Introducing Voice In Sport (VIS), the First Independent Platform for Young Female Athletes
The new virtual community-based platform will bring visibility to female athletes and elevate their voices by merging content, mentorship, and advocacy launches today.
BROOKLYN, N.Y., Aug. 24, 2020 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Young, female athletes (aged 13-22) finally have their own virtual community to use their VOICES for POWER and CHANGE: VIS (VOICE IN SPORT | VoiceinSport.com).
Launching on August 24, two days before the 100th anniversary of the adoption of the 19th Amendment granting women the right to vote (8/26, Women's Equality Day), VIS is the first independent community-based platform for young female athletes to merge content, mentorship, and advocacy. The launch of the VIS platform follows the debut this Spring of the inspiring Voice in Sport Podcast, VIS Instagram (@voiceinsport) and VIS TikTok (@voiceinsport) feeds.
Female athletes face numerous mental, physical and societal challenges and inequities along their journey in sport, and the numbers prove that out:
- Girls drop out of sports at 2 times the rate of boys at age 14
- 51% of girls drop out of sports by age 17
- 48% of female collegiate athletes report having depression or anxiety symptoms
- 24% of college athletic operating budgets are spent on women's sports
- Only 3.2% of sports media coverage is dedicated to women's sports
VIS is a community of female athletes who support and inspire each other to change more than just the game. The VIS mission is to bring visibility to female athletes and elevate their voices to drive change toward the ultimate goal of achieving equality for women both on and off the field.
Founded by former Nike executive Stef Strack, VIS has assembled a team of 150 successful women, including numerous WNBA, NWSL, and Olympic standouts from a myriad of sports (see partial list below).
"VIS (a Latin word meaning force or power) is a community exclusively for young female athletes with a wealth of resources that I wish were available when I was an athlete in high school and as a Division I athlete," Strack said. "The power of VIS lies in our deeply connected community of professional and collegiate female athletes aiming to advocate for equality, diversity and inclusion for girls and women in sport."
VIS is a free, membership-based platform. Upon joining, each new VIS member becomes a VIS Advocate™ with the ability to create her own customized page and content. On the VIS platform, she will have access to resources centering around mentorship, content, and advocacy:
- 1-on-1 or group mentorship from the 90+ VIS League™ team members
- Exclusive content from VIS Creators™ and VIS Experts™ at her fingertips, arming her with better knowledge about her mind and body, including daily care and nutrition.
- Tools that help her advocate and champion the voice of female athletes to change the narrative for girls and women in sport and find the POWER of HER voice to drive change.
Over 90 pro, collegiate, and Olympic athletes have already signed on to the VIS League™ to serve as mentors, including: Mary Cain (Track), Taylor Cummings (Lacrosse), Imani Dorsey (NWSL), Darian Jenkins (NWSL), Lia Neal (Swimming), Kikkan Randall (Skiing), Kelsey Robinson (Volleyball), Alanna Smith (WNBA), Kiah Stokes (WNBA), Elizabeth Williams (WNBA).
In addition to athletes, VIS has brought together more than 50 content creators and leading voices in sports psychology, nutrition, media, and sports science as VIS Creators™ and VIS Experts™.
"Now more than ever we must listen and create space for more VOICES," Strack said. "At VIS, we believe that sport can host a powerful conversation about Equality and Social Justice. We are providing female athletes a platform to drive the change they want to see for the future."
WHAT THEY ARE SAYING ABOUT VIS:
Kelsey Robinson, US Women's National Volleyball Team/2016 Olympic Bronze Medalist
"When I was growing up and playing, I looked up to male athletes because there wasn't a lot of visibility to professional female volleyball players. At the Olympic level, my teammates are some of the most inspiring humans I know. I'm excited for VIS to shed light on not only these athletes, but many other incredible female athletes."
Imani Dorsey, Sky Blue FC, NWSL
"VIS is serving a purpose I wish existed when I was growing up. Female athletes encounter so many similar obstacles. I think it is instrumental to share our stories and learn from the experiences of those that came before us."
Brianna Pinto, College soccer star and U-20 National Team
"VIS is empowered women who are empowering young women! We finally have the resources and a network of successful athletes of all ages to cultivate excellence within the female athlete community."
Kiah Stokes, NY Liberty, WNBA
"I'm excited to share my stories and to help, encourage, motivate, and to inspire others in any way that I can. Women are powerful and I can't wait to meet and interact with so many others who feel the same way I feel. It's unbelievable what we can do when we put our minds to something!"
ABOUT VOICE IN SPORT (VIS)
Voice in Sport (VIS) is the first independent, community-based platform for female athletes, aged 13-22, to merge content, mentorship, and advocacy with a mission to bring visibility to female athletes and elevate their voice and create a community of female athletes who inspire each other to change more than just the game. Founded by Stef Strack, VIS is uniquely positioned to provide young female athletes a community where they will have access to the tools they need to help navigate their teen and collegiate years as an athlete. VIS extends beyond the platform (http://www.voiceinsport.com) through Instagram (@voiceinsport), TikTok (@voiceinsport), and Snapchat. The Voice in Sport Podcast launched in May 2020 will continue to explore the journey of female athletes by sharing untold stories on topics like mental health, body image, sexual orientation, and female-specific sports science and nutrition.
ABOUT THE VIS TEAM
-The VIS Advocates™ (the voices) is the community of female athletes aged 13-22 who are passionate about equality for --women in sport. We are raising our voices to advocate for change. We call our members VIS Advocates™ because WE are changing the game.
-The VIS League™ (the mentors) of over 90 female athletes from top collegiate programs and pro athletes from WNBA, NWSL, Team USA Track & Field, Volleyball and Lacrosse will provide individual and group mentorship for young female athletes.
-The VIS Creators™ (the narrators) are collegiate athletes and aspiring sports media/journalism majors aiming to change the narrative for women in sport with first-person content on mental health, nutrition, body/confidence and more.
-The VIS Experts™ (the advisors) are professionals across Sports Psychology, Sports Science/Research, Sports Media, and Sports Nutrition with a passion to provide support, knowledge, and ultimately more visibility to female athletes.
ABOUT THE VOICE IN SPORT FOUNDATION
The Voice in Sport Foundation (VISF) is a 501(c)3 Public Non-Profit focused on accelerating research on the female body and gaps in public middle school, high school and college girls athletic programs. VISF will advocate for equality for female athletes at all levels and supercharge sports science and research on the female body. The Foundation will fund the gaps in public middle school, high school, and college athletic programs through grants, create engaging educational content, and fund research on the female body during all of the critical developmental moments.
SOURCE Voice In Sport
Share this article