The Girl Lab

27/02/2024

We’ve had a fantastic day hosting the conference on behalf of and exploring how we can create safe spaces for girls and women. What incredible and inspiring speakers and workshop providers who are working hard to create change.

Some key standout points:

💡Girls want to be ‘hidden but seen’ in public spaces - they want to feel safe but be out of view
💡90% of facilities in parks are used by boys 90% of the time
💡”We create spaces where girls feel like they don’t belong.”

23/02/2024

We had such a great day yesterday with a bunch of powerful, inspiring teen girls delivering sessions at ’s programme which helps girls explore non-traditional careers, this time in the rail industry with and .

We looked at the stereotypes and expectations facing girls, and as you can see from their comments, girls are facing SO many pressures. The girls were shocked to hear about the many statistics of an unequal world, especially those from the brilliant book (a copy of which they all got to take home!)

16/02/2024

A great opportunity for girls and their parents to help University of Bristol with some important research into girls’ experiences of using green spaces.

Are you a mother with a teenage daughter? If so can you help with some really essential research which is going on at Bristol University into how teenage girls use green spaces and what are the barriers which stop them.
As they say "Currently, there is still a substantial lack of research into why girls use public spaces less than boys and what barriers they face so learning about girls’ experiences is really important!"
We couldn't agree more - so please do sign up.
All the details are below, and please share this post as widely as you can!

14/09/2023

Girls and young women want to lead the change.

The world desperately needs to change, especially for girls and young women who are subjected to so many limiting gender norms and stereotypes that stop them from flourishing. But girls also want to be part of creating that change.

We've developed a unique three-pillar approach to redesigning girlhood - flipping our outdated ideas of girlhood on their head and creating something new and meaningful in their place.

In our last posts we looked at the first two pillars, 'redefining girl culture' and 'authentic representation of girls'. Step three is to support girls to lead social change efforts, if they wish to do so.

This means that as adults we have to help girls to understand they have intrinsic power and worth and that their voices deserve to be shared. We also have to create the right conditions around girls to ensure they can safely engage in social change efforts.

Want to learn more about our Redesigning Girlhood training? Search online for 'Redesigning Girlhood' or get in touch with us to chat by emailing [email protected]

12/09/2023

We need better representation of girls and young women.

How can we redesign girlhood to create a world that truly works for girls? We've created a three-pillar approach to redesigning girlhood that we explore through our in-person and online trainings. In our last post we looked at 'redefining girl culture.' Step two is to create a more authentic representation of girls.

What does this mean? Girls want to see themselves represented in the world around them, in all their diversity. Not the pink-and-fluffy stereotypes or the overly sexualised imagery we often see, but as real people without all the loaded gender norms and limitations.

Collectively, if we represent girls more accurately and authentically, we give girls permission to be who they really are, rather than what they think a girl should be, based on the faulty and limiting ideas they see all around them.

Want to learn more about our Redesigning Girlhood training? Search online for 'Redesigning Girlhood' or get in touch with us to chat by emailing [email protected]

08/09/2023

How can we redesign girlhood to create a world that truly works for girls?

We've created a three-pillar approach to redesigning girlhood that we explore through our in-person and online trainings. First up, we need to redefine girl culture.

What do we mean by girl culture? Basically it's all of those ideas about being a girl that we create, collectively and individually, that are influenced by the context girls grow up in and the world at large. Often they're loaded with stereotypes and limitations.

As adults, we often super-impose our own experiences of girlhood onto girls, too, forgetting that the world has changed a lot since we were young, and that girls have their own unique drivers, stressors, experiences and desires.

Want to learn more about our Redesigning Girlhood training? Search online for 'Redesigning Girlhood' or get in touch with us to chat by emailing [email protected]

25/08/2023

How can The Girl Lab support your organisation?

Over the coming days and weeks we'll be sharing some insight into the kind of work we do with non-profits, local government teams, and for-profit brands and businesses, to help them meet the needs of girls and young women.

First up, training. We LOVE to train others to do what they do, with a gender lens and an increased insight into the contexts of girls lives. We can create bespoke training for your organisation, or our flagship trainings include 'Redesigning Girlhood', exploring how we can create systemic change for girls and understand girls' lives, and 'Girl-Centred Design', the process of human-centred design with a gender lens.

Got a training need? Get in touch! Email us at [email protected]

25/08/2023

How can your organisation or brand capitalise on the 'Barbie effect'?

The Barbie movie is taking the world by storm, with plenty of people weighing in on how great it is / how awful it is / how it's a game-changer / how it is destroying the fabric of society... you get the picture.

But whether you loved it or not, it's clear that the movie has captured the world's attention, and if you work with girls and young women or have a girl-focused brand, it's a moment that you need to capitalise on.

We've created our top tips for building on 'the Barbie effect' and how you can elevate your message to girls, young women and their parents.

18/08/2023

The Barbie movie is taking the world by storm, with plenty of people weighing in on how great it is / how awful it is / how it's a game-changer / how it is destroying the fabric of society...you get the picture.

But whether you loved it or not, it's clear that the movie has captured the world's attention, and if you work with girls and young women or have a girl-focused brand, it's a moment that you need to capitalise on.

We've created our top tips for building on 'the Barbie effect' and how you can elevate your message to girls, young women and their parents.

26/06/2023

Interested in supporting positive body image in girls and young women? Join Plan International UK in this Thursday for an interactive workshop session, where they'll be joined by Dr. Nadia Craddock PHD, Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Appearance Research, UWE Bristol.

‘Fostering positive body image among young people’ will explore the topic of body image as it applies to the lives and wellbeing of children and young people before Dr. Nadia will share best practice strategies to support young people to navigate their relationship to their bodies. There will be a particular focus on body talk and managing appearance pressures on social media.

Book your free tickets here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/fostering-positive-body-image-among-young-people-tickets-641300215207

Bringing organisations together to learn and connect around youth mental health/wellbeing and body image.

15/05/2023

The Girl Lab May Newsletter - https://mailchi.mp/thegirllab/maynewsletter Read all about it! New girls' rights event, Redesigning Girlhood training, Dove launch new campaign to tackle the effects of social media, and much more.

25/04/2023

How do we keep girls safe, without making them fearful?

Our latest video explores this theme, with practical suggestions for supporting girls and young women, educating them about their safety, without fear-mongering and creating a fear-based mindset.

Girls’ safety is a pressing issue. It seems like every day we hear about yet more harassment and violence of women and girls in the media and while its great...