UPDATE: We are keen to run this project again in 2023 so if you are interested please do get in touch!
How would it feel for your daughter to be part of a supportive community of female mentors who will provide crucial guidance needed to navigate puberty, adolescence and young adulthood with joy, intentionality and strength?
‘Wild Girls Rising’ is our new offering of circle-based mentorship for local girls aged 8 – 12. Every two weeks our trained mentors will gather in circle, supporting girls to learn the skills and knowledge needed for their journey toward womanhood.
Through our mentoring, girls will learn to care for – and ultimately, take responsibility for – their physical, social, emotional and spiritual well-being. We will support them to discover their confidence, perceptiveness, assertiveness, strength, integrity and the natural wisdom of their bodies.
What is Wild Girls Rising?
‘Wild Girls Rising’ introduces girls aged 8-12 to sisterhood, and new opportunities to learn and grow through community, and engaging activities. Girls get together every other week with trained mentors where each learns to:
- Claim her self-worth with confidence
- Tune into her inner compass – her deepest, truest self
- Make good friends and be a good friend
- Speak her truth – to power and to peers
- Understand, honour and care for her changing body
Together we learn new skills, get creative, explore nature and have fun!
Why are girls’ circles important?
Girls’ socialisation involves relentless damaging messages from society which they internalise and carry into adulthood, permanently affecting their long term potential and overall health. Circles offer young women a positive, transformative and empowering community to counter the negative narrative that is so often perpetuated in our everyday lives.
The women we have worked with in our role as doulas told us they felt their experiences throughout life would have been very different had they been given more information, more affirmation, more safe spaces to explore, and more guidance as young women.
No matter how awesome her mother is, each girl benefits hugely from the guidance and listening ears of caring, wise women outside her immediate family. It is a joy for us to offer this gift, and an honour to help girls in our local community express their own awesomeness on their journeys to womanhood.
Who runs the circles?
Wild Girls Rising is a new project set up and run by Greater Manchester Doulas CIC. We started out as full spectrum doulas but soon realised that our skills and experience could be used to support women and girls in a myriad of other ways. We have taken inspiration from our years working with women as doulas, and the wonderful course by Journey of Young Women, to create a nourishing programme for local young women.
Together with our team of volunteers, who are all passionate about supporting local girls, we are a team of compassionate women who want to share our wisdom with the next generation.
Who is Wild Girls Rising for?
Our circles are open to girls aged 8-12 who live in Greater Manchester and surrounding areas. In order to ensure that the learning opportunities we provide are age appropriate, and tailored to the ages of our attendees, we run two separate groups each month. ‘Parks’ is for girls aged 8-10 and ‘Pankhursts’ is for girls aged 10-12. There is flexibility as to when your child would move from one group to the other. You know them better that anyone so we will be guided by you as to which group would be most appropriate.
Where do we gather?
We are lucky enough to have access to Paupers Wood in Didsbury, a magical woodland hidden away within the hustle and bustle of city life.
The setting has indoor and outdoor areas, allowing us to make the most of the rich opportunities Mother Nature provides for learning and exploration. The space is completely enclosed, allowing the children to safely explore their surroundings.
How much does it cost?
We believe that girls’ circles should be accessible to all girls, regardless of their circumstances. We are also keen for this initial term to be a successful pilot that will enable us to fund future groups. For these reasons there is no set fee for these circles.
For anyone who is able to contribute, donations will support us to continue offering circles beyond the initial six week term.
Below are some suggested donations depending on your situation, however please know that there is absolutely no obligation to donate if you cannot comfortably contribute. The suggested amounts are for all six sessions.
| Financial situation | Suggested donation |
| No income (including those who do not have access to their household income) | N/A |
| Receiving means tested benefits e.g. Universal Credit, Income Support | £18 (£3 per session) |
| Receiving tax credits | £30 (£5 per session) |
| Everyone else | £60+ (£10+ per session) |
How do I book?
If you are interesting in joining us please fill out our online application form. If you would like to chat more or have any questions please get in touch.
To hear more from us about Wild Girls Rising, have a watch of our Facebook Live