of friendships is one of life’s constants. No matter our age or life stage, humans need to feel connected to people who allow us to be ourselves.

For girls at school, who often feel shame and self-blame as a result of their unrealistic beliefs about friendship, this can be a challenge. Add social media to the mix, and pressures are taken to a whole new level.

Our guest for this episode of The Connected Girl is a friendship guru for girls (and their parents) who is convinced that friendship can be taught. Rebecca (Bec) Sparrow shares with host Trudy Hall how to sustain friendships with clear communication, mutual respect, and healthy boundaries. The good news is that tips for building better friendships are proven to work – and it’s never too late for the girls in your life to try them.

Acclaimed writer, speaker and podcaster Bec Sparrow is a passionate advocate for prioritizing connection and belonging in an increasingly lonely world. Hailing from Brisbane, Australia, Bec is known as “the friendship whisperer”. Through her extensive library of resources for girls, parents, and schools, she helps tweens and teens make friends.

The Connected Girl is a podcast series produced by the International Coalition of Girls' Schools. In this season, we’re looking more closely at agency. How can adults nurture confidence in girls about their own actions and decisions, while allowing them to experiment, evolve, and sometimes fail? Take a listen to find out. International Coalition for Girls Schools · https://rebeccasparrow.com/about/ · https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebecca-sparrow-writer/?originalSubdomain=au · https://girlsleadership.org/about/ · National Coalition of Girls' Schools

Participating in school sports and physical activities is proven to boost confidence, resilience, and the ability to work as part of a team. These benefits extend beyond childhood into adults’ professions and relationships, making a positive difference in almost every aspect of life.



But the UN reports that girls drop out of sports in adolescence at twice the rate of boys. There are a multitude of reasons for this, including social expectations, stereotypes, and a lack of investment in quality athletic programmes. We know that the biggest predictor of sport participation for a girl is her own perceived competence. So what can adults do with this knowledge, to give girls a fair chance?

This episode’s guest, Dr. Nicole LaVoi, offers hope. She shares research-driven strategies to improve access and opportunity for girls. Girls love sport – and if you give them the opportunity, they will play.



Dr. Nicole LaVoi is the Director of the Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport, and a faculty member in the School of Kinesiology at the University of Minnesota in the US. She has co-produced three Emmy-nominated documentaries on female athletes, hosts a podcast, regularly conducts workshops and talks, publishes prolifically, and was a student athlete herself.

The Connected Girl is a podcast series produced by the International Coalition of Girls' Schools and hosted by Trudy Hall. In this season, we’re looking at how the adults in girls' lives can nurture agency – the confidence and capacity to act – while allowing girls to evolve, experiment, tolerate discomfort, and sometimes fail. The sporting realm is a perfect place to flex these muscles. Listen to find out why. International Coalition for Girls Schools · Coaching Her · Dr Nicole LaVoi’s website  · Tucker Center for Research on Girls and Women in Sport  Developing Physically Active Girls: An Evidence-Based Multidisciplinary Approach  · Five things to know about women and sport (UN) · Why being a female athlete sucks (Youtube interview)  · Facts and figures: Women in Sport (UN) · World’s Highest Paid Athletes (Forbes) · UNESCO Report: Women and girls’ access to sport still lagging far behind  · Women’s sports media coverage is booming. Here’s how it can grow even faster (Parity)  · Physical activity key facts (WHO)  · Science says when kids participate in team-based extracurricular activities, they have better mental health (University of British Columbia)   · Salugenology: Why humans require hobbies with Julia Hotz (Ologies Podcast)

In this new season of The Connected Girl, a podcast series curated by the International Coalition of Girls Schools, we’re exploring agency. The idea that girls have the ability to own their own decisions and their own directions in life.

Why does this matter? And how can the adults around girls help them build confidence while giving them space to experiment, evolve, and sometimes fail?

Exploring 4 key spaces where girls show up – sport, community and family, school and home, expert guests Dr Nicole LaVoi, Rebecca Sparrow, Dr Stephen P Hinshaw and Dr Katie Hurley help us unpack the dynamics and nuances impacting girls most deeply today.

Subscribe now so you don’t miss this season. National Coalition of Girls' Schools

👂🤝 In a healthy democracy, it’s inevitable that we will disagree with others. In fact, it’s necessary! What would it look like if we spent more time engaging in debate without tearing each other down? How can we teach respectful disagreement in classrooms and beyond? In this episode, we hear from Sante Mastriana, Director of Professional Development at the Close Up Foundation, an organisation that encourages young people to exercise their rights as citizens. In this short, accessible episode, Sante shares how adults can help the girls in their lives to listen with curiosity and speak with civility. Our future depends on it. National Coalition of Girls' Schools

🏆🥇Do you know a perfectionist who struggles when things don’t go according to plan? A so-called good girl who works hard to please everyone except herself? (Maybe this is you!) For expert guidance, we turn to Nicky Whitham-Blackwell. As associate principal at Westlake Girls High School in Auckland, New Zealand, Nicky has always been passionate about the well-being of girls in high-performing schools. In this easy-to-digest episode, she shares how we can help girls break free from unrealistic expectations they might hold for themselves, instead fostering self-compassion and growth. National Coalition of Girls' Schools