On 22 September 2026, EMPOWER, Equal GEMS and WOMEN-KICK joined forces for a joint webinar exploring a question that connects all three projects: how do we help girls build confidence, participation, and opportunity — whether in a computer science classroom or on a football pitch?

The numbers set the stage. Across the EU, women make up just 19.5% of employed ICT specialists, and only 1 in 3 STEM graduates is a woman — despite women being 51% of the population. In sport, the pattern repeats: 85% of adolescent girls do not meet WHO recommendations for daily physical activity, with the drop-off concentrated in adolescence, while girls are still in school and still in PE lessons.

Different fields, same barrier — and that was the throughline of the session. Each project tackles it from its own entry point:

• EMPOWER equips educators with practical training for gender-inclusive ICT education, pairing teachers with female role models from the tech sector.

• Equal GEMS develops gender-sensitive physical education resources, helping PE teachers and coaches build more inclusive, less competition-only sport environments.

• WOMEN-KICK supports women's health, training, and inclusion in football, with evidence-based resources for players, coaches, and clubs.

Attendees were invited to reflect on their own role in shaping these environments, and live polling throughout the session surfaced a clear pattern: participants ranked health, stereotypes, and career development as the priorities they most wanted to see addressed — reinforcing that the barriers girls face in technology and in sport are rarely about ability, and much more about the environments adults create around them.

Beyond the webinar itself, the three projects agreed the collaboration shouldn't end here: EMPOWER, Equal GEMS and WOMEN-KICK plan to stay connected and explore joint activities, resource-sharing and dissemination opportunities as they arise. 

The session closed with a shared message: breaking barriers takes more than one project — it takes shared knowledge, inclusive practice, and people willing to change the environment around them.

Explore the resources: EMPOWER · Equal GEMS · WOMEN-KICK

Equal GEMS is a project co-funded by the Erasmus+ Sport programme, aimed at promoting gender equality through physical education at school. The project involves schools and sports organisations from four countries (Italy, Portugal, Ireland and Hungary), with the aim of enhancing female participation, strengthening the skills of teaching staff and promoting more inclusive (formal and informal) sports environments.

Why is it important?

Numerous studies show that girls are at greater risk of dropping out of sports during adolescence, often due to sport environments perceived as being competitive, judgmental or unrepresentative. The physical education provided at school still tends to favour performance-centred models, which are not always suited to and supportive of the well-being, motivation and identity of female students. Furthermore, many girls report experiences of exclusion or invisibility during motor activities. The school environment, however, is a key for promoting active participation and inclusion through sport. Targeted interventions such as inclusive sports clubs and training courses for school staff have proven to be effective in improving self-esteem, a sense of belonging and female leadership.

General project objectives

In order to promote a school model of physical activity based on sport and oriented towards gender equality, the Equal GEMS project proposes an intervention with the following objectives.

1. To develop a monitoring system, aimed at analysing the perceptions of female students (and students) with respect to physical education, increasing awareness with respect to their motor skills
2. To strengthen the skills of PE teachers and coaches in planning inclusive and gender-sensitive activities by promoting the use of non-stereotypical language and the adoption of a mentoring role to support the empowerment of female students
3. To foster collaboration and networking between schools and sports organisations, strengthening the bridge between physical education and motor activity, and expanding the range of sports disciplines accessible to all
4. To create conditions that encourage a renewal in the way physical education is delivered, placing the students' interests at the centre, enhancing their individual talents and motor skills

Programme and proposed activities

September - December 2025: Listening and analysis of the school context

• Introductory meeting with the project team
• Data collection using digital tools (Online Reflective Diary)
• Administration of the Student Sport Profile to assess students' perceptions, attitudes and interests

 January - April 2026: Training for teachers and sports coaches

• Free training course for sports science teachers and coaches
• Topics covered: sport and gender, inclusive language, mentoring, involvement of girls in sport

May - October 2026: Activation of Student Sport Clubs

• Co-design and start-up of student-run school sports clubs with the support of teachers
• Experimentation with new non-competitive and accessible sports disciplines and formats

From spring 2026: school-territory collaboration

• Involvement of local associations and sports clubs
• Offer of extracurricular motor activities also aimed at inactive girls or girls with fewer opportunities

October - December 2026: Communication and creative production

• Production of videos, graphic materials and student-led awareness-raising campaigns
• Focus on inclusion, sport and gender equality

Early 2027: Final event and awards

• Final event with presentation of results
• Issue of certificates, participation badges and visibility for the schools involved

Why participate?

• Promote the school as an environment that promotes well-being and equal opportunities
• Strengthen collaboration with the sports organisations involved
• Offer teachers and sports coaches free training and operational tools
• Experience an innovative educational approach, recognised at European level
• Give a voice to all students, especially less active girls, making them protagonists

With Equal GEMS officially underway, our project team is already taking the first steps toward building more inclusive school sports environments. We are assembling a team of mediators to guide our assessment process, developing a Gender Equality Toolkit for PE teachers and coaches, and designing a Skills Portfolio and Coaching Badge to recognise new competencies.

In the coming months, we will work with schools to empower girls through the formation of new student sports clubs and encourage creative student-led projects, including a video series on gender equality in sport. These early actions lay the foundation for meaningful, lasting change—and we look forward to sharing progress and celebrating achievements along the way.

Follow our journey and join the Equal GEMS community as we champion gender equality in school physical education!