Hi, my name is Ananya Kamboj and I am one in a million. This is my story.

I am a Global Citizen, and a 15-year-old girl from a humble background with myriad dreams twinkling in my eyes. I happen to be an ambassador of football, peace, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and youth empowerment. I am founder of Sports to Lead, youth leadership initiative.

I have been empowering and teaching leadership skills for life in order to help girls become more confident, skilled, and more enjoyable based on the nine values - friendship, equality, fairness, health, peace, devotion, victory, traditions, and honour.

I focus on using sports as a medium to encourage learning and breed leadership and SDGs among the youth in urban and rural India.

I was born and raised in Chandigarh, India. I have grown up in a joint family so I understood that it’s the biggest pillar of love, strength and support. I am fortunate that everyone (grandparents, parents and uncles) at home supported me. The joint family taught me self-control and how to respect others. Secondly, a joint family teaches the values of adjusting and flexibility, which can go a long way in life.

I have been playing football and basketball in my school and club teams since childhood.

For the last three years, I am selected to represent India as a Young Journalist at the global Football for Friendship (F4F) social program. Football for Friendship is an annual International Children’s social program that unites children of different nationalities, different genders, and different physical abilities. The goal of the project is the development of children’s football, fostering tolerance, and respect for different cultures and nationalities among children from different countries.

I am learning a lot about myself during my training sessions in India, but also learning quickly a few important lessons as well. I found that, as often as not, while the coaches showed the kids how to shoot a basket, throw a strike or head a football, they were also indirectly sending a message to them to regard girls as inferior to boys. In an attempt to motivate the team’s performance, I often hear coaches hurl statements such as: This is a war! Let’s go out and kill the other team! Man up! You’re playing like a girl!

For many people, “playing like a girl” and much nastier variations means being inferior.

Being too slow. Being clumsy. Being too weak. Striking out. Dropping a catch. Missing a tackle. Missing a shot. Getting crossed up. Sports in general has often been a landing site for hyper masculinized ideals (power, using violence to solve problems, homophobia and risk taking), but there’s a growing recognition that cultivating these kinds of performance-based values contributes to societal norms relating to violence against women.

I get offended when I hear comments that girls cannot make it to the top of the ladder. Attaining gender balance will require encouraging women’s leadership, holding leading positions in business, participation in politics and sports, the private sector and government offices.

Each one of you can make a contribution by empowering your daughters, sisters and other girls in your family and community.

As a passionate advocate for women empowerment and gender equality, it is my mission to help women in sports realize their potential and overcome the gender barriers. This motivated me to take a pledge to make the world a better, fairer, safer place for women and decided to work for the empowerment of girls. I am here to serve a cause, and that is to celebrate women empowerment and gender equality by sharing my story, supporting my colleagues to do the same, and thanking 1M2030 for supporting young leaders. I believe that education, sports, and childhood leadership development do go hand in hand. I wish to take the spirit of hope, togetherness, and inspiration to millions of children across India and South Asia and make this world a better place to live in. I am changing the world.

Disclaimer: Any views or opinions represented in these articles are personal and belong solely to the author. The content provided by these authors do not necessarily reflect the opinions and beliefs and viewpoints of 1M2030, or it's affiliates.

1M2030 Story #10: Empowering Girls Through Sports - By Ananya Kamboj

Hi, my name is Ananya Kamboj and I am one in a million. This is my story.

I have been empowering and teaching leadership skills for life in order to help girls become more confident, skilled, and more enjoyable based on the nine values - friendship, equality, fairness, health, peace, devotion, victory, traditions, and honour.

I have been playing football and basketball in my school and club teams since childhood.

For many people, “playing like a girl” and much nastier variations means being inferior.

Each one of you can make a contribution by empowering your daughters, sisters and other girls in your family and community.

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