Girl Essentials.
The half-day Girl Essentials school program and workshop for girls, works well as an introduction to school-based programs in Pastoral Care and Personal Development. If you are looking for ways to motivate your students, it is ideal.
Every Enlighten day kicks off with an absolute bang and opens with our signature Introductory Session; this draws on storytelling techniques to set the tone for the event.
Storytelling has been associated with change for many years and is powerful when utilised in a focused and deliberate manner to address specific needs. One of the main reasons for this is that narration acts on our emotions in very particular ways. Emotions play such a vital role because they reinforce our capabilities to feel empathy and to learn from other persons’ experiences.
Enlighten chooses to open with your presenter’s personal story (and lots of laughter!) as it also helps form an instant connection between our stellar presenter and your students, and sets an incredibly positive, fun and inclusive tone for the day.
This workshop consists of 1 core and 2 supplementary workshops of your choice. All workshops are adjusted to ensure they are age appropriate and are suited to young people aged 10-18 years old.
Core workshop
More than a body – a somebody
Negative stereotyping, sexism, media images, the fixation on being thin, these are all issues today’s young people are facing. In this workshop we encourage your students to critically evaluate the messages that bombard them every day and develop strategies that help them respond intelligently and objectively.
* We always advise running this core if this is your student’s first Enlighten event; it’s our most popular workshop and deeply loved.
Supplementary Workshops - Choose 2
Forever friends
This is one of our most popular workshops and highly valued by students and schools alike! How do we make friends? Who should we make friends with? How should friendships be maintained? How do we decide if a friendship is helping or harming us? This workshop addresses these issues and equips young people with the necessary skills to make safe, important decisions about all their relationships. This workshop also breaks down any cliques that may have formed within the year group, and fosters acceptance and connection.
Real girl power – beyond slogans and stereotypes
This workshop explores the history of feminism. What does empowerment and the “sisterhood” mean to us today? This workshop also encourages young people to find their voices and use them to speak up about issues that matter to them.
Gratitude
Gratitude is linked to greater happiness, a more positive outlook on life, stronger social bonds and support networks, and higher achievement. The session is packed with practical tips and hints, and offers a positive new approach to boosting our authentic thankfulness.
Get it together
Managing time, prioritising, organising your space and your work, problem solving, thinking creatively – these are all skills that help improve performance at school and in the workplace. This workshop focuses on developing these skills and on learning to use them to your advantage.
Stop, I don’t like it
Setting personal boundaries, safe partying, handling inappropriate text messages, managing conflict and using the internet safely – these skills are all vital. This workshop focuses on what’s right and what’s not right and how to tell the difference.
Keep calm and journal on
Your students will create their own journals in which they can reflect and reshape their futures (and begin to unpack the meanings we attribute to the symbols that surround us). This workshop also allows for informal conversations, peer bonding, and uses art as therapy. The finished journals are also beautiful and powerful “take aways” from our events.
Chill out
Relaxation, visualisation techniques, massage and more. In this workshop we encourage your students to seek balance in their lives and teach them some skills to achieve it. Warning – some young people have felt so relaxed, they’ve drifted off to sleep
(which is, of course, the highest possible praise for the session).
When Love Hurts – Respectful Relationships and Consent (Years 9 and above)
This workshop explores the gendered drivers of violence, including the role of sexism and harmful gender stereotypes in shaping unhealthy relationship behaviours. Students learn to recognise the different forms of abuse, identify early warning signs, understand the principles of enthusiastic consent, respond appropriately to disclosures of abuse, and become active allies in creating respectful, safe relationships. This is our most widely acclaimed workshop and an essential program for older teenagers.
Sample timetables so you can see how we work in your school, and a sneak peek at some of the resources we leave with your students.
Contact one of our team to find out more and to bring our Girl Essentials workshops to your school.
Usually at talks we just get told what not to do. But you taught us to believe in ourselves and that we are not alone.
- Charlie
More testimonials from students
“I thought it would be a boring lecture where the whole time all you are thinking about is ‘When will this finally end?’ BUT Danni really connected with everyone, and out of all the things people in my life have ever said to me, and out of all the lectures I’ve been given, I really listened to you and to everything you said and I TOOK EVERYTHING IN.”
“I loved seeing how empowered we all become together today! I’m going through a lot at home at the moment and the reminder of self-love and that I am worthy really helped me and changed the way that I see others. I really wanted another hug! I loved today so much, thank you for doing this and for all of your support!”
“This was the best day ever; I now feel strong and empowered to be a woman! I learnt that I should be proud of who I am, how I can help other women, what I should look for in a relationship, and how strong women are.”
“I want to thank you so much for being such an inspirational, engaging and knowledgeable speaker. It is safe to say that this is the best workshop I have been to throughout my entire life and I am grateful that you allowed me to experience this! I want to congratulate you on the good work and keep fighting!”
