March 2025 - We鈥檙e thrilled to announce that the 快播视频 has been selected to participate in the Gender Equity in Youth Sports Community of Practice. Together with Nike and the National Recreation and Park Association, we鈥檙e committed to increasing girls鈥 participation in youth sports and women鈥檚 representation in coaching in Chicago.
快播视频 Girls P.L.A.Y. Initiative
Launched in 2018, the Girls P.L.A.Y. Initiative works to expand opportunities for girls in sports and ensure that young women have equal access to recreational offerings in their communities. Through programming, special events, and camps we focus on providing opportunities for girls to create life-long healthy physical activity habits.
Why a Girls P.L.A.Y. Initiative?
Nearly 67% percent of the women surveyed in the Always 鈥楲ike a Girl鈥 Study said that they felt society doesn鈥檛 encourage girls to play sports. However, girls who play sports not only feel more confident but are more likely to show improvements in physical and mental health, academic achievement, and self-esteem. Through sports, girls learn important life skills such as teamwork, leadership, and confidence.
Girls participate less than boys.
Girls' participation rates in sports lag behind those of boys at all ages. They experience a great decline in physical activity than boys as they grow up鈥攁nd are three to four times as likely to drop out of sports. African American and Hispanic girls enter sports at a later average age and drop out earlier than their counterparts, leaving girls of color with an even narrower window of opportunity.
Girls face social and cultural barriers to sports.
Due to conflicting societal messages about femininity and athleticism, girls are considered 鈥渙utsiders鈥 in sports and physical activity contexts, and boys dominate both informal and organized physical sports spaces.
But girls need sports鈥攎aybe even more than boys.
The need for an outlet for girls is high. Thirty-one percent of girls and young women experience symptoms of anxiety, while only 13% of boys do. (Damour, 2020) The number of teenage girls who said they often felt nervous, worried, or fearful jumped by 55% from 2009 to 2012; but it didn鈥檛 change for boys. And girls between the ages of twelve and seventeen are now three times more likely than boys to become depressed. Between 2005 and 2014, the percentage of teenage girls experiencing depression increased from 13 to 17 %. In the same time period, that statistic moved from 5% to 6% for boys. A larger portion of 13- to 17-year-old girls report feeling tense or nervous every day or 鈥渁lmost鈥 every day (36% for girls vs. 23% for boys).
SOURCE: Damour, L. (2020). Under pressure: confronting the epidemic of stress and anxiety in girls. Ballantine Books.
- 2024 Accomplishments
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Number of participants for Girls Day of P.L.A.Y
- Feb 2024 鈥 1,034 girls
- Summer 2024 鈥 348 girls
- Sept- 2024 - 984 Girls
Number of Girls Day of P.L.A.Y Locations
- Feb 2024 鈥 20 locations
- Summer 2024 鈥 16 locations
- Sept 鈥 2024 - 20 locations
6-week Girls Sports Camps
- First 鈥渙fficial鈥 launch of 6-week sports camp
- 3 locations (1 in each region)
- Durkin Park
- Ping Tom Park
- Independence Park
Launch of the Willye White award
This prestigious award celebrates the outstanding efforts of our dedicated staff in supporting the Girls P.L.A.Y. Initiative. The initiative is committed to expanding opportunities for girls in sports and ensuring equal access to recreational activities within their communities. Through programming, special events, and camps, we aim to help girls develop lifelong healthy physical activity habits.
The award is named in memory of Willye B. White, a five-time Olympian who, after an exceptional career in track and field, made lasting contributions as a youth mentor, coach, and advocate for disadvantaged children. Her dedication included serving as Director of Recreation Services for the 快播视频. In 2008, Willye B. White Park at 1610 W Howard Street was named in her honor.
New partnerships
- Chicago Blackhawks
- Chicago Union (Ultimate Frisbee)
- 2023 Accomplishments
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Girls Day of P.L.A.Y Events
- February 3, 2023, hosted 18 Girls P.L.A.Y. events throughout the city, with 1,077 girls participating
- October 27, 2023 hosted 20 Girls P.L.A.Y. events throughout the city, with 914 girls participating
Girls P.L.A.Y Summer 2023
- Hosted First Annual Move Like a Girl fest
- Total of 8 parks participated
- 90 girls in attendance
- Partnered with Bowa Gives to provide track and field clinic
- Partnered with Chicago Union, Professional Ultimate Frisbee team
All Girls Track and Field Meet (Partnership with Bowa Gives)
- November 18th & 19th
- 110 participants Citywide
Presented the Girls P.L.A.Y. Initiative at the NRPA Conference in Dallas
3 day- Winter Softball Clinic partnered with Triton College- Over 90 girls in attendance
Girls Boxing Show @ Eckhart Park
- Over 20 female boxers fought in exhibition matches
Brooks Park & Olympia Park 鈥 3 on 3 Basketball Tournament- 100 Girls participated in grades 4th 鈥 8th
Fencing Clinic @ Broadway Park- 60 girls in attendance
- 2022 Accomplishments
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Girls Day of P.L.A.Y Events
- January 28th, hosted 20 Girls P.L.A.Y. events throughout the city, with 560 girls participating
- October 21st, hosted 18 Girls P.L.A.Y. events throughout the city, with 649 girls participating
- Girl鈥檚 P.L.A.Y summer camps, 2 or 6-week options, offered at 20, with 1,474 girls participating
- Boxing
- Archery
- Partnership with Girls in the Game
- KIPP Program
- December 15th, hosted an event celebrating the 50th anniversary of Title IX becoming law in the United States. The event included a mix of speakers, panels, breakout sessions, and opportunities for community building. 120 people attended, representing 30 organizations.
- 2021 Accomplishments
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Girls Day of P.L.A.Y Events
- February 2021, hosted a virtual event to honor National Women and Girls in Sports with over 100 participants attending via zoom
- November 2021, hosted in-person events at 18 locations servicing 609 girls between the ages of 6-13 citywide
- Girl鈥檚 P.L.A.Y camps, 2 or 6-week options, offered at 24 locations servicing 538 girls citywide
- Girls P.L.A.Y Winter Break camps; hosted at 9 locations servicing 96 girls citywide
- Female Focused Non-Profit Organization
- Girls in the Game
- 快播视频 Athletics Unit
- Kickboxing and Boxing Clinics
- Law Enforcement: Federal and Local
- U.S. Marshals
- Chicago Police Department
- Medical/Healthcare
- Pediatric Dermatologist
- Nurse
- NIKE & 快播视频: Ambassador Program. Nine staff members were trained for a duration of 6-weeks, to lead and support the 2021 Virtual Girls Day of Play event in February 2021.
- 2020 Accomplishments
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- Hosted annual Girls Day of P.L.A.Y. in honor of National Girls & Women in Sports Day with over 500 girls participating citywide.
- Hosted a Girl鈥檚 Flag Football clinic for girls in 5th-8th grade in preparation for the CPS SCORE Flag Football season.
- In partnership with Nike & We Coach, we trained 150 快播视频 staff through the Chicago Coaches Girls Initiative about best practices in creating girl-friendly spaces and how to keep girls in programs.
- Girls Equity/Gender Equity Out of School Time Committee was formed to dedicate efforts to increase opportunity.