The Play for the Lead Young Women Advisory Group
What's the Young Women Advisory Group
The Young Women Advisory Group is a group of young women (18-29) from diverse backgrounds and experiences with migration, that plays a key role to give advice to the adidas Foundation team, on what concerns specifically the design, implementation and evaluation of the Play for the Lead project.
What's play for the lead
Play for the Lead is our new project under the Playing for Purpose program, focused on increasing access and participation in sport for Girls and Young Women with migrant or refugee backgrounds, asylum seekers, and individuals from ethnically marginalized communities in Germany, Spain and France.
About the Young Women Advisory Group
01
Selected based on lived experience
The multi-step selection process valued lived experience, understanding of barriers to participation, and engagement in sport and community contexts, while ensuring diversity across countries and backgrounds.
02
Advising on how we set up Play for the Lead
They will support shaping Play for the Lead, a program advancing access to sport for girls and young women, by contributing their perspectives and experiences in a consultative level.
Meet the Young Women Advisory Group Members
Lucie Babillon
France
Lucie works as a communication consultant in the sport for development sector and collaborates with a pan-African organization. She is interested in the social impact of sport and questions of inclusion, particularly for women. Alongside her professional work, she is also an illustrator.
Fatima‑Zohra Bentahar
Germany
Fatima‑Zohra is a basketball coach and project manager focused on safe sport, alongside her involvement in youth representation and sports governance in Germany. She works across coaching, advocacy, and organizational roles, contributing to youth participation in sport. Her focus includes anti-discrimination and creating fair and inclusive environments for young people.
Maimouna Camara
France
Maimouna works as a program coordinator in the education sector and contributes to a sport-for-good organization in France. With a background in sports law and governance, she combines academic expertise with experience as a former football player. Her work focuses on making sport more accessible to young women and strengthening inclusive approaches.
María José Kaufmann Camelio
Spain
María José is a social psychologist and sport for development coordinator working with refugee women in Barcelona through football. Her work focuses on gender-based violence, trauma, and forced migration in the context of sport. She combines program coordination with coaching to support participation and wellbeing.
Franziska Mesenbrink
Germany
Franziska is a youth leader, sports educator, and Transnational Social Work student. She works with national and international volunteer groups and leads activities in schools and sport settings. Her work focuses on inclusion, intercultural understanding, and creating equal opportunities for girls and young women.
Sofia Petroshenko
Germany
Sofia works in sales and has a background as a former athlete. Alongside her professional role, she is involved in social work and supports organizations working with refugees. She focuses on building more accessible and supportive spaces for sport, with an emphasis on wellbeing and inclusion.
Shabnam Salahshoor
France
Shabnam is a sports coordinator, educator, and coach working on social inclusion, gender equality, and women’s empowerment through sport. A former Afghan footballer now based in France, she uses sport as a tool to support exiled women and advance inclusion. Her work combines on-the-ground coaching with advocacy and international engagement.
Iyana Williams
Spain
Iyana is a community organizer based in Valencia, working at the intersection of women’s participation and skateboarding. She focuses on building connections beyond competitive sport and creating spaces where women can engage on their own terms. Her work highlights the role of skateboarding in empowerment and community building
THE YOUNG WOMEN ADVISORY GROUP IS A CONSULTING BODY HELPING US BUILD A PROJECT THAT IS CLOSE TO THE NEEDS AND REALITIES OF THE COMMUNITIES WE WANT TO SERVE
MORE ABOUT PLAY FOR THE LEAD AND PLAYING FOR PURPOSE
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