The SELF (Sports, Expression, Leadership, Freedom) Academy is a residential 15 day leadership and skill-building academy for young girls in Jharkhand, Bihar, and Uttar Pradesh that uses sports, art, media and technology to help them realize their full potential. We strengthen their leadership capacities, build their skillsets and equip them with the knowledge they need to make better informed decisions about their bodies, health, and rights.
Many young women around the world continue to lack the right to make decisions over their own body. Discrimination, social norms, deep-rooted attitudes restrict girls' access to information, services and rights and result in early and forced marriage, sexual abuse, harassment, violence and unequal access to education, economic and political opportunities. Domains like sports, technology and media continue to be associated with boys and men and limit access and participation of girls.
The SELF Academy is a space for girls to Play, Learn, Lead and Be who they are! Our sessions on football, computers, filmmaking, photography, theatre, dance, art, writing and journalism, community radio, gender, body image offer diverse ways and mediums for girls to learn, create and express themselves. The academy builds their understanding and skills, strengthens their leadership capacities and enables them to explore diverse opportunities for their training, education, and livelihood.
The agency and sense of equity of girls is built so that they realise their potential and self-worth Girls are confident to express their choices and negotiate delays in marriage Girls are more informed about their bodies, nutrition and health needs Girls demand and access information and services related to Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) Girls speak out against discrimination and violence in families, schools and communities Girls pursue higher training and education
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).
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