Any woman who’s stepped on the ice, field or hard court knows that sport can be a powerful force in a girl’s life. Resilience, leadership skills, goal setting—the lifelong learnings are truly endless. It’s worrisome, then, that 47 percent of teenage girls drop out of sports in Canada—a rate that’s twice that of boys. This alarming stat goes hand in hand with another: 44 percent of girls who drop out were told that they don’t have the right body for sports.

As puberty hits, girls experience fundamental changes to their bodies—growth spurts, first periods, breast development and hair growth can leave them feeling vulnerable to judgment, both on and off the field. Without the right support and guidance, many girls feel that forgoing sports altogether is the only option. In fact, 45 percent of girls who dropped out say they would’ve stayed in sports longer if they’d felt more encouraged.

In response to this troubling trend, Dove—beloved beauty brand and the largest provider of self-esteem training worldwide—along with co-developer Nike, undertook two years of research to establish Body Confidence Sport. A set of coaching tools to inspire body confidence in girls age 11 to 17, this first-of-its-kind program was created in partnership with leading experts (namely the Centre for Appearance Research and the Tucker Center for Research on Girls & Women in Sport) and with invaluable input from girls and coaches across six countries.

The result? A comprehensive initiative backed by science and evidence-based results. Available in seven languages and with easy, downloadable guides for coaches to use as roadmaps, the program aims to annually reach one million young girls and individuals across the full gender spectrum through a network of school organizations and sports clubs around the world. Sessions cover a range of vital self-esteem-boosting topics—body talk and judgment-free zones, body functionality and intuitive movement included—in the hope of changing the conversation from “What does my body look like?” to “What is my body capable of experiencing?” You want to talk about impact? Dove and Nike are making it happen, turning sport into a source of confidence for so many.