«There are hardly any female role models in sport»
Mrs Bühlmann, what is the purpose of the «Sportheldinnen» project?
Girls and young women are often less active in sport than boys of the same age. One reason for this is that there are many more male role models in sport and female role models are barely visible. We want to change this with the «Sportheldinnen» project.
What is it all about?
A collector's booklet presents 90 inspiring young female athletes and focuses on the diversity of women's sport in Switzerland. Booklets and sticker supplies are distributed free of charge at over 500 locations: in youth centres, sports clubs, libraries, asylum centres and schools. Of course, it's all about sticking, swapping and collecting. But not only that: the booklet conveys in a child-friendly way that sportswomen not only shine through their achievements, but also through their courage and perseverance. And because they had carers who believed in them.
We want to dispel the cliché that there are male and female sports.
In the portraits, female athletes talk about why sport is part of their lives and how they have found their way despite challenges such as disability, flight or mental health problems. We have deliberately chosen to focus on celebrities: the magazine also portrays many very young girls who are celebrating success in lesser-known sports such as rhönrad, roller derby or hornussen. The booklet also includes an insert for parents and carers.
What is your message to them?
We make them realise why exercise is important for children's physical and mental health, dispel the stereotype that there are male and female sports, and show them how they can encourage their daughter or goddaughter to enjoy sport.
We have created a guide for teachers with ideas on how they can talk about topics such as mental health, gender stereotypes and disability in connection with the booklet. The «Sports Heroines» project is accompanied by the website of the same name, where caregivers can find additional material, as well as a campaign on all popular social media channels, where sports heroines tell their stories in videos.
More info: sportheldinnen.ch
