Sisters are doing it for themselves at Zeal Wellington

First dreamed up on a sleepless night, Wellington’s Girls’ Group has been running for over two years – and just keeps getting bigger.

“The idea came from a sleepover we had during Zeal Hamilton’s opening night in 2014,” says Emmah, Zeal Wellington Youth Worker. “All of the girls were set up together, and we noticed that around 1 am we started having those deep, vulnerable conversations.”

“I remember one of the girls saying, ‘why can’t we do this all the time?’ So we did!”

Girls’ Group is specifically designed to equip and empower any young person who identifies as female. The goal is to provide a safe space where mental health, self-worth, youth advocacy, and women’s rights can be talked about openly and freely.

As well as weekly meetups, the crew organises events where mental health can be discussed without judgement. One hundred and thirty people came out to the Mental Health Tea Party in June 2016.

Following the success of regular Wellington meetups, Zeal Kāpiti has started up their own Girls’ Group, with eighteen young people from the region meeting up weekly.

“It’s a space where girls can have those deep and meaningful chats that they sometimes don’t get the opportunity to have,” says Hayley, Zeal Wellington Youth Work Intern. “Female identity was something I learnt at a later age. I wish I had a space when I was younger to get real, feel no embarrassment, and talk through issues society sometimes makes females feel ashamed for. I feel like Girls’ Group would have helped a lot.”

Keen to join our Welly or Kapiti Girls’ Group? Get in contact with Hayley or Sophie for more info, or find your nearest Zeal centre and come and see us!