The Basketball Africa League (BAL) (https://BAL.NBA.com) and Communicate Up Africa, an African-led, Senegal-based group working with leaders and changemakers in Africa and past to unravel Africa’s urgent sustainable improvement challenges, right now introduced the launch of the second version of their mentorship program, “Teaming Up: African LeadHERs meet BAL4HER,” which this yr will pair 10 younger African feminine athletes and aspiring sports activities business leaders with feminine executives within the sports activities business. This system is a part of the BAL and Communicate Up Africa’s efforts to advance gender fairness and public well being, propel girls’s management, and put together the following technology for careers in sports activities enterprise throughout the continent.
The second version of this system, which is able to run from Friday, Nov. 1, 2024 – Sunday, June 1, 2025, will as soon as once more pair every mentee with an business government and skilled mentor who will information them by way of a personalised improvement journey. Via month-to-month workshops, focused goal-setting, and immersive studying experiences, the mentees will acquire important abilities and data to thrive in Africa’s sports activities business and turn into advocates for crucial well being points affecting girls and ladies. Functions (https://apo-opa.co/3ZzrFNG) are open now and can shut on Monday, Oct. 7. The mentors for this yr’s program embrace:
Laeticia Amihere (WNBA participant, Atlanta Dream)
Chrysa Chin (Government Vice President, Strategic Relations, Nationwide Basketball Participant’s Affiliation)
Ashley Combs (Senior Director of Participant Advertising, Excel Administration)
Aicha Diop (Director of Advertising, BAL)
Allison Feaster (Vice President of Crew Operations&Organizational Progress, Boston Celtics)
Dr. Kensa Gunter (Director of Thoughts Well being, NBA)
Ebony Hoffman (Assistant Coach, Seattle Storm)
Dr. Ndidi Onyejiaka (Psychological Well being Skilled, Chicago Sky)
Jamila Wideman (Senior Vice President of Participant Improvement, NBA)
“‘Teaming Up: African LeadHERs meet BAL4HER’ displays the BAL’s dedication to supporting the event of younger African girls who will form the way forward for the sports activities business on the continent,” mentioned BAL President Amadou Gallo Fall. “As we proceed our efforts to advance gender fairness, we sit up for as soon as once more collaborating with Communicate Up Africa to pave the way in which for a extra inclusive, dynamic, and health-conscious basketball neighborhood.”
“Basketball is greater than a recreation. It’s a highly effective catalyst for social change,” mentioned Communicate Up Africa Founder, Yacine Diop. “Via ‘Teaming Up: African LeadHERs meet BAL4HER,’ we’re igniting a motion that intertwines sports activities, gender equality and well being. These younger girls leaders will break limitations on the court docket and in boardrooms, champion crucial well being points, and encourage tens of millions throughout Africa.”
Much like final yr’s program, mentees can have the chance to go to their mentors of their dwelling nations, permitting them to have interaction with main professionals of their office. This hands-on expertise will permit mentees to forge significant connections, broaden their networks, and acquire sensible data instantly from business leaders.
As a part of the launch, BAL and Communicate Up Africa hosted an occasion on the NBA headquarters in New York Metropolis that introduced collectively sports activities business leaders and stakeholders to debate and handle areas impacting girls in African basketball. The occasion featured the Communicate Up Africa LINGEER exhibition, a photograph exhibition designed to drive better inclusion in basketball by highlighting the influence of girls throughout a variety of roles and capabilities.
Launched in 2023 as a part of Communicate Up Africa’s African LeadHERs motion and the BAL’s “BAL4HER” initiative, final yr’s program matched six younger girls from Egypt, Rwanda and Senegal with sports activities business executives Amber Nichols (Common Supervisor, Capital Metropolis Go-Go), Chin, Feaster, Ebony Hoffman (assistant coach, Seattle Storm), Taylor Kielpinski-Rogers (Vice President of Communications, Boston Celtics) and Kornelia Semmelink (NBA Africa Senior Director, Media Partnerships).
Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Basketball Africa League (BAL).
Concerning the BAL:
The Basketball Africa League (BAL), a partnership between the Worldwide Basketball Federation (FIBA) and the NBA, is knowledgeable league that includes 12 membership groups from throughout Africa that accomplished its fourth season in June 2024. Headquartered in Dakar, Senegal, the BAL builds on the muse of membership competitions FIBA Africa has organized throughout the continent and marks the NBA’s first collaboration to function a league exterior North America. Followers can observe the BAL (@ theBAL) on Fb (https://apo-opa.co/4dhy2Zg), Instagram (https://apo-opa.co/4dhIFer), Threads (https://apo-opa.co/3TBSrkU), X (https://apo-opa.co/4gDzGHG), and YouTube (https://apo-opa.co/47Gq6iT) and register their curiosity in receiving extra data at BAL.NBA.com.
About Communicate Up Africa:
Communicate Up Africa is an African-led, Senegal-based group working with leaders and changemakers in Africa and past to unravel Africa’s urgent sustainable improvement challenges. Communicate Up Africa is devoted to supporting African leaders and residents to take an lively function in figuring out and growing options to sort out the challenges going through our continent. Communicate Up Africa’s aspiration is to be unparalleled in lifting African actors to drive equitable and sustainable change towards wholesome and thriving African societies. Pushed by the conviction that ladies and youth will drive the following wave of social and financial improvement in Africa, Communicate Up Africa is right here to unleash the untapped potential of the continent’s girls and youth.