ASHLEY Wiles feels strongly that every girl should have the opportunity to feel good about herself.
To make that dream a reality, the 27-year-old life coach, avid runner and a National Coaching Certification Program level 2 athletics coach, recently launched Sole Girls, a social enterprise organization offering a host of programming dedicated to changing the lives of young girls, ages eight-12. Wiles' goal is to empower her charges and give them the tools to lead happy, healthy and active lives and arm them with the confidence to navigate their teenage years with ease.
"My goal is to yes make a profit, but use that profit to give back to the community," she says. "I believe that strong girls and empowered girls make stronger women and stronger communities. When we give girls the tools to be confident and empowered in themselves, we're actually giving back to our community and we're creating this strong community where all girls respect themselves and they have the confidence to say yes and no and they know what their values are. And for me that's very important."
What's also important to Wiles is making physical activity integral to young girls' lives. "It's to encourage girls in this age group to be physically active and to create habits that are physically active before they hit the teen years where the drama really starts and they don't feel good about their bodies," she says.
She launched Sole Girls in April, viewing it as an opportunity to give back. "I was lucky enough to have mentors in my life that were runners," says Wiles, who started running at age six, becoming a member of the Kilometre Club at her school, Sherwood Park elementary. She has continued to run, inspired by her grandfather, who at age 75, ran his first marathon, as well as many other runners in her family - her parents and aunt and uncle included.
Throughout her life and the many different stages and situations she's found her-self in, from post-secondary studies to international travel, and the different stresses she's faced and the challenge of sticking to a healthy diet and exercise routine, she found that running helped her stay balanced.
"Running was something that I could just have, put on my shoes and go," she says.
Sole Girls offers a variety of programming, mainly eight-week running clubs. The next, a summer running club, starts July 2 and girls will meet Tuesdays and Thursdays from 12: 30 p.m. to 2: 30 p.m. until Aug. 25 at West Vancouver's The Yoga Practice. "It's an opportunity for girls to come and express themselves, be part of a healthy environment, be active during the summer and maybe learn some new skills," says Wiles.
In addition to training to run a five-kilometre fun run at the summer's end, the girls will engage in yoga and creative running games, and spend time discussing a variety of topics, including nutrition, body image, self-esteem, the media, and health and wellness.
Wiles is also presenting a nutrition and health empowerment weekend workshop, June 15-16, entitled Healthy is Hip, also held at The Yoga Practice, for eight hours over the course of the two days. "We're going to talk about food and ways that girls can use food to make it fun," she says, for example, how to make healthy, delicious smoothies for after school snacks. The weekend will also incorporate lots of physical activity.
A holistic nutritionist will be on hand as part of the program, speaking to Sole Girls' mentorship model. Community members, both high school students and adults leading healthy lives, are encouraged to sign up as Sole Girls volunteers, serving as practice partners as well as to share their expertise in a variety of health fields.
While Sole Girls is a fee-for-service program, Wiles is committed to ensuring all girls are able to participate, regardless of their financial circumstances. Through her website, she sells Sole Girls T-shirts and accepts donations to help girls attend as well as support the organization as a whole.
Wiles also endeavours to serve as a role model and is planning to run the Scotiabank Half Marathon in Vancouver June 23 to raise funds for the Passion Foundation, which works to help young women achieve personal success in life by supporting each other.
Wiles hopes to expand Sole Girls to offer programs for teenage girls in the fall.
For more information and the upcoming programs ($550 for the summer running and $150 for the nutrition weekend), visit solegirls.org.
