‘If someone else believes in you, it helps you believe in yourself’
Working as a teacher, Charly Young was dismayed to see girls were limiting their ambitions. She co-founded The Girls’ Network to help them thrive.
My parents were teachers and encouraged me to work hard at school and aim high. Yet, I didn’t know about all the possibilities that were out there for me. I didn’t think I could study subjects such as engineering, for example. Looking back now, I realise I was restricted by the fact I was a girl. After I graduated with a philosophy degree in 2009, I was drawn to the charity and education sector. I worked for the Royal Society of Arts and then for Whole Education, which believes schools should equip pupils with a love of learning. While working closely with schools, I wondered why I hadn’t trained to be a teacher myself. So in 2011, I started training with Teach First.
Teaching Geography at a secondary school in London, I saw the challenges some teens faced outside school. Many of them cared for younger siblings or couldn’t afford the right equipment. I noticed that the girls seemed risk-averse, as they felt they couldn’t be seen to fail. I saw girls with aspirations to become criminal psychologists or engineers, but they didn’t know anyone like them doing it, so they’d dismiss these dreams. I discussed this with my friend Becca, also a teacher, and we decided to organise a speed networking event for the girls at our schools, roping in friends in various careers. Afterwards, the girls told us how inspired they felt, having learned so much about different industries. In 2012, The Girls’ Network was born. It started as a project alongside our day jobs, where we found mentors for 30 girls in London. It worked so well and in 2013, we quit our jobs and applied for funding, allowing us to start up as a charity. Now, we have eight hubs in cities including Liverpool, Manchester and Brighton. We have 18 staff, and more than 1,300 girls aged 14-19 every year who are each matched with an inspiring female mentor.
We focus on finding female mentors in traditionally male-dominated fields, such as law and banking, as well as those from ethnic minorities, and match them with girls who want to get into those careers. We believe it’s important for our mentees to have female role-models. If they can see a woman in that job, they’ll believe it’s possible for them, too.
The girls meet or speak to their mentors at least once a month, and the sessions might involve office tours, informal advice or helping with practical skills such as writing CVS. These relationships are so rewarding. There’s something really powerful about someone who isn’t your parent or carer, and who isn’t being paid to do so, investing their time in you and believing you’re worth it. This has a profound effect on the way the girls see themselves.
We also organise panel events, round-tables and speed networking. I want to grow The Girls’ Network so we can help at least 25% of the 163,000 teenage girls in this country who are eligible for free school meals. My biggest goal is for them to believe that they can achieve, and not feel held back by their circumstances or gender.
Find out more and become a mentor at thegirlsnetwork.org.uk
It’s important to have female role models to look up to