Empower Her Returns for a Third Year

July 30th, 2026

Empower Her, Edmonton Tennis Community's (ETC’s) tennis-based initiative for girls, returned for a third year this summer. Over three days, July 12th, July 19th and July 26th, 250 girls took part in an experience that once again proved just how powerful this program is.

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Empower Her is designed to uplift and support girls and women through sport, community and confidence-building experiences. With a focus on inclusivity and fun, it creates safe, welcoming spaces where participants can develop skills, make connections and feel empowered both on and off the court. Through mentorship, movement and meaningful moments, Empower Her helps girls see what they are capable of and know they belong.

The sessions were led by 24 passionate female coaches and volunteers from ETC, all giving their time to make the program possible. The first day was the largest, with over 100 girls taking part in 1.5 hours of tennis. Abilities ranged widely: some participants were long-time members of ETC programs, while others picked up a racquet for the first time. From forehands and backhands to volleys and serves, girls built their skills step by step before bringing the energy to fun, team-based drills.

New to Empower Her this year were three additional sessions: a nutrition workshop with registered dietitian Rosalie Lau, a Pilates session with Dalynn Emokpae, a certified personal trainer and Pilates and yoga instructor, and a physiotherapy session with Tara Huynh from Focus Physiotherapy. The nutrition workshop shifted the focus from how you look to how you feel, teaching girls to properly fuel their bodies for performance while pushing back against diet culture and nutrition misinformation. The Pilates session focused on engaging the core through each movement and sparking a love for movement. Each girl walked away with a free yoga mat and a short at-home workout, encouraging a lasting habit of daily movement and its many benefits for body and mind.

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Each session closed with a discussion on leadership, centered on the question: what makes someone a good leader?

One response stopped Executive Director Karina in her tracks, prompting the only standing ovation of the program. A girl described a leader as "someone who stands up and speaks for those without a voice," whether that person is shy, not in the room, has a disability, or is otherwise unable to speak for themselves.

In the third and final session, Karina posed another question that sparked real debate: can a leader be quiet? Many girls initially said no. But through discussion, they came to understand that leadership is defined by action, not volume. By the end of the session, girls who had started out more reserved began to see that leaders can be any age and don't have to be the loudest or most confident person in the room, and that they themselves already are, or have been, leaders. Many left feeling inspired that they could one day trade their spot among the participants for a coach's role, teaching these same skills to the next generation of girls.

“It was incredible to see the girls have an evolving understanding of leadership and gain confidence throughout the sessions. As a junior player, I spent my earliest and most formative years training without any female coaches. Being part of Empower Her has been especially meaningful because it gives young girls the chance to learn from strong female role models from the very beginning of their tennis journey, and I truly wish a program like this had existed when I was younger.”

— Jessica Kreutz, Coach, Edmonton Tennis Community

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This program keeps growing because the community keeps showing up for it, from the coaches and volunteers who return year after year to Saville Community Sports Centre, who generously hosted the program in their dome.

What these girls take home isn't just a stronger forehand. It's about a girl learning her voice matters, on the court, in the classroom and everywhere life takes her next.