Be Her Lead Conference 2021: #SurvivingAndThriving
“To have connected with so many inspirational people who are passionate about changing the world for the better. Gives me hope.”
The Be Her Lead Conference aimed to open up a discussion about intersectional feminism, equity and wellbeing among teachers and educators, and showcase creative and practical ways to support girls.
This year, our conference theme was #SurvivingAndThriving. We explored the experiences of female and non-binary identifying teachers and students over the past year, and offered ways that we could support each other, and thrive despite everything.
Be Her Lead is a non-profit social enterprise which empowers women in teaching to build resilience, foster wellbeing, and raise the aspirations of girls in their schools.
“I feel empowered and so excited to get into this project. It was so amazing to see so many young women talk so eloquently and to see an actual teacher run the whole thing.”
Programme:
Meet Damali Eastmond-Scott, our host!
Speakers Yassmin Abdel-Magied and Sereena Abbassi
Panellists including co-founder of #WomenEd and #DiverseEd Hannah Wilson, plus body image researcher and podcaster Nadia Craddock
Workshops were led by Be Her Lead teachers, champions and partners, plus podcast recordings, film screenings, competitions and more
The 'Surviving' workshops focused on the issues teachers in our network were facing at the time, including:
The crisis in wellbeing and mental health, disproportionately affecting female, trans and non-binary young people
Gender inequity and intersecting inequities in schools
How Covid-19 exacerbates existing issues affecting young women, especially women of colour and those from low-income backgrounds
The 'Thriving' workshops offered creative and practical ways to support young people, with a focus on supporting girls' wellbeing. The activities included feminist origami, zine-making, stand-up comedy, the Be Her Lead Book Club and more!
“Thank you so much, you absolutely smashed this! What I loved most about it was the involvement of girls - they were the stars of the show and the reason we were all there”
About our first Conference in 2019
In 2019, we ran a conference for over 200 women in education, with Susie Orbach and Laura Coryton as keynotes. Find out more by downloading the programme below.