DOHA (Qatar) - Girls from six schools across Qatar have been introduced to basketball blended with sustainability in an environment designed to build confidence, teamwork, and a lasting interest in playing sport through the first edition of ‘Her Pathways’, a Basketball For Good festival delivered by Qatar Foundation in collaboration with FIBA Foundation.
Her Pathways forms part of Qatar Foundation’s (QF) Creating Pathways program, which is creating sustainable pathways for girls to progress from grassroots participation through to elite sport across a number of sports including basketball, volleyball, tennis, fencing and track and field.
Held immediately after Qatar Sustainability Week, and taking place over three hours at Multaqa (Education City Student Center), the opening instalment of the three-part Her Pathways Basketball for Good festival series combined basketball with practical learning around everyday sustainability choices, based around the program’s concept that ‘basketball creates the movement; sustainability gives it purpose’.
Across six interactive stations, the 60 girls participating developed their basketball skills while exploring practical sustainability themes including clean energy, clean air, reducing and recycling, responsible choices, water conservation, and caring for nature.
Each station translated these ideas into movement, teamwork and practical action. Activities ranged from dribbling towards different clean-energy sources and shooting for clean air, to passing a basketball as a ‘drop of water’ and contributing to the Her Pathways Garden.
The second festival is planned for 21 December, coinciding with World Basketball Day, with the third and final edition on the day before the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 draw. Together, the festivals will use basketball as a platform for participation, learning and positive social impact, creating more opportunities for girls to play, build confidence and stay connected to sport.
Alanoud AlMesnad, Executive Director of Women’s and Girls’ Sport at Qatar Foundation, said: “Her Pathways is about giving girls an experience of sport that is enjoyable, meaningful and connected to opportunities for continuing participation and progression, reflecting Qatar Foundation’s commitment to enabling and empowering a lasting love of sport among women and girls.
“Experiences like Her Pathways creating an enjoyable entry point into sport and then ensuring that girls can see where their sporting journey can take them next. Basketball gives them the chance to move, play and work together, while the sustainability activities that form part of these festivals show them how small choices can have lasting value.
“Most importantly, our hope is that every girl who takes part leaves these festivals seeing sport as something that can remain part of her life and recognizing how they have a role to play in shaping a sustainable future for their communities.”
Theren Bullock Jr., Head of FIBA Foundation, said: “Basketball has a powerful ability to bring young people together and create opportunities for learning that extend beyond the court. Through Basketball for Good, we use the game as a platform to create opportunities for girls, build confidence and teamwork, and inspire care for the environment."
“Her Pathways brings that approach to life by connecting basketball with practical sustainability lessons that girls can take back into their schools, homes and communities, while creating a positive first experience with the sport.”
With FIBA Foundation bringing its Basketball for Good platform to the festival, Her Pathways has also been supported by Qatar Basketball Federation as its technical partner, Tarsheed as its sustainability partner, the Ministry of Education and Higher Education, and Al Rayyan Municipality.
QF’s Creating Pathways program is designed to increase girls’ participation in sport while enabling a new generation of female sporting talent in Qatar to be identified and nurtured. The program comprises five tracks: basketball, track and field, volleyball, fencing, and tennis.
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About FIBA Foundation
The FIBA Foundation is the social and legacy arm of FIBA that addresses the role of sports, and particularly basketball in society, preserving and promoting basketball’s values and its cultural heritage.
The FIBA Foundation believes that basketball has the power to empower, educate and inspire youth and facilitates this by implementing Basketball For Good projects around the world.
Qatar Foundation – Unlocking Human Potential
Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development (QF) is a non-profit organization focused on education, research and innovation, and community development that supports Qatar on its journey to becoming a diversified and sustainable economy. Across its ecosystem comprising more than 50 entities, QF strives to serve the people of Qatar and beyond through its work across progressive education, sustainability, artificial intelligence, precision healthcare, and social progress.
QF was founded in 1995 by His Highness Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, the late Father Amir of Qatar, and Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, who shared the vision to provide Qatar with quality education. This vision has evolved into a globally unique, multidisciplinary ecosystem of knowledge offering opportunities for lifelong learning, fostering innovation, and empowering people to be socially engaged citizens and drivers of positive change.