What are the core values or mission of Her Next Play?
At Her Next Play, our mission is to develop the next generation of women leaders through sports.
Our Play Bold programs provide girls the opportunity to play sports, stay active, and develop as leaders through our innovative Play Bold leadership curriculum. We work with teams through our Bold Together program, partner with schools and parks programs on Summer Sports and Leadership Camps, and host day long Sports Summits to inspire girls to stay in sports. We’re pushing to give girls and young women equal opportunities in sports and leadership so they can become the next generation of women leaders in our communities.
We also work with college athletes and former athletes as part of our Career Accelerator Network, where we’re building a community of women athletes focused on leadership and career success. This September we’re launching the Rookie Career Accelerator, a new program designed to spark early career acceleration for women athletes. Through innovative retreats, monthly learning labs, access to mentors, and interactive development experiences, the Rookie Career Accelerator provides a one of a kind career building experience that supports women athletes in the early years of their career.
In just two years, Her Next Play has served more than 1,500 girls and women through 20 newly developed programs, and we’ve been recognized as an Aspen Institute Project Play Champion.
How do you think sports support fundamentals in a young person's development?
Playing sports provides so many opportunities to learn powerful leadership and career readiness skills. Playing helps girls learn skills like coachability, performance under pressure, resilience, teamwork, grit, and confidence. We know these skills translate into career success, as 94% of women executives played sports, and 52% of women in c-suite positions played sports at the college level. Girls don’t need to be on the top team, or in a travel league to develop these skills - it’s the process of competing at any level that provides the opportunity to develop as a leader.
How can readership get involved or help?
Visit us at www.hernextplay.org for upcoming events and programs. Her Next Play relies heavily on community support and volunteers. Community members can join our Booster Club as a donor or volunteer, and we’re always looking for volunteers to help with events, projects, and new programs.
