To celebrate International Women’s Day weekend, the WOW Girls Festival Bus will be back in London to work with schools in Newham on 8 March.
The WOW Foundation, recognized for organizing the largest and most inclusive festivals dedicated to celebrating women, girls, and non-binary individuals globally, has revealed the upcoming phase of its UK-wide WOW Girls Festival tour. Extending until March 12, 2024, the Festival will culminate with a special event at Buckingham Palace, featuring WOW’s President, Her Majesty The Queen, on March 12, following International Women’s Day on March 8.
The WOW Girls Festival Bus will park up at the Palace for the event, and Her Majesty will meet young people who have taken part in the Festival.
The WOW Girls Festival is a force for change across society in how it sees girls, their potential and the opportunities it offers for their future, both in the UK and overseas, working with global partners.
The Girls’ Futures Report 2022 found that girls’ confidence dips between the ages of 14 and 18 and does not recover significantly. The 2022 Steer Education report also revealed that girls as young as 11 are hiding signs of “deep distress” from their parents and teachers, with doubts about their futures and limiting self beliefs cementing themselves in teenage years. The WOW Foundation is now joining forces for the second time with BBC Children in Need (CIN) to launch the WOW Girls Festival tackling some of these issues. Their previous collaboration in 2020, as part of the ground breaking CIN A Million & Me programme, found that fun, happiness and creative self-expression were particularly important approaches to addressing the identified gaps in the provision of activity to tackle gender difference. WOW has now created WOW Girls Festival shaped from these findings and focusing on better outcomes for girls and all young people. The Festival will tour the UK until March in a special ‘WOW Girls Festival Bus’.
Tour dates
- 7 February Kings Lynn – after school session with 11-18 year olds, featuring arts and drama
- 8 February Norwich – school visit and workshop at The Garage
- 9 February Attleborough – Bus at The Lighthouse Charity for visits by local schools and young
- people
- 12 February Glasgow – day working with young people at Platform arts centre
- 13-14 February Perth – school and community workshops in partnership with Gender Equality Perth
- 29 February Manchester – secondary school visit in partnership with Factory International
- 1 March Manchester – speed mentoring at Aviva Studios
- 2 March Bradford – family activities at Impressions Gallery until 4pm, then event for teenagers and adults from 5pm
- 3 March Bradford – creative activities celebrating local women and girls, in collaboration with Keighley Creative
- 4 March Shipley – school visit
- 5 March Little Horton – school visit, afternoon session with MAPA
- 6 March Bradford – school visits in the morning, afternoon session focused on women and girls in sport, with a panel and taster sessions at Sedburgh Leisure Centre, and Speed Mentoring
- 8 March London – Newham school visit
- 12 March London – reception at Buckingham Palace
To find out more and how you can get involved visit: thewowfoundation.com
