Lucy's 60km trek to fund a woman from outside the UK to attend WSLA 2017
Lucy Piggott is raising money for University of Chichester
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In June 2017, the 4th Women's Sport Leadership Academy (WSLA) will commence. To date, 108 women from 31 countries have attended the WSLA programme. Graduates from the WSLA programme have described it as “life changing”, “a unique opportunity”, and “the best learning experience of my life”.
36 women from 15 countries have been accepted onto the programme for 2017. Some of the women who have been accepted for 2017 come from parts of the world where women face particular difficulties in securing financial aid, and have not yet been able to secure sufficient funds to attend WSLA.
To raise additional funds I will be trekking the Salkantay Trail in the Peruvian Andes, a 60km trek up to an altitude of 4600m. I am on the Operational Management Group of the Anita White Foundation, and am a member of the Local Organising Group for WSLA 2017. I was a member of the support team for WSLA 2016 and have seen first-hand the fantastic opportunities that WSLA offers to women leaders to grow and develop as leaders, and make genuine change in the often male-dominated world of sport.
£750 covers the registration fee for a woman to attend WSLA from a part of the world where women leaders can face particular challenges.
Nancy Njeri Waweru is a Programme Director for Vijana Amani Pamoja in Kenya, and was funded by the Anita White Foundation to attend WSLA 2016 because she was unable to secure financial aid. She discussed her experience of attending WSLA 2016:
"The main element that I took from the week was that as a leader you should lead by example and inspire others, and believe in yourself. I believe that as a woman leader there is a lot that I can do and I have a lot of potential but the first step is building confidence. My one word to describe WSLA is ‘inspirational’. I really liked the style of presentation. Working in groups allowed me more confidence to share my experiences and easily learn from others. That was a brilliant way of WSLA facilitation. I am excited for the future and highly recommend the programme to others."
Lerato Gumbi was the second WSLA 2016 participant who was financially supported by the AWF. She leads the media and events department for the South African Women and Sports Foundation. She spoke before she attended WSLA about the key leadership areas she wanted to develop:
"I have gained inside-knowledge on why women are covered the way they are in our country and would like to be part of the voices that actively changes the media spectrum in our country. I bring a hunger for growth, dedication and a great passion for sport and leadership. Being part of the leadership structure that runs the organisation in our country, changing women's lives for the better. I’m confident the programme will help me become a better leader through learning self-management and help me develop in a professional manner.”
I hope that at least one woman can be supported from the funds raised through my sponsored trek so that more women across the world can develop as leaders of sport through WSLA and make change in their country.
For further details on WSLA, please visit the WSLA website:
For further details on WSLA, please visit the WSLA website:
http://www.chi.ac.uk/research/sport/womens-sport-leadership-academy