SILVER GUMMY FUNDING RECIPIENT (2025-2027)

At Girls Forward Foundation, we believe strong partnerships create lasting change. We are proud to announce that the Silver Gummy Foundation has renewed their support, investing in our work for the next three years (2025-2027).

Building on the success of our initial Removing Barriers for Girls in Sport (RBG) program, this partnership helps us continue and expand our efforts to remove barriers for girls in sport. Together, we’ll engage girls ages 8-14, connect them with women role models, and work alongside sport leaders across Canada. Thanks to Silver Gummy, we’re expanding our focus on addressing gender-based violence (GBV) and fostering safe sport spaces.

Empower Her: Safe Sport Spaces for Girls (2025-2027)

With renewed funding, we are launching Empower Her: Safe Sport Spaces for Girls: a project designed to create safer, more inclusive environments for girls across Canada.

Through this project, we will: 

• Deliver multi-week programming for girls ages 8-19, both virtually and in person.
• Train sport leaders and role models to recognize and prevent harm while creating girl-centred, inclusive programs.
• Provide workshops on safe sport and gender-based violence in sport.
• Help girls stay active and connected through adolescence, building lifelong confidence, self-esteem, and resilience. 

The impact in numbers

By 2027, with Silver Gummy’s partnership, we will:

• Empower 810 girls
• Train 300 sport leaders
• Engage 81 role models
• Deliver 24 programs nationwide

Why this work matters

Too many girls leave sport due to safety concerns: 20% of girls ages 6-12 and 30% of girls ages 13-18 identify safety as a barrier to participation (Canadian Women & Sport, 2022).

When girls drop out, they miss out on benefits that help protect against gender-based violence- such as leadership skills, support networks, and resilience. Sport not only fosters belonging and confidence but also challenges harmful gender norms. 

“Safe Sport” is defined as athletes’ right to participate in sport free of maltreatment (such as bullying, neglect, and physical, psychosocial, or sexual abuse) or any form of human rights violation (SIRC, 2023). Research shows that gender-based violence, including body shaming and sexual harassment, is a significant factor driving girls out of sport (Kerr, Wilson, & Stirling, 2020).

Safe sport extends beyond physical safety to include emotional and social safety. For this project, our definition of safe sport for girls is creating environments that are girl-centred, girl-focused, and allow our participants to feel represented and brave to be active participants. These environments and programs are delivered through an evidence-based, intersectional lens to support creating inclusive spaces.

Looking through an intersectional lens, we recognize that girls face additional barriers related to race, class, religion and geographical location. This project prioritizes the needs and nuanced experiences of girls from equity-denied communities (such as racialized girls and those from low-income households), working to increase participation and deliver programs directly within their communities.

Our commitment

With Silver Gummy’s renewed partnership, we will continue addressing gender-based violence both within and through sport by:

• Creating safer spaces for girls.
• Equipping sport leaders with tools to recognize and prevent harm.
• Ensuring girls feel represented, included, and empowered to thrive in sport.

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We extend our deepest gratitude to Silver Gummy Foundation for recognizing the importance of this work and investing in girls’ futures.

Get involved

Together with our partners, we’re building a stronger, safer future for girls in sport.

Learn more here.

About the Silver Gummy Foundation

The Silver Gummy Foundation supports and promotes gender equality through education. They fund innovative Canadian organizations that educate communities, address gender-based violence, and collaborate to create safer spaces for youth. 

Learn more about Silver Gummy Foundation here.