The importance of positive and inspiring networks - an introduction to The Girls’ Network

The Girls’ Network is an award-winning charity that inspires and empowers girls from the least advantaged communities by connecting them with a network of positive female role models.

Who are The Girls' Network?

The Girls’ Network is an award-winning charity that inspires and empowers girls from the least advantaged communities by connecting them with a network of positive female role models.

Girls from the least advantaged communities are held back at school and in life. They face the double disadvantage of gender and wealth inequality. Compared to their male peers and wealthier female counterparts, they are less likely to do well at school, less likely to go on to university and less likely to enter the world of work. For example, there are almost 60,000 more women than men who are not in education, employment or training (NEET). The Girls' Network is working to change this.

We were founded by Becca Dean FRSA and Charly Young in London in 2013, while they were working as teachers as part of the Teach First Leadership Development Programme. Becca and Charly started inviting women from their own networks into their schools to speak to the girls. Both the girls and their visitors found the conversations so inspiring that they wanted to make more of a long-term commitment and the first mentoring relationships were established. More women heard about the work and asked to join in, and so The Girls' Network was born. The Girls' Network is now working in London, the South Coast, the Midlands, the North West and the North East and aims to be in every region in the country by 2020.

The programme consists of 1:1 mentoring from a professional woman for each girl, alongside workshops, networking events and work experience, tailored to the girls’ interests. Once the girls graduate they are also invited to become an Ambassador, which gives them lifelong access to all the benefits of The Girls' Network, including internships and networking opportunities.

We know that some of the most effective ways to change someone’s expectations about what it is they can go on to achieve, is through conversations with professionals and experience of the work place. And we have seen the transformational impact that mentors have had on the confidence, self-belief and ambitions of the girls that we support.

Why we need your support

When we share statistics on gender representation with the girls we work with, we share them because it puts a fire in their bellies. We encourage and support the girls to see the statistics as something to breakdown and not to be limited by. This is only possible with the amazing network of people that make up The Girls’ Network. From leading workshops and roundtables, to fundraising and providing work experience placements, the amazing women and men that fuel the Network are invaluable to the progress of the girls we work with.

How you can get involved

There lots of ways that you can get involved. We’ve highlighted a few below, but would be delighted to hear from you if there are other things you’d like to offer.

• Host or lead a workshop for girls

• Engage with our young people: offer work experience, attend a careers or networking event, or mentor

• Offer your skills and expertise to the organisation: provide pro bono support for internal projects

• Fundraise for us

• Provide venue space for mentoring and workshops

• Connect The Girls' Network with schools that would benefit from the mentoring programme

• Connect The Girls' Network with business or community leaders, especially in regions beyond London

• Provide digital support services: creating or editing digital resources or making videos, for example

To register your interest in any of the above, or to explore other opportunities, please fill out this form or contact us at info@thegirlsnetwork.org.uk.