Five years ago on International Women’s Day we launched GFS Hackney. Today, the now buzzing London group had many girls reaching their age threshold. But getting older doesn’t mean they should lose access to such an important space.
So, we wanted to find a new way to extend our support to them and all girls and young women in Hackney looking for a space like GFS. And thanks to our partnership with Enstar, we were able to find the perfect solution – a second group for older girls.
The older girls at Hackney are so excited to be getting a group targeted for their age range. Some girls have been with us since the group launched, it’s quite special to see them growing up with GFS and the group growing up right along with them. We can’t wait to see how these girls continue to grow.
-Jemma Moonie-Dalton, Head of Operations for GFS
This new group, GFS Hackney Seniors, runs alongside the pre-existing Hackney Juniors group, at the same time and in the same location. So, all of our returning girls will feel right at home.
Their very first session took place on the original group’s launch anniversary. The session started with an activity called ‘Gender Lightbulbs’. As part of this activity, the girls had to think on the moments in their lives where they’ve realised girls and boys are treated differently. Literally their gender ‘lightbulb’ moments!
Next, the girls had a think about gender stereotypes in careers. They did this by reading aloud different jobs, then moving to different sides of the room depending on which gender they felt was most likely to be in this career. Then they discussed why they thought that was – was it because of history? The media? Power dynamics?
Lastly, the group had a fun, creative brainstorming session. Together they thought on things like, what they wanted to learn, create, and experience, as well as what core values and goals they share as a group. From there, they made posters representing what kind of group they want GFS Hackney Seniors to be.
I’m really hopeful that this group will continue to grow and thrive as the weeks go on, the possibilities are really endless with this fantastic group of girls!
-Maddy Grant-Pyett, GFS Hackney Group Coordinator
Visit our group page to find out how your daughter can join GFS Hackney, or visit our volunteering page to find out about volunteering with the group.
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