Feel Good Your Way returns to celebrate those supporting girls to move more and feel good

By GM Moving | 10 March 2025 | TAGS: Children and young people, Mental Wellbeing, Mental health

Two new Feel Good Your Way videos have been released on International Women’s Day to celebrate the organisations in Greater Manchester supporting girls to move more in a way that works for them. 

The new films (available below) show how four clubs across the city region are using movement and physical activity to boost the happiness, joy, and mental wellbeing of 11 to 16-year-old girls. 

GM Moving commissioned The Reporters Academy to work with young people at Salford Youth Service, Our Ladies Secondary School and Winning Hearts and Minds, Manchester Thunder Para-Netball, and Water Adventure Centre to create the films.  

The Feel Good Your Way mission is to demonstrate how everyone can create the conditions where our teenage girls can move their bodies more and improve their mental wellbeing as a result.  

It was co-created by young people and GM Moving, who is a key partner of #BeeWell - a youth-centred programme led by The University of Manchester, The Gregson Family Foundation and Anna Freud. 

Through a survey that’s co-created with young people, #BeeWell aims to find out what’s affecting young people’s wellbeing and identify ways to improve it.  

GM Moving and #BeeWell are bringing partners together so that even more schools, clubs, health settings, and youth groups support girls to create positive, life-long relationships with physical activity and sport. 

The Children and Young Person Active Lives data from Sport England in 2023/24 found higher rates of activity (48.7%) in GM compared to the national average (47.8%).  

GM Moving’s Active Young People Lead, Lauren Whaley, said:  

“I’m so proud of all the work happening in Greater Manchester to create the conditions for all young people to create positive, life-long relationships with physical activity and sport.  

“It’s been fantastic to work with The Reporters Academy, the four incredible organisations featured, and so many enthusiastic young people, to bring the work to life for our partners.  

“We know the gender gap in physical activity exists, and has for a long time, but change is happening. Girls want to be active and when we come together, collaborate, and put girls at the centre it’s transformative.” 

Professor Jessica Deighton, Director of the Applied Research and Evaluation Division at Anna Freud, Professor in Child Mental Health, and Wellbeing at UCL and Co-Academic Lead for #BeeWell, said: 

“Being active plays a really important role in building good wellbeing and can help protect against mental ill-health, but data from #BeeWell clearly tells us that girls do less physical activity than boys. 

“Finding ways to address this gap is crucial, so it’s fantastic to see this youth-led phase of Feel Good Your Way, developed in response to #BeeWell data, championing community initiatives helping girls move more. 

“With the latest #BeeWell findings for Greater Manchester set to be released soon, we look forward to working with partners like GM Moving to respond to the new data and continue celebrating inspiring action from young people and partners.” 

Sarah Jones, Project Manager at The Reporters’ Academy, added: 

“The Reporters' Academy have been delighted to work with GM Moving and promote all their work around #FeelGoodYourWay. 

“There is so much synergy between our organisations to provide a sounding board for the voices of young people. These videos have all been filmed and produced by young people with the ultimate aim of increasing their employability. 

“It has been so encouraging to see all the young people involved bringing their personal stories to life. We hope these videos are seen by so many people and raise awareness of all the great work.” 

Join our celebration of you, and your partners, using movement, physical activity, and sport to support young people’s mental wellbeing. Use #FeelGoodYourWay and tag GM Moving and #BeeWell.  

To learn more about the headline findings of Greater Manchester’s latest #BeeWell survey for 2024/25, attend their online briefing on Wednesday 2 April at 4:30pm.