Phillip Island Boardrider girls can shred

ON Sunday, October 6 Phillip Island Boardriders Club (PIBC) welcomed 30 participants for their Girls Can Shred surf and yoga 24/25 season program.

The program has been enabled by a Victorian State Government a Change Our game grant for $9,960, for PIBC to run a six-week girls surf and yoga program to connect girls to all things surfing, competition, judging, media, youth development, career, mindfulness, mental health and community.

Change Our Game research has demonstrated that while there are some positive attitudes towards women and girls in sport and their right to equal opportunities and access, change is still required in terms of underlying attitudes and behaviours.

That women were more likely than men to see or experience negative behaviour and gendered discrimination in community sport, and people overall felt women had fewer leadership opportunities in sport than men.

PIBC aims to address these topics in their program, engaging providers Ringa Surf, Girls on Board, Dominique Salerno Yoga and Claudia Tindale Photography, as well as PIBC committee volunteers, such as Secretary Emily Scott for designing the program and t-shirts, Clubhouse Manager Nat Van Der Heyden for all clubhouse logistics, and Treasurer / Surfing Australia Surf Judge Jo O’Reilly Stubbs who wrote the original grant application.