REACH The Next Generation Summit is going on the road

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    • The UK’s second empowerment development summit for girls aged 11-15 will be held at TalkTalk’s HQ in Salford on 18th September 2021.

    There’s no doubt that today’s young girls are facing pressures unknown to previous generations. Whether it’s social media, social pressure on how to look and what clothes to wear, to finding friends, deciding on options or discovering who they are and what type of world they want to live in, this stage of life is now full of daunting demands.

    Reach The Next Generation Summit, a pioneering free to attend summit is designed to advise, inform and empower – so attendees have the skills they need to successfully navigate their teen years.

    The event is the brainchild of Sarah Stirk, known to many as Sky Sports Anchor, and follows her successful series of Reach Women’s Leadership summits held under the theme ‘Collaborate to Accelerate’ at iconic sporting venues such as St Andrews, Royal Lytham St Annes and the Ageas Bowl in recent years.

    The summit for girls will include focus on important issues around Diversity and Inclusion, with attendees encouraged to reach out to their friends and classmates to cascade learnings from the event onwards.

    Inspirational woman leaders from across society will run 12 interactive sessions designed to make attendees think about the challenges they face in a new way and constructive way. Speakers include:

    • Joanna Coates – CEO UK Athletics
    • Sharon Davies – CEO Young Enterprise
    • Katy Leeson – MD of Social Chain
    • Alveena Malik- Founder of One Million Mentors
    • Rebecca Richardson – Founder of Breathe Unity

    There will be 100 delegate places for girls in the covid-safe TalkTalk HQ with 20% of places reserved for girls from under-represented communities and kids’ charities. Many more will be able to watch via live stream. Tickets available at www.wearereach.net.

    Reach Founder Sarah Stirk said: “We’re incredibly proud of our Reach network and the community we’ve built, but it was always our intention to help, inspire and motivate the next generation. This unique summit gives us the perfect opportunity to do just that and some of our successful Reach females are excited about the prospect of giving back! There are enormous pressures on young girls in today’s world, and if they walk away full of positivity and having learnt some lessons, we’ll be delighted.”

    The summit is being supported by national accountancy firm Haines Watts. Heike O’Leary, Haines Watts’ Group Head of Marketing, said: “Creating a more inclusive and diverse workplace is very close to our heart and we strive to offer both a rewarding work experience and also support our colleagues and young apprentices through mindfulness, resilience and wellbeing programmes. We have just been named one of the Top 10 UK Accountancy & Advisory firms to work for and we are absolutely delighted to support, nurture and inspire the next generation.”

    Levi Strauss is supporting the summit and its VP Lucia Marcuzzo will be participating. Levi’s team member Michelle Pini-Reed will give a key note on diversity at work and 2 students from the Levi’s Music Project are going perform live on stage.

    Tristia Harrison, chief executive officer at TalkTalk, commented: “Young women today face a number of modern pressures, with issues like social media and climate change having an impact on mental wellbeing. That’s why events like The Reach Next Generation Summit are so vital, enabling young women to confidently pursue their goals in a friendly and exciting environment.”

    Ian Donaldon, CEO, Atlanta Group added: “Diversity & Inclusion, Wellbeing and Community are at the very heart of what we do both in Swinton and across the wider Atlanta Group. We aim to shine a light on important issues and amplify our different voices to create an environment where all can feel heard and that they belong. Young people see and experience the world differently. The pandemic has hit this age group particularly hard and this event will once again open up opportunities, as well as open up minds, to help drive positive change. Our goal for our people is to educate, raise awareness, connect and inspire and I know that is exactly what the Reach empowerment summit will do for the next generation. Swinton are incredibly proud to be able to support this event, especially in Salford, the home of our Swinton Head Office.”

    The first Reach Next Gen Summit highlights are here https://vimeo.com/572064846/eca05d324e