As part of its ongoing commitment to growing the game for women and girls, Basketball New Zealand (BBNZ) is launching an Emerging Leaders Programme for Kōhine (young women) aged 19-25 years.
This programme will be piloted in 2022-2023 with three regional hub programmes based in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch, with the long-term goal for it to be rolled out as a permanent programme across Aotearoa in 2023 and beyond.
BBNZ People Development Lead, Amy McClintock says that the purpose of its programme is to empower Kōhine to become confident, empowered leaders – not just in the basketball setting but in other parts of their life too.
“We want Kōhine to feel supported and valued as equal members of the basketball community, so they can help solve local problems and empower other young women in their community to achieve great things,” says McClintock.
“It’s also important for us to be able to identify new partnerships and programmes tailored specifically to address the unique needs of Kōhine, and to empower local female leaders and role models to lead the implementation of new initiatives on the ground.
“This confidence will have a flow-on effects to other areas of their lives too, helping to build them as leaders in all parts of their life.”
McClintock says that through the programme, participants will grow their leadership confidence and abilities and be given opportunities to make a difference in their community.
“It’s also about us nurturing a social learning space where Kōhine can interact in a non-judgmental environment, which in turn provides the opportunity for significant learning and growth for both the Kōhine, their local communities, BBNZ and the wider basketball community.
“We want our Kōhine to feel empowered to lead community engagement. To do this, we’ll support through a combination of individual learning, group workshops and networking opportunities, as well as ongoing mentoring and peer-to-peer connection.”
BBNZ Chief Executive, Dillon Boucher says that the Emerging Leaders Programme continues the organisation’s commitment to supporting women and girls in basketball.
“Our Kōhine in Aotearoa have a lot of valuable insights and ideas to share with the basketball community, but they haven’t always had the right platform in which to share this with the basketball community,” says Boucher.
“That’s what the Emerging Leaders Programme is about; empowering these young women to become leaders and to have a voice – and the ability to make positive change – in their basketball communities. This carries on from the other work we’ve done in this space, including our popular Girls Got Game (GGG) programme which provides opportunities for females to have a safe, positive space to learn and play basketball.”
BBNZ are now calling for up to 15 passionate and committed women aged 19-25 years old – and based anywhere in New Zealand – to apply for this pilot programme, with applications open until 7 June 2022.
To view the criteria for selection and other information, interested Kōhine can visit https://nz.basketball/leadership/
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