Girls Out Loud: Award-winning mentoring programme for teen girls launches in Liverpool

Award-winning social enterprise Girls Out Loud has today launched its pioneering teenage girl mentoring programme in Liverpool for the first time at St Julie’s Catholic High School.

The expansion into Merseyside follows the not-for-profit’s enormous success in Greater Manchester during its 13 years of operation, where Girls Out Loud has empowered 25,000 girls across more than 70 schools via their numerous programmes, including their Big Sister partnerships.

The Liverpool initiative kicked off this morning with the organisation’s dynamic Role Model Relay, a high-energy, speed mentoring session for 160 Year 8 girls aged 12 to 13.

That will be followed by Liverpool’s first Big Sister programme at St Julie’s, harnessing the wisdom of 20 female volunteer role models, with Big Sisters mentoring a Little Sister over 12 months.

Meeting once a month in a structured and supportive school environment, one which is non-judgemental and honest, allows each big sister to share inspirational life stories and empower little sisters to find their own voice.

Girls Out Loud alumni Gina Armstrong, who completed the intensive Stardom programme for ‘at risk’ girls in 2009, was a guest speaker at the event. 

The Role Model Relay was also attended by numerous female professionals from Liverpool, including entrepreneurs, businesswomen, public sector, retail and beyond. All acted as role models for the event, including Keynote Speaker and HR & Employment Law Specialist Ije McDougall, Seddon Construction’s Bid Submissions Coordinator Alison Steadman and pladis Global’s HR Business Partner Amy George.

North West businesswoman Karen Turton, founder of performance consultancy The Purple Story, and popular Merseyside singer Caroline England also spoke at the event. 

Girls Out Loud was founded by entrepreneur, campaigner and female champion, Jane Kenyon, in 2009, with a pledge to empower and inspire teenage girls.

With every early intervention programme delivered in schools, Jane is determined to instil young girls with confidence, emotional resilience and positive self-image – which in turn helps to navigate a challenging landscape and lead successful lives.

Jane said:

“It’s an honour to bring the successful Big Sister programme and Role Model Relay to Liverpool. We’re unwavering in our goal to support and nurture the young girls at St Julie’s Catholic High School, guiding them to reach their true potential and shine.

“There are shocking stats surrounding the landscape that young girls are attempting to navigate. This year is the first time girls have overtaken boys in school exclusions, 1 in 3 girls state the “hate” their body as a direct result of Instagram, an 80% increase in online grooming cases in the last four years – the list of struggles goes on! All of these issues can disrupt their self-belief and aspirations, which we shouldn’t stand for.

“With our much-needed intervention programmes for teenage girls, we’re determined to empower the next generation of women and prove that anything is possible. We introduce the young girls to a diverse range of female role models who can share their wisdom and experiences, helping them to harness their potential. Now more than ever, it’s important that we inspire and empower teenage girls to believe in themselves and make the right life choices.

“We’re delighted to see that the girls at St Julie’s are ready to embrace the programme and find their voice.”

Gina Armstrong, an Education, Training & Operations Manager at Royal College of Physicians, said:

“It was a pleasure to return to my origins and return to Girls Out Loud as a guest speaker at the St Julie’s Role Model Relay. I was in the same position as so many of those young girls, with low ambitions and anxious about my future, so it’s very exciting to pass on my experiences and empower the girls to reach for the stars.” 

Kate McCourt, Acting Headteacher at St Julie’s Catholic High School, said:

“At St Julie’s, we’re dedicated to ensuring that our young girls have the best possible support in life and receive all of the support necessary during these formative years.

“We’re confident that Girls Out Loud’s Role Model Relay and the Big Sister programme will be invaluable, providing our students with guidance from female role models, helping them deal with the daily pressures they face where they perhaps don’t want to confide in a teacher or one of their peers. As a school community, we’re pleased to welcome the Girls Out Loud team to St Julie’s!”

To help change the lives of teenage girls across the North West, register as a volunteer or apply to be a Big Sister here.

Find out more about Girls Out Loud HERE. Get the latest for Liverpool HERE.