Being Her Lead
Be Her Lead Zine Issue 3 Spring 2022
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This zine is a collection of work, thoughts and feelings collected during Be Her Lead workshops and focus groups with girls and non-binary young people in 18 schools around the UK. Containing testimonials and and focus group research from Be Her Lead students and teachers at the following 18 schools: Orchard School Bristol, Bristol Sirius Academy West, Hull Stoke High School, Suffolk Broadgreen International School, Liverpool Stretford High School, Manchester Bede Academy, Northumberland Unity Academy Blackpool, Blackpool Bulwell Academy, Nottingham Carshalton Boys Sports College, Surrey Dagenham Park Church of England School, Dagenham, London Ark Evelyn Grace Academy, Brixton, London Westminster Academy, Westminster, London Frances Bardsley Academy for Girls, East London Haydon School, North West London Girlguiding Lambeth North, South London Graveney School, South West London Mulberry Academy Shoreditch, East London Harris Academy St Johns Wood, North West London Heartlands High School, North London
Edited by Naima Collier and Edith Johnson
CONTENTS Introduction......................................................... 1 Map of Schools............................................... 2 About this Zine............................................... 5 About our Zine Project........................... 9 Part 1: Being....................................................... 11 Part 2: Leading............................................ 35 Testimonials..................................................... 53
INTRODUCTION This is being her lead – in practice, and in progress.
About Be Her Lead Be Her Lead exists to create intersectional feminist spaces in schools. We do this by: Training and supporting female and non-binary teachers to facilitate workshops for girls and nonbinary students Providing resources to nurture wellbeing, aspirations and community-building Connecting those striving for a more equitable education system. Since our first programme in 2019, we have: worked in 60 schools trained 300 teachers and school staff run workshops with over 900 girls and non-binary young people.
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MAP OF BE HER LEAD SCHOOLS
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ABOUT THIS ZINE At the start of our workshops with girls and nonbinary young people, we are usually asked, ‘what is Be Her Lead?’ We respond by flipping the question back. What do the words mean to you, individually and together? What would you like this space to feel like? What problems could we begin to solve, what needs could we fulfil together? This zine, Being Her Lead, is a collective answer to that question from students who have taken part in our programme. Some of the work you’ll find here was gathered during focus groups run in 16 schools in 2021; some of it was sent to us by teachers who run Be Her Lead workshops each week in their schools.
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She is powerful not because she wasn’t scared, but because she believed in herself. Whatever wish or dream you have, don’t hold it in your heart express yourself. Poem by a Be Her Lead student at Ark Evelyn Grace Academy
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ABOUT OUR ZINE PROJECT During the first lockdown in 2020, when most of our work in schools was either paused or switched to online, we produced our first zine, Girls in Lockdown.
The zine project was a way of staying connected with students and teachers in our network, and also a way of chronicling the thoughts, feelings and experiences of teenage girls during a really difficult time. 9
Our second zine, Learning through Lockdown, was published in 2021. This time we focused on the reflections of women and non-binary teachers on what they’d learnt from teaching through a pandemic.
This, our third zine, continues the creative conversation by exploring what goes on in Be Her Lead group workshops, as well as what’s going on in the minds of Be Her Lead students.
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BEING
The first part of the zine offers an insight into what ‘being’ feels like for some of the students we work with. We’ll give you a sense of the thoughts flitting through their heads, the emotions rushing through their bodies, and the burdens weighing them down.
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Exams
Period Pains
Mental Health
Anxiety
What cha you fac mom Social Life
s d r a d n Sta
Excercise
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Stress ons i t a t c e Exp
Peer / Self Pressure
allenges are ing at the ment?
Confidence
Body Image
Self Esteem
Beauty s d r a d n a t S
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LEADING
The second part of the zine showcases work and feedback from Be Her Lead workshops. It conveys our interpretation of ’leading’ – students and teachers nurturing each others’ wellbeing and aspirations, held together by our ‘Be Her Lead Code’ of empathy, respect and bravery.
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CREATING SPACE
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Jigsaw puzzles representing a group's identities, individual and shared
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A co-created Be Her Lead Code, showing shared and individual commitments
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'Stress buckets' for venting stresses, anxieties, problems
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Be Her Lead girls presenting to younger students as they take on leadership of the group
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SELF EXPRESSION
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Self-portraits expressing inner and outer identities, feelings, sense of self
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SPEAKING OUT
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For every time she was told no, She thought to herself yes Every time her voice was silenced, She screamed back louder louder Every time she was scared, She fought harder She has dreams She has wishes And she will not be quiet any longer. Poem by a student at Orchard School, Bristol
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A letter to my pre- Be Her Lead self
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Emma Hardy, Labour MP for Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle, meeting Be Her Lead students at Sirius Academy West
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Celebration events with Sereena Abbassi and Samantha Moyo
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TESTIMONIALS
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Extracts from Teacher's Collective Journal We had a cathartic ending with the shredding of things we hold on to. It gave us the opportunity to model our own vulnerabilities to them too.
Lovely atmosphere, some tears and was quite emotional when talking about role models
Students enjoyed discussing the pressure on girls in terms of body image. They shared particular pressures they felt and there was some interesting discussion around weight and family pressure. Some students considered how boys may also face similar pressures.
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Testimonials from teachers I am so proud of every single one of my Be Her Lead students. This term we have laughed together, written poetry together, cried together and built trust in each other The students of BHL this term have been amazing - they have shown passion, commitment and engagement. Thank you for letting me be part of your club and making me so proud
The girls are so keen to continue that they have been coming to support with my new group and really showing such confidence and happiness within themselves. My new group have already started begging for longer sessions.
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Student Testimonials We're all different in our own ways. Be her lead is like a safe space where I do really feel confident in myself and free to say how I feel
Be Her Lead has helped me be more comfortable with a group of girls. It has helped me realise that it doesn’t matter if you are different
To me the be her lead group is somewhere I won’t get judged and my opinions are actually listened to and understood also I know I can say anything I want for example when I speak to everyone in the group I can mention anything. For me the be (their) lead group has helped me gain friendships I didn’t use to have and helped me gain a bit more confidence
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Student Testimonials “Being her lead means that I can feel more confident about myself and my decisions. I have a time where I do not have to worry about anything.”
“It was really calming, and I feel safe and comfortable in this space.”
“Be Her Lead has been amazing for me because I’ve gained confidence and learned lots about various topics. It has been an amazing after school activity.”
“The place instantly felt like a safe area where I could share what I want and know that I would receive positive feedback and advice. When in lockdown, Be Her Led zoom calls provided structure to my day and it was an hour that I knew I would enjoy and benefit from.”
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I absolutely hate loud people, the love of my life is Nicola. Maybe one day I might just stop caring about what others think, I always feel better when I listen to music. It's tough days when you feel you can't talk to anyone, people think I'm confident but I'm very much insecure. I'm a pro at crying at night, I always feel better when I'm asleep I absolutely hate people that just leave you for no reason. For me being a girl is being confident, yet being told you are not good enough, as a kid, I always dressed up. Collaborative poem by Heartlands High School Be Her Leaders
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