Wakefield Girls’ was excited to bring the one day enriching event, empowHER, to Year 5 girls from our region once again, opening doors to early leadership and personal development.  The event is an experience designed specifically for 10 year old girls, who are at an age where self-discovery and personal growth are key to their educational journey.

This year empowHER brought together teachers and alumnae, all professionals in their fields with a commitment to empowering young women, for a special day featuring five engaging, expert-led workshops.

Inspiring young minds and unlocking potential were aspiring barrister Kathryn Houghton, senior associate solicitor Alicia Collinson, sustainability strategist Rebecca Ward, mechanical engineer Romy Jackson and mental health and exercise coach Francesca Aproskie.

Chair Kat Bentham opened #empowHER by setting intentions for the young leaders in the audience to seize every opportunity. Interactive sessions helping girls to understand their strengths and how to use them took place during the morning, followed by a workshop about resilience and managing change, a mini Cop on Climate Change, an engineering challenge and culminating in a lively Zumba workshop.

We loved watching participants grow in confidence throughout the event and hearing their feedback.  The top 5 things participants said they’d learned were:

1. more about myself !
2. to believe in myself and show courage
3. how to help myself and others manage stress
4. how to work in a team better
5. the effects of global warming

One of our young participants summed the day up nicely  – this is ‘how to be crazy awesome!’

Wish you’d been here ? We will be hosting empowHER ’25  – register now to be on the guest list !

Head, Heidi-Jayne Boyes concluded the day of inspiration and empowerment by celebrating all participants on stage, reiterating the importance of being true to yourself,  knowing your worth and making the most of opportunities.⁠

We were delighted by the number of resilient, determined, and positive young women that left the conference. We hope this event, and others like it, continue to empower young girls.

Discover more about our school at Open Morning on 12 Oct – book here to join us.

Discover our similar event for boys at our brother school, QEGS: Make HIStory.