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Wild Girls Rising

UPDATE: We are currently trying to nail down a venue for our next pod!

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 circle-based mentorship for local girls aged 8 – 12. The next pod will likely run on Sunday afternoons in March & April for four weeks. The sessions usually run for three hours each with a break in the middle.

Every week our trained mentors will gather in circle, supporting girls to learn the skills and knowledge needed for their journey toward womanhood. We aim to run a pod every season so the girls can return, and newbies can join too!

Through our mentoring, girls will learn to care for – and ultimately, take responsibility for – their physical, social, emotional and spiritual wellbeing. We support them to discover their confidence, perceptiveness, assertiveness, strength, integrity, and the natural wisdom of their bodies.

We have limited spaces, so fill out this form as soon as you can to secure a spot.

What is Wild Girls Rising?

‘Wild Girls Rising’ introduces girls aged 8-12 to sisterhood, with new opportunities to learn and grow through community, and engaging activities. Girls get together once a 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. These circles are for girls who want to build their confidence and make new friends. Many girls feel a lot of pressure to be a certain way or to fit in in a way that doesn’t feel comfortable to them – we want to encourage girls to recognise the things that bring them joy, and to be themselves. Part of this is learning how to put boundaries in place and spot when a friendship isn’t a positive one, and we know how difficult that can be. We also know many girls have lots of worries about getting older and their bodies changing – this is something we absolutely hold space for. If your daughter, granddaughter, niece or someone else you know comes to mind when you read this, she might be exactly who these circles are aimed at.

Where do we gather?

We are currently in the process of confirming a new venue for our next pod. The settings we tend to use have both indoor and outdoor areas, allowing us to make the most of the rich opportunities Mother Nature provides for learning and exploration. The spaces are usually enclosed, allowing the children to safely explore their surroundings.

 

woodland

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 in future. 

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 a 4-week pod.

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 £12 (£3 per session)
Receiving tax credits £20 (£5 per session)
Everyone else £40+ (£10+ per session)

How do I book?

If you would like to sign up for a place, fill out this form as soon as you can, or if you want to ask us any questions please get in touch.