ROYAL OPERA HOUSE THURROCK TRAILBLAZER SCHOOLS TAKE PART IN INTERNATIONAL DAY OF THE GIRL
TWENTY-ONE students from Gable Hall School and Grays Convent High School attended the event beginning with an early morning trip on the London Eye.
The students, aged between 13 to 15 years, took part in speed mentoring on the London Eye, meeting a number of women who are excelling in their chosen fields. They used the opportunity to tackle a question of their choice: career guidance, whether to go to university, or how to achieve their personal goals. Each pod on the Eye was named after a powerful, inspiring girl for the day.
Lily Caddell, a Year 9 student at Gable Hall School said: ‘I loved the opportunity I was given to talk to a mentor about what I wanted to do for a living. I received the exact advise I needed and have been able to make a secure contact for future work experience and had a lot of questions answered about what qualifications I should be getting’
The two schools chose to take part in this event as part of ROH Thurrock Trailblazer, a cultural entitlement programme for Thurrock schools. They both wanted to use the trip to tackle important Personal, Social and Health Education (PSHE) themes and increase awareness of gender equality within their schools.
The activities at the Southbank Centre included hearing from a panel of girls aged 13-19, who have run campaigns on feminist issues, a workshop with fashion designer Nelly Rose, in which the students created visual responses to their female inspirations in the form of magazine collages, and a workshop with the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, in which they explored issues around female body confidence.
Alton Brown, Education Manager for Schools at the Southbank Centre said “This is the second year that Southbank Centre has worked with the Royal Opera House Thurrock Trailblazer and we’re delighted to have so many young Thurrock voices with us again, exploring these important issues. We look forward to welcoming students from three Trailblazer schools in November for Being a Man, our festival addressing the challenges and pressures of masculine identity in the 21st Century.”
Convent in crisis.