In Term 2, girls from Braddock Public School came to the Cranebrook Neighbourhood Centre after school to enjoy afternoon tea, engage in games as well as art and craft. The girls completed portraits of themselves, developed their own story books, meditated and made their own bath salts. The group was a safe and enjoyable space for the young girls to work together and develop lasting friendships outside of school.
This term saw the end of our Girls Group however brings new and exciting projects. NCNS Community Development Worker, Nada said “I have facilitated Girls Group for a year now and it has been an absolute pleasure. I have enjoyed becoming friends with all the young girls, yet I am very eager to see how they respond to the new Big Sister program that will run in Term 3. This is not goodbye to the girls rather I’ll see you at school.”
Nada will be facilitating the Big Sister program in term 3 on Wednesdays during school to support the girls through a life skills program. This program will incorporate concerns that were raised at our Keeping Children Safe workshops, where it was determined that girls in the year before high school faced challenges surrounding their identity, where they fit, and how to navigate changing friendships and relationships. We identified that some of the girls that may benefit from this program may have difficulty accessing activities after school, and so with the support of Braddock Public School, we will run the program at the school during school hours, when we can reach more students.
The Big Sister program aims to develop the girl’s life skills such as exploring relationships/friendships, understanding their feelings and position in families, developing communication skills, understanding who you can trust, and support systems.
This program will be focused on year 6 students, with a more hands on approach, giving girls support, building their resilience and independence.