Change in Action Week - Wāhine Toa FINALIST - Macarena Carrascosa

Macarena works with two groups getting girls active in sport and recreation. She runs the Motion programme at Albany Senior High school, and gets girls active on roller skates at North Shore Artistic Roller Skating Club.

Motion is a non-competitive recreation programme for girls that focuses on engaging currently inactive or disengaged female students in any physical activity they would like to do. It's a programme that's heavily influenced by students and what they want to try – she says it's important the girls feel valued and part of the decision-making process. Macarena says its an awesome way to measure progress and to build confidence with a new and exciting activity. She also has removed the cost barrier by obtaining Tu Manawa funding, making the sessions free for the girls.

Macarena is also the club president and one of the head coaches at North Shore Artistic Roller Skating Club. Roller skating is magic for young and teenage girls. She says the girls that find the club are often the girls who feel excluded from other traditional throwing and running sports - artistic skating is creative, athletic, challenging and powerful. They have had 9 of their female athletes qualify for Nationals this year which is the most the club has had since she established it in 2018. Macarena says the best thing is to see the confidence and determination that comes from competing for these girls. Macarena is working hard with a holistic approach to build a community of positive role models in skating.