The Oklahoma City Thunder is opening applications for an initiative aimed at empowering female high school athletes.
Michelle Matthews stopped by News 9 to discuss the “Power Her Forward” program, which is all about uplifting the next generation of female leaders.
“We’re bringing this program back. We had ran it for a couple of seasons and then the pandemic hit,” Matthews said.
Matthews said that there is a drop in the rate of middle school girls continuing to participate in sports. Many girls say this is due to the lack of role models. This program aims to pair girls with a mentor who can instill in them self-confidence, leadership, and a deeper understanding of the sport.
“Power Her Forward is aimed at recruiting freshman and sophomore girls who play basketball in the state of Oklahoma,” Matthews said.
Matthews said the mentors are women who have been keynote speakers for the Thunder in the past.
“Hopefully through this cohort of girls, not only will they kind of learn a little bit more about leadership and self-confidence,” she said. “And then they can go out and be mentors themselves and role models themselves and carry forward.
After the six-month program, in March, the girls will give a presentation about the project and cohort.
To learn more about Powe Her Forward, click here.