Young Pacific Leaders Women’s Sport Programme to empower emerging female leaders in the Pacific Islands

• Women in Sport Aotearoa and Pasifika Sisters in Sport (SiS) with support from the U.S. Department of State launch leadership programme for young Pacific Women working in Sport and Physical Activity
• Designed for emerging young pacific leaders residing in the Pacific Island nations.
• The programme is in its second year and will run from Monday 10 March to Saturday 29 March in Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland, Aotearoa, New Zealand.

Women in Sport Aotearoa Ngā Wāhine Hākinakina o Aotearoa and Pasifika Sisters in Sport (SiS) are thrilled to launch the second cohort of the Young Pacific Leaders (YPL) Women’s Sports Programme. The programme is designed to empower emerging female leaders from the Pacific Islands in sport, physical activity, dance, and traditional physical activities through mentorship and cultural exchange. It offers a unique opportunity to uplift and learn from Pacific female leaders, fostering growth and collaboration that will also benefit communities in Aotearoa. Based on the Global Sports Mentoring Program, the programme will run from Monday 10 March to Saturday 29 March, in Tāmaki Makaurau, Auckland, New Zealand.

The programme includes a residential week with WISPA and Pasifika SiS focusing on leadership development, followed by 8 days of mentorship and cultural exchange with a selected host organisation. During this period, participants will immerse themselves in their workplace culture and programmes, and developing a project to implement in their home country. Before returning home, all participants will spend three final days together, sharing their learnings, reflections and action plans.

“The program was inspiring, enriching and life changing for me. I came away with tangible, valuable tools to enhance my leadership ability. Above all, I became part of a sisterhood of leaders whose insight, gifts and experiences uplift and strengthen me in my journey.” (Cohort 1 participant - Pualele Craig, President of Samoa Basketball Federation).

“ A life-changing experience! Sports was just a hobby, but after the leadership program, I found new passion for management in both sports and work. I led my team at work, engaged in community service, and successfully managed a women’s rugby team to rank 3rd in their first year in Fiji’s Tier 1 provincial competition. (Cohort 1 participant - Esita Karanavatu, Kit a Girl, Raise a Star Fiji Founder).

WISPA also recognises Co-Founder Julie Paterson, a past participant of the U.S. Department of State Global Sports Mentoring Program, for her connection to the programme and advocacy for women's leadership in sports. Her success as a mentee and her continued work to empower women and girls in sports have paved the way for this opportunity to emerge.

Pasifika SiS recognises board member Vania Wolfgramm, also a past participant of the U.S. Department of State Global Sports Mentoring Program, for her endorsement of the programme and her dedication to women’s leadership and empowerment in sport, and particularly her work within Rugby New Zealand including the development of the Pasifika Strategy for NZ Rugby in 2023.

“We’re proud to support Young Pacific Leaders as they address issues of most pressing concern to our Pacific region,” says U.S. Ambassador Tom Udall. “Using sports as a vehicle, Young Pacific Leaders are working with their communities to empower women, youth, communities, and nations” he adds.

Applications for the programme are open via www.wispainsighthub.or... until 17 November 2024. It is open to all female leaders between the ages of 20 – 40, residing in the Pacific Islands including the Cook lslands, Fiji, Federated states of Micronesia, Kiribati, Marshall lslands, Nauru, New Caledonia, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon lslands, Tahiti/French Polynesia, Tokelau, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Wallis and Futuna. Participants will have a passion for girls and women and have already worked or volunteered in this space for at least two years. Thanks to the investment and support of the U.S. Department of State, the programme will provide 14 women with the opportunity to travel to Aotearoa, New Zealand for mentorship and cultural knowledge exchange.

WISPA and Pasifika SiS proudly offer this mentorship and cultural exchange programme, empowering emerging female leaders to make positive changes in their communities. If you are interested in hosting a mentee for this programme, please email Programme Manager Merran Brockie-David at merran@womeninsport.org.nz.

Background

The Young Pacific Leaders Women’s Sports Programme is based on the Global Sports Mentoring programme, which is run by the U.S. Department of State's Sports Diplomacy division. This flagship initiative uses sports as a vehicle to empower women and girls around the world by pairing emerging leaders with female executives from leading organisations in the sports sector. The programme's goal is to provide mentorship and networking opportunities, which can lead to increased opportunities for women and girls in sports. The Young Pacific Leaders Women’s Sports Programme ran a pilot cohort in 2023, and will draw upon the Global Sports Mentoring program and the 2023 pilot programme’s best practices and resources to empower emerging female leaders from the Pacific. This YPL Women’s Sports Programme is part of a larger series of the Young Pacific Leaders program, the U.S. government’s signature program to strengthen leadership development and networking in the Pacific. YPL focuses on critical topics identified by youth in the region: education, environment and resource management, civic leadership, economic and social development. For more information on the Young Pacific Leaders initiative, please see: nz.usembassy.gov/young...

Women in Sport Aotearoa Ngā Wāhine Hākinakina o Aotearoa

Women in Sport Aotearoa (WISPA) is a charity that exists to transform society through leadership, advocacy and research, ensuring that all women and girls gain equity of opportunity to participate, compete and build careers in play, active recreation and sport in Aotearoa New Zealand.

Pasifika Sisters in Sport (SiS)

Pasifika Sisters in Sport (SiS) is a culturally driven collective. The organisational vision is to establish a leadership network of Pacific women and girls in sport to elevate, inspire, advocate and create equal opportunities at all levels and holistic development outcomes in Aotearoa and Oceania.