Girls Active Lifestyles

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The GALS project has been organised by BHSSP since 2008 and aims to encourage teenage girls to make positive lifestyle choices.  In 2012, the Leicestershire and Rutland Primary Care Trust have funded the event to enable exapnsion of the project to include all 16 secondary school in Learning South Leicestershire. 

Girls in each secondary school  take part in 12 weeks of fitness based activities at their school.  The activities include Zumba, cheerleading, skipping, street dance, yoga etc.  Girls complete a diary of their experiences, levels of participation and attitudes towards physical activity.

10 girls from each are then selected to attend the GALs Day, an event bringing girls together from all the schools to try a range of fitness based activities in a leisure centre environment.  Activities they have taken part in include hula hooping, rock and roll dancing, salsa, cheer leading, aerobics, gym sessions, swimming, self defence, yoga, pilates etc. As part of the event a Sporting Champion gives a talk to the girls, inspiring them through their own experiences in sport and physical activity.  Past speakers have included Maria Costello (motor cyclist), Nicole Emmanuel (footballer) and Caitlin McClatchey (swimmer).  Girls are also given the chance to learn more about body management e.g. healthy body weight.

Girls are given a range of information on how they can continue taking part in physical activity after the event, for instance at the local leisure centre or at school.

Schools support the girls once they have attended the event, and encourage them to continue participating in physical activity.  6 months after the event a follow up survey is done to track the girls’ sustained participation in physical activity.

NEXT have sponsored the event for the past 3 years, enabling the girls to be given a goody bag and t-shirt.  Enderby Leisure Centre have also kindly given us their facilities for free for the event and provided many of the instructors on the day.

A teacher attending the event last year said:

“This event has proved to be a real success story.  One student in particular has had health issues which have made her frightened to take part in any physical activity in the past.  But since GALS she has really got stuck in, her improvement within her own limitations has been beyond our hopes.  Well worth the day!”

A student at Lutterworth High said:

“GALS has made me realise sport can be fun!”