This Girl Can gets Sheffield moving

This Girl Can Sheffield is providing Zumba sessions for youngsters in the Page Hall area of the city, aged between 11 and 25, to encourage sport and physical activity.

The sessions, led by SIV at Page Hall Community Centre, have seen 19 girls so far attend the eight-week block, designed to show how exercise can be fun as well as improve general health and wellbeing. Volunteers from the Pakistan and Community Association’s Roma Network helped to encourage the youngsters, many of whom are from the Roma community, to take part in the classes.

Rhona Sanders, health coordinator at PACA, said: “We’re really pleased that the Zumba sessions were so well attended and it was fantastic to see youngsters from the community getting involved.

“Within an age range in this community where there is little or no emphasis on physical activity, the Zumba classes allowed the youngsters to discover their abilities, which can help them to aspire to a better future, as well as improving self-esteem and confidence.

“I also believe this has a positive knock-on effect in school, where this same confidence can be applied within a learning environment, which can hugely influence their attitude at school.”

With two million fewer women than men and boys regularly doing sport, research shows that women are more likely to only become active because of body image and competency fears.

Visit www.thisgirlcansheffield.co.uk for details.