There is strong evidence that girls thrive in a single-gender space. Access to this space can build girls’ confidence and let them test their limits in a safe environment.
There is also compelling evidence in support of access to a wide range of women role models. Research from Southern Methodist University found that there was “strong evidence of the impact of women role models on women students moving into fields of study in which men are traditionally over-represented, and that the encounters served as an inspiration.”
This is where we come in…
For nearly 150 years, GFS has been improving girls and women’s lives through this mix of single gender spaces and women role models. We believe our offering can help girls build the strong foundations they require to face and overcome the challenges they will face in life.
Measuring impact
The GFS Girl is a picture of how what we think confidence, resilience, self-esteem and wellbeing looks like for girls and young women. She is based on the National Youth Agency’s outcomes for young people.
| GFS Girl outcomes | NYA outcomes |
| I can speak up about things that matter to me | Communication – explaining, expressing, presenting, listening, questioning, using different ways of communicating |
| I am proud of who I am | Managing feelings – reviewing, self-awareness, reflecting, self-regulating, self-accepting |
| I try again if I have a setback | Resilience and determination – self-disciplined, self-management, self-motivated, concentrating, having a sense of purpose, persistent, self-controlled
Planning and problem solving – navigating resources, organising, setting and achieving goals, decision making, researching, analysing, critical thinking, questioning and challenging, evaluating risks, reliability |
| I can try new or unfamiliar things | Creativity – imaging alternative ways of doing things, applying learning in new contexts, enterprising, innovating, remaining open to new ideas |
| I believe I can achieve my hopes and dreams | Confidence and Agency – self-reliance, self-esteem, self-efficacy, self-belief, ability to shape your own life and the world around you |
| I can enjoy friendship with others | Relationships and leadership – motivating others, valuing and contributing to team working, negotiating, establishing positive relationships, interpreting others, managing conflict, emphasising |
When activities are planned, the author is thinking about how they bring girls closer to being able to make each of these statements. This can look different for different girls and different age groups. By measuring progress in these areas, we aim to assess the impact of our work.
Our year in review
2018/19 was a year where GFS started to establish how and where it fit into the landscape of charities for girls and young women. Take a look at our 18/19 Impact Report here to find out more about what we got up to.
Take a look at our 2017/18 Impact Report to see what impact we made in the 2017/18 financial year.
You can also see our 16/17 Annual Review here.
Our Annual Report
You can see our 2019/20 annual report and accounts here.
You can see our Oct18-Sept19 Annual Report, here.
What parents say
In July 2019, we asked parents of the girls who attend our groups, what impact they thought attending GFS groups had made on their girls.
Here’s what they said.
