What is The Female Lead Society?
The Female Lead Society is a club you can set up in schools, colleges, universities or organisations, to run weekly sessions about ambition, careers, confidence and role models. We provide the resources, giving groups the chance to discuss the stories of inspiring women whilst also exploring the larger issues to which these stories relate - gender equality, gender stereotypes and lots more. The pack includes activities to build confidence and 'take the lead' in your own life, as well as giving students the chance to discuss and debate. The Pilot Programme, which ran in UK schools during the summer term 2019 resulted in 83% of girls feeling more optimistic about their future careers.
"The Female Lead Society is an exciting platform for young people to meet with the purpose of fostering curiosity, drive and courage in each other. It’s about working together to discuss the challenges young women face. It is a stance against low expectations, self-doubt, inequality and prejudice. It’s about confronting gender bias by demonstrating that you are not shaped by your biology for a pre-set role in society but can determine your personal destiny." - Excerpt from the programme
What modules are in the society?
Students are empowered to run the programme by selecting from modules including;
-Portrayal of women in media -Gender Equality Workshop -Women in Science debate -Activism: Getting involved -Building resilience
How do I run the society in my school?
Just a few easy steps and you’re doing it!
1. Set up your society. Contact The Female Lead (becky@thefemalelead.com) and we will give you access to our resources. You will need to give us a teacher’s name and email so that we have a point of contact at your school/organisation. Then you need to appoint two or three people to be leaders of the society who will run the meetings and help to spread the word around school.
2. Find a time and place where you can hold your meetings. Then start to publicise the society at your school, get members to sign up and join in with meetings.
3. Download resources for your meetings. Everything you need to run the meetings is available from The Female Lead. Contact becky@thefemalelead.com to get your resources!
4. Join in the conversation with us and other Female Lead Societies on our Facebook Society Group or on Twitter & Instagram. Please do share with us your feedback and any photos!
Do I need to complete the whole programme?
The programme is not a sequence of lessons but a set of resources geared towards helping students and teachers to plan interactive sessions. We welcome you to adapt the sessions as appropriate to your group. Most of all, The Female Lead encourage girls to lead the conversation and be their own career champion.
“We enrolled on The Female Lead’s pilot programme in June 2019. As a school, we have long been advocates of The Female Lead campaign, because we know how critical it is to provide positive role models to young people when they are looking at options for life and career. The programme offered guidance on confidence, career options and varied stories of female achievement. Girls from year 10 completed the programme leaving the sessions feeling encouraged, inspired and empowered, and the resources invoked discussions at a deeper level as they considered the importance of role models in today’s society. We are hugely excited about the upcoming launch of the full female leadership programme and are delighted we have enrolled to start in September 2019. With the support of staff, the programme allows girls to take ownership of their future aspirations in a wide range of important areas.” Maggie, Headmistress at Cobham Hall School
The Female Lead Society meetings are an opportunity for you to discover amazing women who have found success and fulfilment in many ways. Hopefully you will come away with some new ideas about yourself and new women to inspire you. Throughout the programme, we encourage you to let people talk and give everyone the opportunity to voice their opinion.
The Female Lead society is a place where we support each other and listen to each other’s ideas and views with respect. It’s all about women supporting women!