Dr Becky Clark, an American sporting envoy and former US Deaflympian, embodies the principles of empowering women and inclusivity in sports.
Having navigated the challenges of hearing loss throughout her incredible career, she often shares how being a female athlete with a disability has shaped her resilience and grit.
“Sports taught me how to manage adversity, persist through hard times, increase my confidence, and build leadership skills,” Dr Clark says.
Dr Clark was a standout athlete in high school, earning letters in four sports and playing basketball at the university level.
She became a three-time Deaflympian, winning a gold and two silver medals in volleyball. Not stopping there, she also became an all-star in fast-pitch softball and finished seven marathons.
Driven by her experiences, Dr Clark continues to use her platform to champion sports as a powerful force for empowering women and girls.
7 Sports-driven Ways to Rally for Female Empowerment
Dr Clark suggests these seven impactful ways to begin uplifting women and girls:
Encourage them to speak up with confidence. Teaching girls to speak up early could help them build a solid personal foundation. “Many girls do not get the encouragement they need to develop confidence in themselves, their abilities, and their futures. So, let’s help them along,” she says.
Nurture their participation in sports. “Sports in education opened many doors for me, just as it can for many girls. It provides an avenue to break gender stereotypes and barriers, embrace diversity and inclusion, and create a new direction toward equality for everyone. Sports helped me stay in school and graduate.”
Celebrate their achievements. By recognising, celebrating, and amplifying women’s accomplishments, we can move closer to true equality. Honouring the progress made so far in empowering women while reflecting on the steps still needed to achieve equality is essential.
Create awareness on special days. Events like International Day of the Girl and International Women’s Day celebrate women and girls’ social, economic, cultural, and political achievements. More importantly, they serve as a call to action to accelerate progress toward gender equality.
Be a coach, trainer, or mentor. With encouragement and positive role models, there is no limit to what young girls can achieve. Research shows that mentoring has many benefits, including better school attendance, higher graduation rates, and greater aspirations. Most importantly, mentoring inspires young girls by showing them what is possible.
Advocate for gender equality. Gender equality is a fundamental human right with profound socio-economic benefits. Speak up when it matters, draw attention to critical issues, and challenge harmful, entrenched narratives. Dr Clark adds, “We have made progress, but there is more to do. Empowering women and girls builds social cohesion and creates economic and educational opportunities.”
Invest in educational, economic, and sports programmes. Research shows that girls and women who play sports tend to have higher confidence, self-esteem, a more positive body image, and greater psychological well-being. Programmes that combine sports, skills development, and education can pave the way for better opportunities.
RYTHM Foundation and ASA Team Up with Dr Clark
Dr Clark collaborates with various organisations on education-in-sports projects as a sports diplomat to build skills and confidence within communities and among youth.
“Everyone, especially women and girls, has a right to equality, to get an education, and to participate in sports and physical activities. These are as important as having the freedom of opinion and expression, a career, a family, and many other things.” One such initiative is a sports-based rural community empowerment programme in Thailand led by RYTHM Foundation, the social impact arm of the QI Group. RYTHM implemented this project in Thailand’s rural Chonburi Province in partnership with ASA Foundation.
RYTHM believes in empowering women and girls and promoting inclusivity in sports and beyond. Please read about the foundation’s empowerment agenda and discover how our projects are making a difference.
