Nike has recently launched a new campaign to promote physical activity in youth who may not see themselves represented in sports.
The new online series, “How We Do”, looks to erase stereotypes that stop young people from being active and participating in sports. Its first episode was launched with UK influencer Nella Rose as the first face of the project.
“‘How We Do’ is our new series spotlighting communities helping young people overcome barriers in sport, showing that you don’t have to fit into sport – sport should fit you,” Nike wrote in their video description.
In the video, Rose and her new friends – Issatta, Naomi, and Zyanarah – take on the challenge of boxing. At Dwaynamics Boxing Gym, which was created for troubled and at-risk youth, the four women learn the basics of the sport – tackling their own misconceptions in the process.
“[School] never really cared for girls doing sports,” Zyanarah said. “They’ll just throw anything at us to do. They just pushed boys, and ‘football, football, football.’”
“Outside of school, what didn’t encourage me to go was that I knew there weren’t going to be a lot of women there,” Issatta said.
While the sport is male-dominated, the video is woman-centered. The person training them for the day is Stephanie – a muslim woman who started training as a way to bring inclusivity and diversity.
“It was only when I thought, ‘well, okay, how can I encourage other women to get involved? For Muslim women, Black women, to feel comfortable?’” She said, “They’re got a Black coach, they can relate to me.”
The women also had a special guest – Dina Asher-Smith, the fastest British woman on record.
“It’s not always trying to be the best in the world,” Asher-Smith said. “You’re meeting new friends. It’s just constantly these opportunities to just feel good about yourself.”
The video carries a less serious, more fun and humorous, and brighter tone than the usual Nike ad – showcasing the effort to not only make this new campaign different but more relatable to the younger generation as well.
Nike also has campaigns to highlight other underrepresented communities in sports. “Until We All Win.” is the sports brand’s campaign to include indigenous, LGBT+, and the younger communities.
The campaign spotlights athletes, artists, and more who are making an impact in the sports and health world while simultaneously breaking barriers and dismantling stereotypes. Each episode highlights a person’s work, and inspirations – showcasing resilience, and change in the world of sports, and health and wellness.
