How to help shy girls transform into confident youngsters
Everyone in Amsterdam Nieuw-West knows who Saloua El Mazouni is. Many have met and worked with her, others know of her, her work and her reputation. The safe space she has created for girls through sports spreads faster than a wildfire. Thanks to the Nike Community Impact Fund, El Mazouni has been able to help the most shy girls transform into confident youngsters.
Photo: Meryem Slimani
In her work as a youth worker, mostly with boys who have been involved in crime, founder Saloua El Mazouni noticed that there were little to no programs for girls. “Back in 2008 I decided to start a pilot, with a small group of girls,” Saloua recalls. She invited them to play futsal and in no time the pilot turned out to be a huge success. “A lot of girls who, prior to the pilot, were invisible in the neighbourhood, came out to join us.” El Mazouni Coaching was born there and then.
Through a wide range of activities, El Mazouni aims to empower girls, build their resilience, and additionally stimulate sports participation. Ranging from simply playing futsal, to peer-to-peer training, or themed meetings where – sometimes difficult – topics are discussed, such as sexual assault and sexuality. Participants can choose to play some soccer and leave it at that, since everybody moves through life at their own pace. But most girls that join enter into other programs as well. One of the extended (ten weeks) programs is EM-powergirls, in which participants focus on themes such as self-image and discovering your qualities.
Paying it foward
The girls El Mazouni Coaching works with often have different issues – from having been through traumatic experiences to behavioural problems. Some can have a lot happening at home, but the girls don’t feel comfortable sharing the issues they are dealing with. “In order for us to know what is happening in their lives, we have to build a bond with them, and work on building trust”, Nesrine Mattiou, a former participant turned coach, explains.
“I’m trying to mean to these girls what Saloua meant to me”
Nesrine was a shy 14-year-old girl when she joined El Mazouni ten years ago. Soccer turned out to be an outlet for her to deal with the issues at home, so she never missed out on training. “I was really bad at making friends, but despite that I always wanted to be at the training.” Her family was often ill and spent a lot of time in the hospital. Nesrine felt quite lonely at the time. One day, when Nesrine didn’t show up for training, Saloua knew there was more to her absence and saw an opportunity to reach out. “Nesrine was very closed off, and probably one of the most distrustful people I’ve ever met.”
Flash forward to the present: Nesrine became a coach at El Mazouni, is educated as a youth worker and coordinates several areas in Amsterdam Nieuw-West for El Mazouni. Her hope is to follow in Saloua’s footsteps: “I’m trying to mean to these girls, what Saloua meant to me,” she says.
Photo: Meryem Slimani
A familiar face in the neighbourhood
Many organisations have tried and failed to reach the group El Mazouni Coaching has been able to help. Saloua’s endeavour has been successful partially because she’s a familiar face in the neighbourhood. The girls she works with can be apprehensive, their families hesitant, but “many boys who were on the wrong path and whom I’ve helped, ended up trusting me with their sisters”, Saloua explains. She found her way in on the basis of trust. To build a bond with these girls, you have to be present in their lives. It may sound simple, but it takes great effort and investment. “We’ve been showing up for ten years. Day in and day out. Every weekend, every evening, we are here for them”, Saloua emphasises.
When the girls start off, Saloua and Nesrine notice that some of them often struggle with loneliness, self-image issues and problems at home. At El Mazouni they use sports to help the girls address the problems they face. “We can identify these issues during training. For example outbursts of anger that seemingly come out of nowhere”, Nesrine says. “We know: there’s always something behind that anger.” Because there’s no one-size-fits-all method to deal with this, the coordinators find a way to help the girls depending on their needs. Sometimes this means meeting with outside of training, at other times, when mental health problems are outside the range of their expertise, Saloua and Nesrine help the girls by referring them to a psychologist.
Sisterhood
Now, with the help of the Nike Community Impact Fund, El Mazouni is organising a sports event in May. The girls from Em-powergirls and those in their leadership program can bring their training into effect. “We hope to give them an unforgettable day,” Saloua says, hoping to reach as many as possible. Nesrine explains how hard it is in Osdorp, because the girls rarely leave their houses, but they rely on each other to help as many as possible show up. “The girls know how to reach one another .” With the event Saloua hopes more girls will eventually join El Mazouni Coaching.
The Nike Community Impact Fund (NCIF) benefits communities where employees live, work and play. These employee-led grants support local, grassroots organizations that get kids moving, because Nike knows that active kids do better. And when kids have an opportunity to fall in love with play and sport, they’re more likely to reach their full potential both on and off the court. Submissions will be accepted from January 10 through early March 2023 in Europe. Check it out here.
*There are several other organisations that emphasise the impact of sports on mental health, that receive funding from Nike.
Friends of GGz Centraal Foundation helps finance projects that contribute to the healing process of their clients. For example, by providing sport facilities such as a virtual-reality home trainer.
Stichting Boksschool Bijlmerbajes is a boxing school that aims to bring the community ofAmsterdam together, supporting their mental health and increasing their self-confidence through boxing. Among their activities are free boxing classes for refugees and offering undocumented people the possibility to become assistant trainers.