This summer, the free and unrestrained style of hip-hop has entered the Paris Olympics and also the campuses deep in the mountains of southwestern Guizhou.
On July 23, on the cement playground of Dingtang Primary School in Zhenfeng County, Guizhou Province, a century-old rural primary school, local girls followed Yang Yuting (hereinafter referred to as "Dating"), the two-time world top street dance competition juste debout China champion ) moved freely in the dynamic rhythm and danced a smart street dance.
This warm, refreshing and energetic picture is a vivid microcosm of the 2024 Nike "Spread Your Feet" summer camp activities that will be carried out across the country.
Recently, the 2024 "Spread Your Feet" summer camp activities, led by Nike and participated by China Rural Development Foundation, Beijing Yiwei Youth, Go for Love Guizhou and other public welfare forces, were launched in many places. More than 200 college student volunteers from 21 universities went to camps in 16 different schools across the country, bringing rich and beneficial two-week summer camp courses to rural children.
is the first innovative public welfare project launched by Nike in China in 2019 to empower girls through sports. This year, the "Spread Your Feet" project has been upgraded again, innovatively integrating music and dance into the "Sports Empowering Girls" action. , encouraging more girls to express themselves bravely and create change through music notes and dance steps. Focusing on this core theme, Nike specially invited Da Ting to visit Dingtang Primary School as a "sports role model" and work with the college student volunteers in the camp to help girls release their life energy and gain happiness and confidence through sports and role models.
Focus on sports to empower girls and let them "spread their feet"
There are many mountains and valleys. Zhenfeng County is part of the Qianxinan Buyi and Miao Autonomous Prefecture in Guizhou Province and is located in the eastern part of the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau. Ethnic minorities account for nearly half of the total population. Dingtang Primary School, about 14 kilometers away from the county seat, has 660 students, 20% of whom are from ethnic minorities such as the Miao and Buyi ethnic groups. They usually board at the school.
When he was transferred from the Central Middle School in Longchang Town to Dingtang Primary School two years ago, the principal Yang Qugang felt the gap in school running conditions: "Now the population is concentrated in the county, so the scale of our school construction is relatively limited." He He told The Paper (www.thepaper.cn) that the small cement playground of Dingtang Primary School, the limited professional level of music, sports and art teachers, and the composition of one-fifth of the left-behind children are all the current teaching conditions faced by the school.
Especially, under the management of a closed boarding system, students spend most of their time on campus, and the playground has become the only sports space and the "main position" for physical education, entertainment between classes, and relaxation after class. For this reason, Yang Qugang has included physical education as a major focus of his work, hoping to alleviate the physical and mental pressure children encounter in learning and growing through interesting sports and art classes.
Therefore, under the guidance of the national “five educations simultaneously” policy and the systematic promotion of the local education bureau, in recent years, although the site conditions are limited, Dingtang Primary School has launched a number of classes relying on the resources of the Youth Activity Center and related public welfare organizations. The attempts of post-sports interest clubs: from table tennis, football, basketball, hip-hop to bamboo pole dance with unique national characteristics, gradually formed a good atmosphere.
However, research shows that there are still a minority of young people who can obtain high-quality, effective, and systematic physical education, especially girls. Nike found that globally, girls aged 9 to 14 are twice as likely as boys to quit physical activity. Compared with boys, girls are exposed to and enter sports later, but quit sports earlier. According to field research conducted by Nike in cooperation with the Women and Children's Sports Research Center of Peking University and Maipu Data Company, the factors that hinder girls' sports are mainly social culture and social environment, and some are also caused by changes in girls' physiological development.
"In our cultural environment, girls tend to be quieter," Yu Zhen, director of Nike's public welfare department in Greater China and head of the Let's Go Project, observed, "Some parents always feel that sports are not for girls." vegetable'."According to the 2016 Yahoo Health Survey, 66% of young girls have negative or ambivalent attitudes towards their bodies, which means that they are unable to truly accept their bodies, and may also be embarrassed by the physiological changes brought about by their growth period, thereby reducing Sports.
For rural girls, the situation is more complicated. Zhan Yao, secretary-general of the Guizhou Provincial Welfare Service Center, said that although the Education Bureau requires the establishment of multi-functional classrooms, The conditions in many schools are very limited. “Dance and music classrooms may just have a sign posted on the door of an ordinary classroom, and the inside is still a cement floor. Some dance classrooms even do not have standard bars or mirrors. "In terms of teachers, Shen Yi, project manager of Beijing Yiwei Youth Charity Development Center, has another observation: Even though many schools in villages and towns have specialized art, dance, and music classrooms and some music equipment, they have limited teachers and there are The phenomenon of inability to carry out relevant courses well.
How can girls truly enjoy loose, equal, and interesting sports opportunities? How to bring about changes that are both broad and deep and address the various obstacles faced by girls in participating in sports? "Spread Your Feet" is committed to helping girls break through constraints and enhance their confidence and strength through sports. Over the past 6 years, the "Spread Your Feet" project has continued to innovate and gradually gathered social welfare forces to make the influence of sports in empowering girls more real and visible. ——
paid attention to the pain point of "girls lack sports role models" in the 1.0 stage. In 2022, "Let Go" launched an updated model, looking at empowering girls through sports as a system, focusing on exploring the role of "new generation sports role models" The development of girls plays a vital role in motivating and guiding the development of girls. Together with the China Rural Development Foundation, we jointly launched the second phase of the "Spread Your Feet" project. By uniting a wide range of social organization partners, we invited more college students, Nike employees and elite female athletes to join. The project also empowers key figures who may have an impact on girls' growth, and ultimately inspires girls to bravely pursue their goals as they grow up.
In addition, most rural children lack the extracurricular activities and infrastructure enjoyed by urban children. Under the current situation of increasingly perfect construction, satisfaction of the spiritual world has become their urgent need. Therefore, "Spread Your Feet" not only encourages girls to actively participate in sports, but also pays attention to the challenges they face in emotional expression and interpersonal communication. Focusing on improving their social and emotional skills and exploring the diverse possibilities of mental health growth through various activities, the "Spread Your Feet" college student volunteer program successfully launched a sports-themed public welfare summer camp every year, recruiting and training students from all over the country. College students and Nike employee volunteers went to 15-20 rural primary schools to bring rich and interesting special courses to the children.
Before arriving at the school this year, the college student volunteers specially designed special sports and dance classes for children. Psychology, environmental protection theme classes, live streaming classes, local nature classes and other content for different grades. Zhou Shan from Communication University of China is the leader of the Dingtang Primary School camp volunteers. She said that the themes of this summer camp are nature and humanities. "We focus on four aspects: natural science knowledge, sports learning, dance learning, emotional cognition, emotional management, gender awareness, acceptance of differences, conflict resolution, and safety education. Sports, dance, music, painting, handicrafts, videos and other media can guide children to think independently, fully imagine, and exercise hands-on skills, teamwork, empathy, etc. We hope that we can run around with children and have a broader understanding. The world and understand yourself better. "
On the other hand, as the children's partners, companions and coaches, the volunteers also received 3 months of online and offline sports coaching training. Adhering to the principle of "being one's own master and being a partner of others" "The concept of learning how to design sports games and how to play with children. This is not only support for the growth of rural children, but also a journey for volunteers to promote personal growth.
"Coaching exists in the DNA of Nike and is a very Important inheritance."In the view of Huang Nan, volunteer trainer of the "Spread the Feet" project and a sports charity person, a major advantage of the "Spread the Feet" project specially designed to empower girls is that it integrates internationally advanced physical education Concept.
"Nike advocates the 6C principles in physical education, including how to build self-confidence, give clear and specific instructions, how to actively choose and establish connections during exercise. " He said, why do children like sports? The first is fun, which is interesting; the second is friends, which means having friends. The training for volunteers at the "Spread Your Feet" summer camp is mainly divided into two dimensions. One is around how to better Becoming a children's sports coach includes, for example, how to improve girls' reflexes, flexibility, strength, endurance, sensitivity, etc.; the second is training around communication skills, such as how to develop empathy, ease girls' emotions, and have a healthy mentality. The ultimate goal is to help college student volunteers learn some methods of communication, expression, guidance and play, become role models for children, and better pass on scientific and positive sports skills and the value of "leaving your feet"
innovation. Integrating music and hip-hop to release girls’ natural potential
In 2024, the "Spread Your Feet" project will innovate again, integrating music and dance into sports to empower girls, and encourage more girls to bravely express themselves in rhythm and dance steps , enjoy a free life.
"After five years of doing this, we also found that it is difficult to let girls who have never experienced and do not like competitive sports participate in sports. We have seen in the practice of related Nike projects in Europe that music and dance can very well help children achieve physical and mental balance, and they are also elements that many girls are naturally more willing to get close to and invest in. Hence, this new attempt. " Yu Zhen said, "When we choose a dance type, we first consider the acceptability and operability. Hip-hop dance has relatively low requirements for venues, clothing, and difficulty in getting started, and its dynamic and freedom are also relatively well accepted by children. "
html In May, Nike also collaborated with NetEase Cloud Music to launch the "Spread Your Feet" theme song list, inviting well-known athletes to recommend songs, and send a message to every girl to bravely participate in and enjoy sports, and to accompany girls to grow through the power of music and sports. In addition, as a As a role model for athletes, the new generation dancer Da Ting created a theme dance for the girls in the "Spread Your Feet" project. Through the integration of music, dance and movement, she expressed herself and gained energy through movement. When it comes to choreography. The design, she said, "It uses some movements to exercise the coordination of children's hands and feet, and some actions that are closer to daily life, such as patting shoes, throwing things, and tilting the head. I want girls to understand it easily and be interested. Jump out with enjoyment. "
This year, "Spread Your Feet" will also be linked to the "Nike College Street Dance League". In December, Da Ting will bring 6 girls from the Dingtang Primary School Street Dance Club to the stage of the finals to present the theme dance together. "With the help of With the influence of female role models, I hope these children will gain a sense of accomplishment from the experience of being unfamiliar with dance practice, being afraid of difficulties, becoming half-confident, and then standing on the big stage in a big city with China's most famous female hip-hop dancer Da Ting. This process may It will be a milestone in her growth," Yu Zhen said.
Shen Yi also believes that for children, music and dance are more familiar ways of self-expression and have no barriers. "Don't worry about language barriers or The pronunciation is not accurate, even if there is an accent, but the singing and dancing are moving enough, which can well promote the growth of social and emotional abilities. "Huang Nan said, "Music and dance can fully mobilize people's perceptual cognition, and emotions can be well displayed and released through music melody and body movements. "
Volunteer Ma Qihan also resonates deeply with this. She came into contact with Latin dance in the first grade, fell in love with k-pop dance in junior high school, then started learning hip-hop in college, and also dabbled in competitive cheerleading. For her, He said that the experience of learning dance is a hugely beneficial growth empowerment: “Dance is an indispensable part of increasing my self-confidence.Dancing can always help me relieve stress and improve my mentality. At the same time, dance is a world language that allows people to express their emotions and thoughts more bravely, and helps girls enrich themselves and discover more new worlds. "
The ethnic festivals in southwestern Guizhou are rich and lively, and music and dance are genes flowing in the blood. "Many minority students will learn to sing some folk songs and dance some folk dances when they return home, which is also a kind of art education." Yang Qu Just said. Da Ting is also from the Yi ethnic group who is also good at singing and dancing. She is not only a very representative "female warrior" on the battle stage, but also a champion in many strength competitions. "The nature of ethnic minorities is more free and unrestrained." , Da Ting said, “Compared with traditional dance types such as ballet, folk dance, and modern dance, hip-hop dance is more free and has many types. After you master the basic skills, you can freely choose the style you like, and you can do it in any of them. yourself, jump out of the unique feeling you want. "
Street dance is an important part of street culture. It is one of the cultures and sports that are widely popular among the young generation. Yang Qugang said, "Parents in rural areas are now more open-minded. Students watch videos online and think street dance is good-looking. . "In 2023, Dingtang Primary School established a hip-hop club through charity teams such as Love Guizhou Travel and the Youth Activity Center. More than 30 students have participated. After a year of study, many girls can dance freely in hip-hop. It’s neat, coordinated, and has a bit of wild beauty. When talking about the experience of learning hip-hop, many girls said in unison: It’s cool!
“This is the first time I’ve come into contact with so many children. They are simple, direct, sunny and enthusiastic. They are also very eager to dance. They have strong learning ability and are willing to work hard to become better and better. "On the afternoon of July 23, Da Ting came to Dingtang Primary School and rehearsed dances with the girls, participated in sports games together, and shared her inner thoughts in the hand-painted "treasure bags". She encouraged the girls to be brave and enjoy the fun of sports. “To be good at hip-hop, love and exploration are the most important, and even if the movements are not particularly standard, it is very important to be able to take that step and be brave enough to open up the movements. "
Looking back on more than ten years of dancing, Da Ting told The Paper that dancing can improve people's coordination, endurance, and cardiopulmonary function on a physical level; and on a psychological level, it can provide a sense of accomplishment and make friends. The interaction between each other will bring people confidence, sunshine and happiness; thirdly, on the spiritual level, the independence and persistence she exercises during the learning process will also make her better and better. She wants to tell the girls in the countryside: "You are really great. ! As long as you have confidence in yourself and work hard to reach a top position in a certain field, you will have the opportunity to show yourself on a larger stage and choose the life and direction you want.
11 female college volunteers who came to Dingtang Primary School were fully engaged. Based on the classroom feedback in the first few days, they found that the girls liked the interactive courses very much. They adjusted the lesson plans overnight and stayed up until two or three in the morning from time to time. "They are all serious and hope that the activities and courses will be liked and effective by the children." Shen Yi often sees a volunteer with four or five children "sticky" around him. "The energy and affinity shown by the sisters will naturally attract them." child. For these local little girls, the role model of a big sister is very important. For many rural children, there is rarely a collective environment with professional guidance. These precious moments can not only stimulate their potential, but also give them more strength when facing constraints and choices in their future growth. "
" If you give her a little love, she will like you very much, and then give you a lot of love. Zhou Shan said, "They will play with you and have some tantrums with you. Although they are quite tired, their liveliness, innocence, and well-behavedness give us endless motivation to do something for them." "
Although the summer camp is still in progress, Zhou Shan has already felt some changes in the girls: some girls who are not good at dancing dare to swing freely to the music, and some shy and introverted girls have become cheerful and confident."At first, when we led the dance game, the children would think that dancing requires some basic skills, but after they were motivated, everyone's desire to win and lose suddenly came up, and they had a lot of fun immediately. In the end, they were all very happy. "
Yu Zhen said that after actual practice, the project team found that another core impact of sports on girls is to make rural girls feel seen, noticed, and encouraged. Girls can do the same things as boys. Can do very well.
The obvious changes in many girls also made the principal Yang Qugang very happy: "Through this activity, we can find more professional teachers to guide the children, which will be of great help to the children's growth. Some girls are more introverted, and some are more introverted. They are timid. They used to lower their heads when seeing teachers. But after learning hip-hop, they sometimes take the initiative to come to the office to say hello to me. They also actively pick up trash when they see it on the ground. They talk more and are bold in doing things and expressing themselves. , a lot more cheerful. "
" Physical fitness is actually the most superficial value of exercise. In addition, scientific exercise training has great effects on personality development, cognitive ability, mental health, will and quality, social expression, and even the brain's intellectual level. All have great benefits," Huang Nan believes. The purpose of "Spread Your Feet" is not to cultivate powerful athletes, but more to use sports to make every participating girl become more independent, sunny, and confident. "Don't just look at the results but pay attention to the process. Making progress through hard work is excellence. I think this is one of the core values conveyed by letting go."
Old shoes are reborn, and the second themed environmentally friendly sports ground is launched Zhenfeng
In addition, the "spread your feet" charity and environmental journey continues.
In the summer camp, the girls used recycled particles from old Nike shoes and materials such as leaves, fabrics, newspapers, colored pens, etc. to carry out imaginative artistic creations, showing lively, innocent and natural creativity. Da Ting also participated, and the beautiful "Love Butterfly" she made received warm applause from the girls.
Last year, Nike’s “Spread Your Feet” project, in conjunction with Nike’s “Rebirth of Used Shoes” environmental protection plan, called on college student volunteers from nearly 20 universities to participate in the “Spread Your Feet” project’s “used shoe recycling” in Dali, Yunnan The country's first "spread your feet" themed environmentally friendly sports ground with butterflies, rainbows and love as elements has been created. This year, Dingtang Primary School is lucky enough to be the site of the second environmentally friendly sports ground with the theme of "Spread Your Feet", which will soon bid farewell to the cement playground.
At the scene, Dating brought this good news to the children and launched an environmental protection initiative to the public, calling on more people to join the ranks of "rebirth of old shoes", recycle old sneakers they no longer need, and help environmentally friendly sports fields of construction.
After hearing the news, the children of Dingtang Primary School showed bright smiles. The new playground is not only beautiful, but also divided into multiple functional areas. Now the children can play football and dare to rush forward, and jump on the floor without fear of breaking the skin on their palms. Yu Zhen introduced that the themed environmentally friendly sports ground that is about to land in Dingtang Primary School will highlight the characteristics of music and dance in its design. It will be jointly launched by "Spread Your Feet" and NetEase Cloud Music. It is planned to be held during the finals of this year's "Nike College Street Dance League" Unveiled to let more people see the girl power inspired by the integration of music into sports.
So far, the "Free Your Feet" project has benefited more than 700 schools and more than 160,000 girls. A total of more than 400 college students from 68 universities across the country and more than 120 Nike employees have participated in the project as volunteers.
In China, Nike is a pioneer in the dimension of empowering girls through sports. This year, the cooperation with NetEase has allowed Nike's "Spread the Foot" project to break through the partnership circle. Yu Zhen said that in the future, the "Spread the Foot" project will continue to innovate and upgrade, introduce more social resources, and lead Girls build self-confidence, broaden their knowledge, and gain growth by participating in diverse sports.
A single spark can start a prairie fire.She said that she hoped that by sowing a seed, she could bring resources, skills and ideas to schools, girls, families and volunteers, and then wait for them to grow and influence more people. Kaijia will gradually build a sustainable recycling ecosystem, which is what we hope to see most.”
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