Mentoring Girls Around London: Tori Wilbraham
Saint Mary’s College senior, Tori Wilbraham, is having a summer experience that not only allows her to travel around London, but help change the lives of young girls. Tori’s internship with The Girls’ Network has allowed her to work with younger girls and encourage them to further their education, gain confidence, and advise them on how to better their lives in the future. Read about the great work Tori is doing in London and how the amazing The Girls’ Network can help change the lives of young girls!
So to start off, what is The Girls’ Network?
“The Girls’ Network is a UK based non-profit that matches girls from lower socioeconomic backgrounds with professional women around London. Founders Charly Young and Becca Dean were originally teachers and saw first hand that girls without adequate networks were less likely to go on to university and find jobs. In reality, many of these girls would not be able to move out of their limited circumstances and continue to perpetrate the cycle of poverty. Now, we are working with over 350 girls in London and have expanded into various cities throughout the UK!”
What is your role during your internship for The Girls’ Network?
“Within The Girls’ Network I have been given a variety of tasks and different roles. Because it is only a three person team in London, I really just try to help out however I can. Sometimes I am going to different schools and getting to meet the girls who are on the program, going to mentor training sessions, running background checks, traveling around the UK for different Girls’ Network events, and even visiting venue spaces for the October Gala. Everyday is different and exciting. I have learned that flexibility is key to be a successful intern abroad!”
What is the network’s main goal when mentoring young girls?
“The main goal throughout our mentoring programme is to give our girls the opportunity to have a professional mentor that they would not have had access too. Lets be real, in our world it is all about who you know. If you are a young girl living in greater London and you want to be a doctor, but don’t even know a doctor, how are you going to be able to get advice and build a network? Our girls have such high aspirations, but do not have access to the right networks. Our generous mentors know the importance of networking and mentoring and they want to help! For the girls on the programme, their outlook on their future becomes so much wider. It’s really a beautiful thing.”
What is the biggest challenge the Girl’s Network faces when trying to provide opportunities for young girls succession in school or future employment?
“The Girls’ Network does an amazing job engaging their girls and their mentors. They offer various workshops, skills classes, and training. Because London is such a diverse city, sometimes it can be difficult engaging girls from a variety of cultures. Different customs and norms have to be respected, which can sometimes be difficult. But, the women are very understanding and sensitive to their girls and are always respectful.”
Do you believe the media is starting to portray a more positive message to young girls like in the “Like A Girl” campaign? If not, what else do you believe the media can do to stregthen this message of empowering young women?
“Here in the UK, the media culture is much different. Recently we worked with a campaigner named Lucy Holmes who runs an organization called No More Page 3. The Sun is a family newspaper that publishes a daily photo of a topless woman on page 3! Can you believe that! But, working with Lucy Holmes and some amazing young activist it makes me excited to see that they are combating these issues and are aware. But, the women in the UK are still trying to make big strides when it comes to gender inequality.
I have learned through different encounters and studying gender that when people start to question the norms and the status quo surrounding girls and women, we are making progress. Showing these great campaigns is wonderful, but when someone is able to see a situation in their own life and ask why did that just happen, that’s when we start to see a difference! Here in London I have noticed that there are always crowds of men at pubs after work. For probably every 10 men there maybe two women. When I stopped and asked myself where are all of the 25 year old women after work, someone told me that they are most likely at the gym or saving money. But why is it that these men go out and the women don’t? These are the questions that start to trigger our thinking and ask us why.”
What is the best thing The Girls’ Network can do for young girls?
“The Girls’ Network gives girls opportunities that many of them would have never had. The girls are all from London, but many of them do not get the opportunity to come into the city and to be taken seriously. So many of our girls say how they love the independence and the ability to be seen as a professional young person. From taking the tube by themselves and often going to meet with their professional female mentor in big time offices, these girls know the great opportunity that they have been given. The girls are very mature and are able to handle themselves in a very professional way. The mentors are really great about treating the girls like equals and giving them so much valuable advice. For these girls, many of them have not had someone to talk with about their future. We love being able to give them the tools to be successful and to have someone, or many people, to listen and support them”
How has your experience been interning for them?
“I really believe that I am the luckiest intern ever! The Girls’ Network is simply an amazing organization that has challenged me to preform at my highest level. The work that they are doing is so real and so important. It is amazing to get to meet both the girls and the mentors and hear what they have to say about the programme. Being able to be a part of this revolutionary organization has been such a privilege. It will not be easy to leave in the next few weeks, but I know that no matter what I will always be able to look back on this experience with the fondest of memories and have a support system that wants to see me succeed. For me, this experience has been more than I could have ever imagined and thanks to Saint Mary’s I have been confident in my self and my capabilities. It has been amazing to be part of such a revolutionary organization and to work with three of the most amazing women I have ever met. “
Thanks Tori!
For more information on The Girls’ Network and how you can get involved, check out their website, or follow them on Twitter!
Pictures provided by Tori