UP CLOSE in Tooting: The mentoring group that gives girls a 'support network' to get through adolescence

By Tommy Joyce

24th Sep 2021 | Local News

Tooting Nub News aims to support our community, promoting shops, businesses, charities, clubs and sports groups.

We will be profiling some of these businesses and organisations regularly in a feature called "Up Close in Tooting."

Today we caught up with Nicki Brown, who is a mentor for Rites for Girls in Tooting - an organisation aimed at helping pre-teen girls get through the journey of adolescence.

A recent study shows that around one in seven girls are unhappy with the way they look by the end of primary school, and that figure increases to almost one in three by the age of 14.

Rites for Girls aims to be a support network for girls before they get into their teenage years to build positive mental health.

It is not therapy, rather a small group of girls getting together monthly - known as 'Girls Journeying Together' groups - to have a range of fun sessions that empower each other to be confident, strong and to have an understanding of their feelings.

Nicki, a primary school teacher, runs the Girls Journeying Together groups in south west London and believes that they can have a profound effect on girls taking charge of their emotional, social and physical well-being.

Nicki talked us through the process and what it's all about.

She said: "Basically mums and daughters come along together, we give them a taste of what we do and if the girls like it and feel it's something they would enjoy, they would meet with me once a month for a year.

"Each session is different. There are different themes: building resilience, exploring confidence, self-esteem, friend issues, puberty, dealing with school - a whole range.

"The purpose is to work with girls before they get into the teenage years and into the realm of comparison and social media.

"It gives them a sense of who they are and community. When they finish the year's journey I invite them to come back for reunions twice a year where we look at things that are age-appropriate, such as exam stress or relationship issues.

"It's a support network. Girls build really strong networks of friends unrelated to school - and that's really important. Sometimes girls can get pigeonholed with friends from school and we give them a free opportunity to be true to themselves. They don't need to change to fit in."

A big focus for the sessions is some of the myths seen on social media and how these images can affect how girls feel about themselves.

Having worked within magazines herself, Nicki is aware of how programmes such as Photoshop can warp someone's perception of what is beautiful - and she wants to make these girls aware of such concepts.

"We look at self-esteem and the concept of beauty," she said.

"There's a myth of beauty on what you see on social media - we show girls that actually if you're pursuing that image it's not a real woman.

"It's about sharing honesty."

How to get involved

If you would like this experience for your daughter (between the ages of 10-12), there is a free taster session this Saturday (September 25) held at The Woodfield Pavillion on Tooting Common.

To find out more and book a place, contact Nicki Brown on [email protected] or visit the Rites for Girls website.

Beyond the taster session, each session costs £35.

More about Rites for Girls

It was founded by Kim McCabe who is the author of 'From Daughter to Woman-Parenting Girls Safely Through Their Teens.'

Rites for Girls has been established for 10 years and is a member of the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy, meaning all of the work adheres to its code of practice.

There are similar 'Girls Journeying Together' groups across the UK and even the world.

The group has recently been commissioned by West Sussex County Council and Children and Young People's Services which will see 300 girls go through its Girls' Net online programme.

Have a story in Tooting you'd like to share? Get in touch! Email [email protected], call 07557513104 or tweet @TommyJJourno

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