Celebrating International Women’s Day with sponsorship of The Girls’ Network

This International Women’s Day we’ve signed up to support The Girls’ Network, a national girls’ mentoring charity.

The Girls’ Network’s mission is to inspire and empower girls aged 14-19 from the least advantaged communities by connecting them with a mentor and a network of professional female role models.

Rosemary Du Rose, Chief Executive of Beyond Housing, is a strong advocate of mentoring girls in local communities, sharing experience and skills with girls that might not benefit from this support otherwise.

The Girls’ Network is currently appealing to ‘Save the Class of 2021’, as studies show the pandemic has most negatively impacted women, young people, and those from the least advantaged communities, with teenage girls from homes in these areas therefore the hardest hit. Because of COVID-19, the least advantaged young people across the UK are worried they’ll miss out on deserved grades and vital time in a proper learning environment.

Data shows mentoring works, with 98% of girls mentored through The Girls’ Network during the pandemic saying their mentor helped them feel more positive about their future, 81% saying mentoring helped them focus more on virtual school work, and teachers calling the programme a ‘lifeline’ for their worst-off pupils.

Rosemary said: “We are delighted to celebrate International Women’s Day by announcing our sponsorship of The Girls’ Network. The work they do is so valuable and in line with our own purpose as an organisation, to help our customers and communities to succeed and thrive.

“Everyone deserves an equal chance and access to the same opportunities, so by working with The Girls’ Network, we hope to help open doors for girls who may not otherwise have had exposure to a professional environment, whilst being on hand to offer support and encouragement to achieve their aspirations.”