A free personal development and leadership programme for young women aged 15-18 from the Rainbow community will run over a weekend in March.

The Rise with Pride - Rainbow Wāhine Rangatahi Leadership Programme has been designed for those who want to build their future in sport and recreation.

Rise with Pride will run over March 29-30 in Tauranga, focusing on five key areas: Physical abilities, Resilience, Identity, Determination, and Empowerment (PRIDE).

The two-day programme includes classroom workshops at Devonport Road and practical sessions including surfing lessons at Pāpāmoa Beach, running from 9am to about 4pm both days. All equipment, morning tea, and lunch are provided.

It’s open to rangatahi from all sporting codes across the region.

The programme includes:

• Guidance from special guest speakers
• Physical challenges and goal setting
• Workshops on values and wellbeing
• Networking with like-minded peers

"This programme creates space for conversations and networking within our rainbow community," says one of the organisers, Shannon Pawhau from Sport Bay of Plenty. "It's about building confidence within individuals who may be tomorrow’s leaders."

Organisers Shannon Pawhau and Daina Agnew participated in the Regional Women in Leadership course, run by WaiBOP Football in October 2024. Rise with Pride is a project developed as part of the course. 

Interested participants can register here

or email shannonp@sportbop.co.nz. For more information, phone 021 0470376.

Article added: Wednesday 19 February 2025