The Active Girls Committee, comprised of 15 pupils from nine different schools in Aberdeen is one of the first of its kind in Scotland.

The girls have pledged to work together to get more girls active across city, and signed the Book of Agreement which they created for the Committee to follow in this pursuit.

Figures reported by Active Schools both nationally and locally in Aberdeen have shown that the level of girls’ participation in extracurricular sport tends to drop over the course of their time at secondary school.   

The initiative has been facilitated by Active Schools Aberdeen, part of registered charity Sport Aberdeen.

The group, led by young girls for young girls, is now planning a year of events aimed at boosting girl’s participation in sport and physical activity.

Sport Aberdeen’s Director for Sport and Active Lifestyles, Jo Bell, said:

“This pioneering initiative is led by girls to empower more girls to take part in sport and physical activity. We’ve been simply blown away by their creativity, camaraderie and confidence.

“Sport Aberdeen is committed to creating opportunities for more people to take part in sport and physical activity. Aberdeen’s Active Girls Committee is testament to our approach which puts power in the hands of participants so that they can shape programmes which work for them.”

Active Girls Committee Chairperson, Aimee Work, an S2 pupil at Hazlehead Academy said:

“It is essential that girls and women participate in sport as it is a way to gain confidence and socialise with people around you. A survey I read stated that when girls go through their teenage stages, half quit sports and activities, due to a lack of confidence.

“This is where the Active Girls Committee come in. We are looking forward to getting girls not just involved in sports specifically, but strengthening them as individuals, so that they can find themselves and feel great about themselves.

“I am so grateful to be the Chair of the Active Girls Committee as every single one of us all have the same ambitions and look forward to working together to achieve them.”