This Girl Can launches group exercise resource hub

This Girl Can has collaborated with EMD UK, the national governing body for group exercise, to launch a new resource hub for group exercise instructors that aims to boost physical activity among less active and inactive women. 

Supported by National Lottery funding, Reach Up is a free, online platform containing bitesize learning to support group exercise instructors to understand, reach and consistently engage with more women in their communities – especially those who face the most barriers to getting active, such as Muslim women or women with long-term health conditions.

Engaging women from underserved communities is the top priority for the next phase of our This Girl Can campaign.

Reach Up builds on the foundations of This Girl Can Classes, a previous collaboration with EMD UK, which launched in 2019 in response to insight revealing that many women felt intimidated by traditional group exercise classes.

Claire Edwards, our head of campaign activation, said: "We’re proud to launch Reach Up alongside EMD UK. This resource equips instructors with the tools they need to engage with and retain women who often feel that group exercise isn’t for them.

"The This Girl Can campaign has already helped nearly 4 million women become more active. This latest launch continues our mission to break down inequalities in women’s activity levels and drive the change needed so that all women, regardless of background, feel they truly belong in sport and physical activity."

Reach Up content is designed to support all instructors, from those working in community halls who want to make a bigger difference in their local area to multi-site fitness operators looking to upskill their staff.

The bitesize modules will be actively promoted and immediately available to more than 11,000 instructors via the EMD UK instructor membership.

Shelley Meyern, COO of EMD UK, said: "We’re thrilled to introduce Reach Up to the fitness sector. Instructors play a crucial role in helping women lead active lives, with 4.8 million adults attending group exercise classes every week.

"Reach Up makes it much easier than ever before for instructors, whether working in leisure centres or community halls, to upskill and make an even greater impact. The accessible, bitesized format means instructors can apply what they have learnt straight away.

"We’re proud to work with This Girl Can help more women find activities they love and to stick with them." 

Reach Up is now live and accessible to group exercise instructors, fitness professionals and operators. Active Partnerships and community projects are also invited to join forces with Reach Up to create change in their local areas. 

Additional modules will be released throughout June, and the hub will be regularly updated with further topics coming later in the year.