Girls Health and well Being is a funded project through Premier League Professional Football Association with support from local partners including the Young people's drug and alcohol team, NHS Smoking Sensations Team, Brook in Wigan and PSHE+C team for Nutrition. The Aim of the project is to help improve the health and well being of teenage girls living in disadvantaged communities. The objectives are to increase knowledge base regarding healthy lifestyles, including topic areas of smoking, drugs and alcohol, nutrition, sexual health and fitness, to assist in improving decision-making and problem-solving skills in relation to these topic areas, Increase participation in sport/physical activity and fitness levels of participants as a result of achieving the preceding objectives.

The project started full time in September 2008 after a successful pilot term from April-July 2008. The schools have taken to the project really well in the last couple of months and we have had great feedback regarding the workshops from the girls involved. The project runs every week and there are 5 workshops being delivered to 8 high schools every week and these include smoking cessation, drugs and alcohol, nutrition, relationships and fitness. The girls are going through a workbooklet that week by week covers many topics within the workshops and gives tasks so the girls can learn more every step of the way. The weeks when fitness takes place the girls will be visiting there local profiles gym and taking part in classes put on by instructors within the gym. Along with the curriculum time sessions, the girls have the opportunity to come along to the lunchtime and afterschool sessions which are again run by WACT coaches. The Lunchtime sessions are multi sports and the girls get the chance to choose which sport they play. The sports most popular with the girls are badminton, netball, basketball and football. They have also taken part in table tennis, rounders and volleyball in these sessions. The lunchtime clubs run for the whole lunchtime and the girls are welcome to come along whenever they like, as for the after school sessions, these are one hour in duration and run straight after the school day has finished. Afterschool sessions are football only focusing on many different topics including passing, dribbling, shooting and many more.

Within the project we have diary rooms where the girls can express feeling and thoughts towards the project. Also we have Wigan Athletic F.C players come along to sample food when we do practical sessions in Nutrition, we hand out free Match day tickets for achievements within the project like 100% attendance and even award free day trips out of school for achievements in great participation levels.

We have two girls within each session from every school that come along to steering group meetings done every six weeks at the DW Stadium. In these meeting the girls express interests and activities that the girls would like to do. Alongside the decision making for the sessions the girls also plan parties that will be held at Christmas and at the end of the school year. The project logo was also chosen within the meetings and these will be printed on project t-shirts that will be worn by the girls.

Below are Pictures of the project in action and the success that has occurred already: