MORE than a hundred girls from schools in Sussex gathered for an event to mark the end of a mentoring scheme.
The “#BeYou” event was held at the PlusX innovation hub in Lewes Road, Brighton.
It marked the culmination of a year of mentoring delivered by The Girls’ Network.
This is a national charity that supports women aged 14 to 19 by pairing them with a mentor and providing a programme of events and activities to build their confidence and life skills.
It works with secondary schools in Brighton, Shoreham and Eastbourne.
Local poet and performer Cerys Evans opened the event and took part in a Q&A, along with Brighton-based Aflo the Poet.
Many women from across Sussex have already signed up to become volunteer mentors for The Girls’ Network, helping young women to build their ambitions and consider future careers.
Mentor Jacqui Green said: “Mentoring is about giving your mentee a toolkit of life skills to become more self-sufficient in bringing out their own potential.
“It’s not about telling someone to do something a certain way, but walking alongside someone and sharing any insight you might have to help them on their way.”
After completing the 12-month programme, girls are invited to join the Ambassador Community, a network of young women with access to work experience, workshops, and events.
The Girls’ Network chief executive and co-founder Charly Young said: “Today’s event encourages young women to ‘be bold, be brave, be heard’ - things that we celebrate in our mentoring and in our ambassador community.
“Our network offers girls and young women many role models and opportunities to achieve their ambitions."
The scheme is funded by Enterprise Rent-A-Car.
Charly said: “Thanks to the generous support of Enterprise, we can support many more young women to discover their skills, be confident and shape their future.”
Enterprise Rent-A-Car announced its five-year £250,000 donation to The Girls’ Network earlier this year.
The donation forms part of Enterprise’s Road (Respect, Opportunity, Achievement, Diversity) Forward programme.
The Girls’ Network is hosting training sessions in August and September for women who have three plus year’s professional experience who are interested in becoming mentors.
To find out more visit www.thegirlsnetwork.org.uk
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