Whether it be on the basketball court, in the classroom, or in the workplace, girls deserve to have the same opportunities to succeed as their male counterparts. In the communities Helping Hoops works in, young women do not always enjoy the same chance to participate as boys, and it has long been a goal of our organisation to bridge this gap.
Achieving this goal has recently been made more achievable through a grant from the Grosvenor Foundation and the Victorian Women’s Benevolent Trust.
The Victorian Women’s Trust is inspired by the vision of a just and humane society in which women enjoy full participation as citizens. They believe that by creating a better world for women, we create a better world for men, children, families and communities. Established in 1985 in recognition of women’s role in shaping Victoria, the Trust has positioned itself as one of Australia’s foremost women’s organisations.
Fully independent, the Trust exists to improve conditions for women in practical and lasting ways, through:
- A funding program by the Victorian Women’s Benevolent Trust, as the grant making arm, to invest in women and effect social change.
- Strategic alliances to undertake major projects
- Advocacy for women on key issues
- Showcasing women’s talents and fostering networks for exchange of skills, ideas and information.
The funding injection will see Helping Hoops Women’s Development Coach, Renee Clarke, increase her role and activities to ensure we are reaching even more young women who will benefit from being involved in Helping Hoops programs. Renee will specifically focus on creating a welcoming and inclusive environment at programs, and actively go out into the community to visit schools and groups with the objective of linking girls with Helping Hoops programs.
Helping Hoops has set a goal of a 25-percent minimum female participation level across all programs by the end of 2015, and with the support of the Grosvenor Foundation and the Victorian Women’s Benevolent Trust, we are confident we can not only achieve this mark, but increase it over the next 12 months.
For more information on the Victorian Women’s Trust, please visit their website here.
