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Getaway Girls: Adventures of the Leeds 'can do' girls
For nearly 25 years, Getaway Girls has been helping young women navigate their way through the challenges and opportunities of life in Leeds.
Flavia Docherty has had a few job interviews in her time – but arguably none of them were as demanding as the one she had for Getaway Girls.
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She found herself being grilled for the role of director of the organisation by a trio of young inquisitors who were determined to get the best person for the job.
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That's because they themselves were members of the group – which was set up to inspire young women across Leeds – and knew exactly what they wanted from their new director.
"They had clearly done their homework and had really thought about the
questions they wanted to ask," said Flavia. "They wanted to find out if they could work with me and whether I was listening to them.
"It was pretty tough but at the same time it was great because it was obvious they knew what they were looking for."
Flavia ended up getting the job, which marked something of a return to an old stamping ground. She was a young youth worker in Harehills when the idea for Getaway Girls first took root nearly 25 years ago.
She and colleagues Sue Dare and Jenny Appleyard came up with the idea of introducing outdoor pursuits to girls who spent most of their days
surrounded by the bricks and concrete of inner city life.
"We did things like climbing, abseiling and horseriding and went away on a residential course with girls from all over Leeds," she recalled.
"Sue was the main driver behind it and our aim was to raise the aspirations of the city's young women, encourage them to broaden their horizons and help build their confidence."
Getaway Girls was duly born in 1987 and, when the group successfully applied for funding, it grew bigger and its remit broader.
Today, it's an umbrella organisation for all sorts of initiatives that focus on improving the life chances of Leeds's young women.
Based in Harehills, the group works with girls from right across the city, though it tends to do most of its work with those from Harehills, Chapeltown and Gipton.
They're usually referred to the group by schools, health visitors and learning mentors, but they can also join up themselves.
"There were so many girls with fantastic potential and we found that they all wanted to do something different with their lives," said Flavia.
"What's really rewarding is seeing the number of girls who have gone on to do great things, often setting up projects in their own communities."
The schemes run by Getaway Girls are dazzling in their diversity. They incorporate the outdoors, the arts and IT, along with residential trips, group discussion and anything else that helps young women uncover their potential and then set about fulfiling it.
But as well as learning, there's also time for plenty of fun and
adventure, as well as space to allow the girls to express themselves and take control of their own destinies.
The emphasis is firmly on putting the young women in the driving seat and shaping the projects they want to work on.
These include Fizz, which aims to inspire more young women to take up sports like football and rugby, as well as more adventurous recreational activities such as climbing, kayaking and orienteering.
Parenting courses have included a Baby Reality programme with would-be mums looking after simulator dolls for a weekend which, as well as preparing them for motherhood, has often led them to think carefully about the right time to start a family.
Its Choices project offers self-development programmes for 16 to 19-year-olds who aren't in education, employment or training as well as younger girls who are at risk of being excluded from school or already have been.
The aim is to encourage them to make positive life choices that lead them to find work or training, re-enter education or get involved in volunteering.
A year-long media programme has sparked a new community magazine called Cultivate, which gives young black women the chance to voice what they feel the wider community should know.
And a project to spread an anti-gun and knife message to Leeds youngsters has seen members Sharaye Johnson and Maye Brown from Chapeltown make a music video for their song Think Twice.
Jennell Bennett joined Getaway Girls at the age of 14. Now 25, she says it has made a big difference to the way her life turned out.
"I got involved because one of the workers lived near me," she said. "She spoke to my mum and said I could do with some confidence building and some time away from home where I could be around girls my age and learn new skills.
"When I became pregnant at 19 I moved to the mums and baby group, which gives support and advice. Now I'm a sessional worker and help run the users' forum which listens to the views and needs of women across Leeds as well as doing fundraising to support the organisation.
"The idea behind everything is to help girls in Leeds realise their potential in life and build their self-esteem," she added.
Opportunity
"Some of the ladies don't attend school so they're given help to work out what's best for them. It's about giving them the opportunity to do things they probably wouldn't otherwise get the chance to do."
Like many organisations up and down the country, the economic downturn has left the group struggling for funding, but there is a determination to keep it going through thick and thin.
After nearly a quarter of a century, the Getaway Girls know there is plenty of work still to be done.
* For more information visit www.getawaygirls.co.uk
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