EDUCATION PR NEWS FROM POLARIS MEDIA
Pupils from Oasis Academy Oldham have enjoyed the taste of a real graduation ceremony to mark the end of a one-year mentoring programme.
Twenty girls from year 10 took part in the ‘Big Sister’ programme which sees each pupil, known as a ‘Little Sister’, partner up with a female guide from the private or public sector.
The programme, which is run by Manchester-based social enterprise and charity Girls Out Loud, is devoted to helping teenage girls raise their self-esteem, confidence and ambition.
Oasis Academy Oldham sponsored the scheme and will again support the 2014/15 programme. Principal David Hayes said he is very proud of the way the girls wholeheartedly embraced the programme and recognised its benefits.
“The Big Sister scheme is a fantastic opportunity for the girls to spend 12 months meeting up with and learning from women from a broad range of careers and sectors,” he said.
“This year we had Big Sisters from the NHS, Whitworth Art Gallery and the programme’s main sponsor Asda. Girls Out Loud does a fantastic job co-ordinating all the different activities so it is great to see that the whole programme will kick off again during February.
“Oasis Academy Oldham recognises that education does not begin and end with the school bell so it makes me especially proud to see our pupils learning so much from their Big Sisters.
“I would also like to pay special thanks to Oldham College for its support in organising and hosting the event at the University College Oldham. We hope that holding the graduation ceremony there will inspire the girls to continue forwards in education.”
During the course of the year, the girls take part in six group activities and meet their Big Sisters for a one-to-one once of a month.
Before the graduation ceremony (above), which the Little Sisters also organised, they were treated to a hair and make-up pamper session by beauty therapy students at Oldham College.
The venue also hosted the ceremony where the Oasis Academy Oldham pupils and their mentors were presented with certificates in front of the girls’ proud families.
Some of this year’s graduates have agreed to help out with the 2014/15 programme and among the new Big Sisters taking part for the first time are a personal trainer, IT specialist and a US woman who has previously mentored in the Bronx, New York.
Rachel Ward Lilley, Girls Out Loud director and co-ordinator of the Big Sister Programme, said: “By introducing teenage girls to positive role-models from all walks of life, the programme shows them how they can develop and achieve their own aspirations.
“The graduation ceremony means so much and is the culmination of all the commitment shown by the girls and their mentors throughout the year. We want more people and sponsors to get involved and to realise the benefits the Big Sister programme can bring.”
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