If folks tune into the Rio Olympic Games, they will see the rewards of “empowering women and girls” in action.
Regardless of the media we use, we will witness the importance of empowering women and girls – not only what it does for them, but also for what it does for our society as a whole.
The Olympic Games is a great stage for female athletes to show young girls that they, too, can realize their dreams if they set goals, work hard to achieve them and persevere through the tough times.
What’s great about the new Olympic Games coverage is they just don’t show us the competition, whether it’s a race against time or against someone else.
Today’s coverage goes behind the scenes and shows us where the athletes came from, what they have gone through and the people or philosophies that help drive them through the injuries, defeats and the psychological roadblocks that are holding them back from success.
We learn that most athletes are good human beings – they’re loving and strong, but they can also be fragile and in need of help.
Most middle-aged adults who are watching the Games can clearly see the shift that has occurred in the empowerment of women and girls.
Men and many women have been taught that women in sports isn’t important and real men should only care about male sports, and through it, male dominance.
That has been the case for decades and the various media outlets were pushing it down our throats for that long.
It’s not uncommon to hear men say that women and girls don’t play macho sports, so it can’t be worth watching or appreciating.
Some men are moving away from that mindset and that wall the good old boys built is starting to crumble.
In the South Cariboo, we have a great example of a woman who can play macho games and doesn’t need men’s help – thank you very much.
Williams Lake native Kayla Moleschi is a prime example of making it in a “man’s” game.
She is a member of the Canadian women’s rugby sevens team that just finished winning a bronze medal in the Rio Olympic Games.
Moleschi not only excels at a man’s game, but she comes from a relative small rural community.
Her success embodies the empowerment of women and girls in our society.
She has become an instant role model for our girls and women in the South Cariboo.
She’s living proof that women and girls can do anything they want if they’re willing to work hard to achieve their goals.
We can only hope, that when she hangs up her cleats or even before, this empowered rugby star will share her stories, knowledge and her philosophies on daring to dream and working to make those dreams come true.
We can only hope she shares her story with school children – both boys and girls – because this is where the empowerment of women and girls really has to start.
