Groovy Girlz Tennis Camps
Groovy Girlz Tennis Camps are free introductory 1.5 hour sessions for girls ages 6 -16 years. Camps can be set up in any gym, using mini tennis nets.
About You
Contact Information
Title
Ms.
First name
Ivana
Last name
Jelec
Your job title
Director of Community Development
Name of your organization
Tennis BC
Organization type
Non profit
Annual budget/currency
This field has not been completed
Location
Project Street Address
#204 - 210 W. Broadway
Project City
Vancouver
Project Province/State
BC
Project Postal/Zip Code
V3M 3B8
Project Country
Canada
Your idea
Choose your sport: (check all that apply)
Tennis
If you chose "other" for Sport, please define in 1-2 words below
What approach does your initiative incorporate?
Services
Year the initiative began (yyyy)
2005
Paste your video code here:
If your project has a website, paste the web address here:
Plot your innovation within the discovery framework:
Barrier
Lack of parity in facilities, equipment and funding
Insight
Make the first step easier
This field has not been completed.
Name Your Project
Groovy Girlz Tennis Camps
Describe Your Idea
Groovy Girlz Tennis Camps are free introductory 1.5 hour sessions for girls ages 6 -16 years. Camps can be set up in any gym, using mini tennis nets.
Innovation
What is your signature innovation, your new idea, in one sentence?
Groovy Girlz Tennis Camps are free introductory 1.5 hour sessions for girls ages 6 -16 years. Camps can be set up in any gym, using mini tennis nets.
How many people does your innovation serve or plan to serve? Exactly who will benefit?
We currently deliver the camps to girls ages 6-16. We have served over 15 communities to date and over 400 girls have participated in the program. Depending on funding, we can expand the program to serve more communities and have more girls participate in the sport. The program is designed to benefit communities by providing a healthy activity for young girls and to address issues such as obesity and violence. Most of all camps are meant to benefit girls who participate in our tennis camps.
Do you have any existing partnerships? If so, please list and describe.
We receive a small grant from 2010 Legacies Now (government) to run the program, as well as free t-shirts from HEAD for each participant. HEAD also provides equipment for the camps.
In which sector do these partners work? (Check all that apply)
Citizen sector (non profits, NGOs) .
How do you implement your innovation and apply it to the challenge/problem you are addressing?
Tennis BC has partnered with BC Girl Guides, community centres, Parks & Recreation departments, and media outlets throughout the province to successfully deliver Groovy Girlz tennis camps. We make sure that following each camp, there is another program that girls can filter into. This fosters the pathway, and involves girls in the sport for a longer period of time. Girls and their parents are encouraged to socialize with other participants, which will make it easier to find a tennis partner of similar level for future play. Our tennis camps promote team work, sportsmanship, and positive self-esteem, while keeping girls active in a non-intimidating environment.
Impact
Provide one sentence describing your impact/intended impact
We would like to reach all 6-16 year old girls in BC and to have them try a sport, which they can continue to play for a lifetime.
What does impact/success look like? Please list any tangible measures of the impact of your innovation
Having changed at least one girl's life through the sport of tennis would mean success. Different communities deal with different issues and if we could succeed in helping out at least one community solve their issues would mean a lot. Issues can range from obesity, to increasing violence among young girls. Sport has been proven successfull in addressing those issues.
Is there a chance that your project could change policy (within an institution or government)?
N/A
Aside from financial sustainability, how do you plan to grow the initiative or expand your intended impact?
Tennis BC is planning to partner with other girl organizations in the province. There is also an opportunity to take this program national through a partnership with Tennis Canada, and provincial tennis organizations in Canada.
This Entry is about (Issues)
Sustainability
How is your initiative financed (or how do you expect your initiative will be financed)?
We currently receive s $5000 grant from the government. We also receive free t-shirts from HEAD.
Financing source
Annual budget
We currently have $5000 to deliver camps throughout the province of British Columbia.
Annual revenue generated
This program is currently free of charge, so there is no revenue generated.
Number of staff (full-time, part-time, volunteers)
1 full time staff, and 2 female coaches hired for each camp.
What are the main barriers to financing your initiative, and how do you plan to address these barriers?
Current challenge is financing coaches to travel to remote communities. We currently receive a small grant from the government and are hoping to be able to find corporate sponsors in the future. The goal is to grow the camps and reach more participants before asking for corporate sponsorship.
What are the major challenges with regards to partnerships?
We currently have very healthy relationships with BC Girl Guides, and community centres throughout the province. Our challenge is getting the word out to small communities and finding qualified female coaches to deliver the programs in those communities.
The Story
What stage is your project?
Ongoing project .
What was the motivation or defining moment that led to create this innovation? Tell us the story.
Tennis BC saw a need to increase female participation in the sport of tennis. We wanted to encourage girls to try the sport through a free camp in a friendly, female run, no-pressure environment.
Please tell us about the social innovator behind this initiative
Partnerships and pathways are the main innovator behind this initiative. We understand that in order for girls to continue to be involved in the sport, there needs to exist a pathway for them to follow and to progress in the sport.
(Optional) To be eligible for an additional prize, please select age range
27 or older
 | 175 weeks agoRenata Affonso said: Hi Ivana, Have you ever wondered how you could expand the project without using the public courts? I reckon if it would be possible ... about this Competition Entry. - read more > |
| 175 weeks agoIvana Jelec said: Hi Kathy, Thank you very much for your comment. HEAD sponsors all our equipment for the tennis camps, so there is absolutely no ... about this Competition Entry. - read more > |
| 175 weeks agoKathy Webb said: Hi Ivana: Thank you for the work you do in the community and thanks for sharing it with us. In the US tennis is a very difficult ... about this Competition Entry. - read more > |
| 175 weeks agoCourtney Schott said: Hi Tennisbc, You have a great organization. What I like is that socially sustainable in that you filter girls to other programs after ... about this Competition Entry. - read more > |
| 176 weeks agoIvana Jelec submitted this idea. |
