Crewe secondary school hosts Big Sister pilot project

 

Sisters are not just doing it for themselves in a new scheme being piloted at a secondary school in Crewe.

Twenty female volunteers from the Big Sister mentoring programme will each be working with a teenage girl from Year 10 at Sir William Stanier School to help them become more aspiring people.

The idea, led by Girls Out Loud and supported by Crewe Local Area Partnership (LAP), is for teenage girls to have a Big Sister role model – a trusted guide who has experienced the challenges and hurdles thrown up in early life.

It is being launched at the Coronation Street school on Wednesday, June 8 from 5pm-6pm when the 20 girls and 20 Big Sisters will meet for the first time.

Councillor David Brown, Cabinet member with responsibility for performance and capacity, said: “This is a worthwhile and commendable initiative which will help to inspire young people to strive for success in life.

“Big Sisters are aged from their early 20s to over 50 and are all local volunteers from all walks of life, professions and industries. They are trained to mentor the teenagers one to one and are committed to supporting the girls over the next 12 months.

“We are committed to improving life opportunities and health for everybody in Cheshire East and this is a perfect example of that vision.”

The Big Sisters, trained in child protection and CRB checked, will be paired with the girls and after a couple of group events they will meet once every three or four weeks to follow a goal-oriented programme which focuses on the Government’s ‘Every Child Matters’ framework.

Progress of both the girls and Big Sisters will be tracked and evaluated, so that the teenagers can emerge with a report of what has been achieved, along with goals to be pursued after graduating from the programme.

The project has been made possible by the support of the LAP’s Young People’s Aspirations Working Group and Sergeant Lindsay Chamberlain, of Cheshire Police.

Cheshire East Council has provided £17,000, with further support from Wulvern Housing (£1,500) and MMU Cheshire offering facilities and time commitment.

Councillor Chris Thorley, ward member for Crewe East, said: “I fully support this initiative, which will help to increase self-confidence, raise aspirations and improve the academic performance of our young people.”

Crewe mayor, Councillor Roy Cartlidge, will be on hand to present each girl with a ‘goodie bag’ at the launch, which will also be attended by parents and teachers.