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World Mental Health Day 2025: Building Resilience Through Sport

  • Writer: Amelie Boleyn
    Amelie Boleyn
  • Oct 9
  • 2 min read

Updated: 7 days ago

Every year, World Mental Health Day reminds us that mental wellbeing is a universal right yet for many girls, it remains out of reach. Across our communities, countless young people have faced discrimination, violence, or trauma that leaves deep emotional scars. At Girls in Sport, we believe in the healing power of participation, connection, and belonging. Sport is not just about physical activity, it is about rebuilding lives.



Mental Health and Sport


In settings affected by poverty, conflict, or displacement, sport-based programmes and physical activity are recognised by the United Nations and UNICEF as powerful interventions for mental wellbeing and community healing.


For many of our participants, joining a Girls in Sport programme is their first opportunity to unlock talent, to compete, to play, and to acquire a stronger sense of agency.


Mental Health is a cornerstone of our work, and is central to building sustainable progress in communities where gender can often be a barrier to wellbeing
Talking Corners at Girls in Sport
Talking corners, guided by Girls in Sport facilitator


Coaches as Role Models


Our coaches serve as role models, and play a crucial role in the transformative impact of our programs. With training in child safeguarding, trauma awareness, and mentorship, we establish environments where girls feel secure, supported, and heard. Our programme and safeguarding leads help build essential connections to community-based practitioners, helping to combine holistic pathways to mental and emotional wellbeing and ensure a robust support system.





Every training session can be the starting point for a brighter future. Sport can build better resilience and is a chance for a girl to build confidence.

Tennis games. Sierra Leone. Sept 2025
Tennis games. Sierra Leone. Sept 2025


Engaging Boys as Allies


True equality cannot be achieved unless boys are part of the conversation.


Side-by-side, boys and girls develop empathy and mutual understanding. Research by UNDP and DIVA Portal highlights that engaging boys in gender equality and GBV prevention initiatives leads to measurable reductions in violence and promotes positive behavioural change across entire communities.





A Shared Commitment to Mental Wellbeing


This World Mental Health Day, we celebrate every girl who has found courage through sport, every coach who has led with compassion, and every boy who has chosen respect over silence. By investing in inclusive, trauma-informed sport, we build more resilient communities where girls have the chance to heal, grow, and thrive.













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