This year, we’re excited to partner with the Movemeant Foundation for our Move with AF Challenge. The Movemeant Foundation’s mission is to teach women and girls that fitness and physical movement is essential to unlocking the values of self-confidence, resiliency, commitment, balance, and community.
Movemeant does this through impactful programs and events that empower girls to embody confidence and develop healthy habits. One of these programs is Generation Confident, a middle school curriculum geared towards the formative years of a girls’ life that discusses important topics like social media’s impact on beauty standards, mindfulness, body positivity and genetics. These conversations happen in a casual, supportive environment, with an overlay of creative, contemporary physical programming such as dance, yoga, and even kickboxing.
Kate, a Generation Confident participant, said, “It helped me to become more confident in myself and be comfortable with my peers. It impacted my life in many positive ways I didn’t expect.”
In addition to Generation Confident programming, Movemeant offers Meant to Move grants, which are awarded to young female athletes from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. This year, the foundation also created COVID-19 relief grants for fitness and wellness instructors who were adapting their business to meet the virtual needs of their audiences. Both of these grants have a direct impact on women in the fitness industry who are facing disadvantages and help them make a positive impact and keep fitness in their lives.
We’re excited to learn more about the work the Movemeant Foundation has done – let’s hear it from some of their program participants!
KM Suleman
Last year, KM, a competitive rock climber, won a Meant to Move grant. Thanks to the grant, she was able to meet other climbers her age through intensive clinics and national competitions. “We cheered for each other and pushed each other to be better climbers,” she says of her community.
Not only did she make new friends – the grant helped her reach her goal of joining Team USA for Bouldering. When she’s old enough, she wants to represent the USA in international competitions and the Olympics. Keep climbing, KM!
Jessica
Jessica is a two-year member of the Movemeant Foundation’s Generation Confident program, which helped her discover her love of dance. “Dance has helped me come out of my shell and feel comfortable with myself,” she says. Through trying a variety of dances, she’s learned that it’s a true passion of hers. “It has helped me believe in myself and tell a story through dance without having to say a word; I can express all my emotions and feel as if I’m living in a new world.” In addition to learning to express herself through dance, having a kind mentor that she trusts and classmates that are supportive of her has also been a significant bonus to the program.
Mayra Villabos (left) & Grace Yu (right)
Mayra and Grace are both small business owners in the fitness space who received COVID-19 relief grants from Movemeant. It’s stories like theirs that make the work Movemeant does so impactful.
“I am so grateful to Movemeant Foundation for supporting small businesses like mine and giving us the boost we needed to keep building our classes over the past few crazy months,” says Grace.
Thanks to the grant, Mayra was able to get her virtual studio – a key factor in weathering COVID-19 shutdowns – up and running. “It feels nice to be supported and recognized as a movement facilitator. I have been dreaming of starting my own business, and now I have been given that extra push and encouragement.”
Isabella Beauchamp
Isabella, one of Movemeant’s Meant to Move grant winners, has been rock climbing for seven years, With the grant, she was able to purchase new equipment that took her climbing to the next level. The opportunity motivated her to keep working hard and not give up on herself, and her goal is to make it to USA Climbing’s Divisional Competition (the competition right before Nationals) and continue climbing for years to come.
“This grant has made me feel like I matter and can do anything. Positivity and practice have pushed me to be the best climber I can be.”
In partnering with the Movemeant Foundation, we loved learning how their work directly impacts and empowers women and girls. We look forward to seeing how this partnership creates many more success stories to come!
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