Over the past five years, Helping Hoops has witnessed first-hand the challenges and barriers faced by girls from a multicultural, migrant and refugee background. Over the past twelve-months, a focus has been placed on boosting female participation. The message of “Girls Play Too” has seen a jump in female attendance, but more work remains to be done to ensure girls enjoy the same benefits and opportunities as their male counterparts.
With this in mind, it is with excitement that we announce the appointment of Renee Clarke to the newly created position of Women’s Development Coach. Renee, who has volunteer with Helping Hoops for the past two years, comes from a strong basketball, coaching and youth development background having been a part of the game for over half her life. Renee has represented her state in national titles and successfully run basketball camps for children.
Renee’s role will see her work across multiple Helping Hoops programs to create an inclusive and welcoming environment for girls, as well as taking the proactive step of getting out into schools and community groups to push the “Girls Play Too” message and ensure female participants are aware of the opportunities open to them through Helping Hoops.
Renee says of her appointment “I’m looking forward to becoming apart of the Helping Hoops family. Getting to work with the young girls that will become the leaders of their generation is what I am most excited about – they are the future, and that in itself is a huge privilege for me to be apart of.”
We look forward to bringing updates and progress from Renee’s work throughout 2015 and beyond.
