Teen girls set to create safe spaces for fitness and exercise in local cafes, shops and on the high street
The Project
Girls in Barnet often can’t access fitness and wellness opportunities due to time, resources and distance. In order to offer safe spaces in which girls can take part in unique fitness activities, form new friendships and gain new skills - it needed to be on their doorstep.
Their answer - Z’owned. An initiative that aims to create accessible spaces in the local community e.g. cafe, library, shop, gym to host a variety of fitness and wellness classes for girls during slack or quiet hours.
Just imagine - martial arts classes in your local cinema, inspired by a superhero movie. That’s Z’owned.
Programme
Social Action Programme
Project
Z’owned
Community Partners
Arts Depot, Unitas
The Programme
Sisterhood partnered with Arts Depot and Unitas to offer a social action programme that seek to make Barnet a better place for young women and girls. Through the course of 12 weeks, the participants from Unitas shared the lack of opportunities and gaps they experienced or felt in their neighbourhood, everything from access to careers, work experience to build young girls futures, ideas to make community spaces better to the need for more safe spaces to take part in sport and fitness.
The group collaborated together to find a solution that would enable them and other young girls in Barnet to access fitness and wellness opportunities that would support them to thrive. But not just any sport and not just anywhere. What if we used the resources we have (existing spaces within the neighbourhood) and made them accessible for fitness and wellness activities.
Beyond The Programme
Bringing Z’Owned to Barnet.
We really think this project has the ability to bring more fitness and wellness opportunities to young girls in barnet on their hight street in local cafes, cinemas and libraries.
We are actively working to develop this project with young people in Barnet and are looking for local funders, partners and fitness experts to get involved.