Launch Of ‘She Leads’ For High School Students
Coinciding with International Women’s Day, BHS and HSBC Bermuda announced the launch of “She Leads: A Real World Readiness Programme” for young women who have just completed their penultimate year of high school.
“This ground-breaking public/private partnership will be offered to 15 BHS students and 15 students from The Berkeley Institute and CedarBridge Academy and looks to connect young women in Bermuda during a week-long summer programme, which will equip them with the tools, skill sets and mindsets needed for education, employment and beyond,” a spokesperson said.
“Hosted by BHS over one week in July, the programme is designed to not only inspire, but to equip students with tools and frameworks to enable them to take ownership of their education, careers and lives.
Christie Hunter Arscott, Linda Parker, Kenneth Caesar, Keisha Douglas, and Judy Doidge
“The exclusive programme curriculum was developed by BHS alumna, Christie Hunter Arscott, who is a strategic advisor on gender issues and a 2007 Rhodes Scholar. The programme has been specifically tailored to how girls learn and is focused on the objectives of empowering, inspiring, equipping and connecting participants.
“Topics will be data-driven and customised to meet the needs of female students in Bermuda with top senior female leaders from HSBC and across industries invited to share their career experiences and knowledge. Interactive sessions and collaborative work will provide the girls with opportunities to develop and hone their leadership skills.
“After completion, students will return to their schools, ready to share the course materials and topic guides with their peers. This unique student-to-facilitator progression means that more young women will be able to benefit from the course materials, and it will give participants an additional opportunity to deepen their learning, develop their leadership skills and put those skills into practice.
HSBC’s Community Investment Manager, Clesia Pachai shared, “HSBC Group and HSBC Bermuda have provided funding to ensure the successful execution of the programme this summer.
“The She Leads Programme is a good example of HSBC’s strategic investment to support charities which focus on the bank’s ‘Future Skills’ pillar and offers supporting programmes revolving around ‘employability’ and ‘financial capabilities’ to our community. Investing in these specific programmes, will aim to empower and provide those in our community with what they need to secure employment and manage their monies effectively, starting with our young people.”
“While women in Bermuda have made great strides, they are still significantly underrepresented in senior positions and paid less than their male peers across industries and sectors. The broader social impact aim of the programme is to help redraw the balance by equipping students to navigate the challenges of the real world and by creating an environment where they can make meaningful and lasting connections across school and community contexts.
Judy Doidge, HSBC Executive Sponsor of the She Leads Programme said “Through this programme we are committed to providing young people with opportunities to develop the employability skills that today’s employers look for, alongside the financial capability skills that young people need to manage their money effectively, right from the start.
“The gender pay gap is a real issue here in Bermuda, and around the world, so we are particularly delighted to be able to support this course aimed at supporting young women to make their first step on the career ladder a confident one.”
Christie Hunter Arscott, said “It’s time for a new type of employability skills programme that goes beyond skills such as interviewing and resume review. This course will give participants the opportunity to tap into their own unique leadership capabilities and to uncover the mindsets that both help and hinder women as they enter the workforce.
“These are the skill sets and mindsets that will set young women off in the right direction to realise their potential in the workplace. Together, we have an exciting opportunity to positively impact the development of girls’ leadership capabilities within our community.”
This programme is part of a wider initiative at BHS, called ‘I Lead’, which encourages the development of leadership skills for girls of all ages.
Linda Parker, Head of BHS said, “As a school specialising in the education of girls, I am particularly excited by this opportunity to enable girls from across Bermuda to learn from each other and build their peer networks. We are very pleased to be partnering with HSBC to offer this course to the future female leaders of Bermuda. We look forward to building on this when we open our Innovation Centre next year.”
Details of the selection process will be announced in early April.
