The Ambassador Community is a collective of inspiring young women who have all been mentored through The Girls’ Network. As a community, they have access to work experience, workshops, and events; all designed to equip them with the skills and networks they need to thrive.

But why is this network such an important offering to the next generation? Previous mentee and current ambassador based in Eastbourne, Olivia Bowden, says: “My aspirations, I have been told, are far-fetched… But my mentor paid close attention, and without mentoring it would have taken me a lot longer to find an idea of what I really wanted for my future.”

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No goal out of reach: why mentoring matters

Olivia joined The Girls’ Network in spring 2021 with an aim to pursue higher education, and turn her passion for English into a career. 

Before she met her mentor, many people told Olivia that, as a young woman in her final year of secondary school, she might want to consider limiting her expectations. But Olivia is steadfast in her conviction, keen to become a professor in English to help other young people, on the edge of their burgeoning careers, flourish. 

“Many people say that, as a girl of my age, it is too soon to think about my future, that I’m ‘reaching for the stars’.” Despite some peoples reservations, Olivia came to mentoring confident about what she aims to do in the future, which her mentor has helped underpin. 

Across 10 sessions, Olivia says: “My mentor not only helped me think about the future with hope and inspiration, but supported me in the present, with any struggles I was having. Before I met my mentor, I had a long list of important careers that I was interested in, each with their own list of worries. With my mentor, I managed to untangle the mess of jobs and anxiety related to a future career, and explore each one.”

“My mentor paid close attention to my future aspirations; it felt like she was making a continuous effort to know me as a person, as well as a mentee.”

Role modelling: the long-term impact

Mentoring benefits young women in many different ways and for Olivia, it was about having someone outside of home and school who she could rely on and receive useful advice from:

“Personally, I think a lot of young women lack a role model to follow, especially in the context of careers. My mentor went above and beyond to support me. I felt completely comfortable talking to her about any issues or worries, and she still supports me to this day.”

She continues, “Young girls everywhere are not being shown their potential, and lack guidance. Mentoring helped me as I was given a great role model to follow, and a guide to step onto the path of a career. That small amount of support really improved my confidence, and I felt that I knew more about my future, and ended up feeling a lot more secure.”

Olivia’s journey as a mentee might be over, but she remains a member of The Girls’ Network as an ambassador. Reflecting on her journey, and the worth of mentoring in her life, she says: “For me, having a mentor has been a beam of support that I needed, someone to look up to and feel inspired by, as well as someone to motivate me for the future; almost like a really supportive friend to confide in. I was sad that I had finished the programme, but optimistic for the future.”

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Find out more about The Girls’ Network’s Ambassador Community here.