Sports for Empowerment

Sports have been one of the most important socio-cultural learning experience for boys and men from many years. Critically Vikalp believe those same benefits should be afforded girls by knowing that girls who play sports have higher level of confidence and self-esteem and lower levels of depression, galvanize men, boys, and parents as support system, break the cage of self-shyness from body fear, claim public space, increase girls mobility, enhance leadership quality, team work spirit, winning spirit from loss, develop calmness, critical thinking, decision making power, resolve short comings, discipline and experience higher states of psychological well-being, child marriage, less involved in un intended pregnancy, break pre cognition of girls can’t, increase girls enrolment ratio in schools more likely to get better grades in school and more likely to graduate.

Inspired by research demonstration Vikalp intended selecting Volleyball and Kabbadi as tool for empowerment not only tones muscles but to promote outdoor games to claim public space for girls, escape from body fear and self-shyness, escalate mobility among girls,   occupy less space, no query for special place and easily reachable.

Presently winter tournament was roped up and over 10 teams from 10 villages registered their participation. Daily practice sessions including Sunday under the guidance of Coach at in the evening. Next level preparation has been started for District level summer tournament. As a result up over 20 all-girl volleyball or netball teams in 20 villages across Rajasthan have been formed, 100 plus have participated in tournament and even some of the players in state and national level matches. We are hoping and working towards mobilizing more girls from other villages could get participate keeping self-aspiration on top.