A national campaign to address the disengagement of young women from sport and physical activity is being led by Wānaka local Luciana Garcia.

Luciana is the Sport New Zealand women and girls lead and has been involved in developing the campaign’s strategy, creative development, resources, and content.

“We have lots of national and international research that tells us during late teen years girls disengage from sport and physical activity at a steeper rate than boys,” Luciana said.

“There is lots going on in young women’s lives, and when they find themselves in environments that are stressful, they don’t feel supported or safe and they feel judged for how they look or how good they are, many times they choose to step aside and disengage from this type of activity. 

“For many young women this is the case with competitive sport or structured ballet or dance classes.” 

Luciana said the campaign is focused on encouraging and motivating young women to explore and engage in physical activity in a way that is fun, joyful and meaningful for them.

Originally from Uruguay, Luciana moved to Wānaka in October 2021 after 11 years in Invercargill where she held various roles including community sport manager and general manager for regional sport trust Active Southland.

She represented Uruguay in synchronised swimming and says sport and active recreation have been a big part of her life.

“I completed a Bachelor of Physical Education in Uruguay and then moved to Spain to do a Master of High Performance and Talent Development,” she said.

Luciana said the nature of her role means working remotely from Wānaka “works fine”.

“I travel to our Wellington and Auckland offices often, but I’m lucky that the team at Snow Sports NZ has welcomed me into their office here in Wānaka as I really enjoy being around people,” she said.

Luciana said that the world is very different now for young women than the one she grew up in.

“If you are a provider of physical activity [sports club, school, council facility, community organisation, fitness business owner, active recreation provider] take the time to understand the young women you want to work with,” she said. 

“Give them an opportunity to lead their own experiences and value what they have to say. 

“Think about the environments you create and facilitate, how are they impacting their confidence and self-esteem?”

Find out more about the #Itsmymove campaign here.

PHOTO: Supplied