Since childhood, girls in the Middle East have been told that they can’t – just because they’re girls. We wanted to embolden a new generation of young female athletes to take daring leaps forward. But there’s a lot that stands in their way, and the weight of norms and traditions is a heavy burden to carry. Especially when it’s hella hot.
All of this means that many girls are discouraged from working out or playing sports. And for the few who do train, home is the only place to do it free from judgment. So what could we do to help these young women turn social pressures into adrenaline, and fear into courage?
It’s a big ask, but even big starts small. So we invited them to start small, with us. And we used two of their favorite things to reach them – social media and one very powerful role model.
On International Women’s Day, girls across the Middle East came together to join Nike and Balqees Fathi – the Beyoncé of the Middle East – for a six-minute workout. Live from her home, to theirs.
Balqees invited her 7+ million followers on Instagram and Facebook to train with her and Salma, a popular Dubai-based trainer, at home. No gym, equipment, or experience needed. From UAE to Saudi Arabia, we gave young women intimate, unprecedented access to their heroine through a fun, social-driven workout experience powered by the Nike+ Training Club app and Facebook Live. And hey – if they could train for six minutes, what's stopping them from training again for ten minutes? Fifteen? Thirty? With NTC, the sky’s the limit. And hitting the START button puts them well on their way to training on the regular.