B6 Welcomes Guests for Inspirational Luncheon

Just before the Christmas break, The Sixth Form Bolton was thrilled to host our annual Women into Leadership Luncheon; a truly empowering event attended by members of the Women into Leadership enrichment, faculty, as well as a number of inspirational guests.  Our Women into Leadership enrichment programme seeks to remove as many barriers as possible for our female students in order that they are able to follow their chosen paths in life and careers.

The event was a great opportunity for students to meet inspirational men and women, who were able to talk to members of the Women into Leadership group about college life and career paths, as well as offering advice and encouraging them to achieve their goals.  Special guests included Gulnaz Brennan, She Inspires Founder, Carol Swarbrick, Soroptimist and Governor, Councillor Rabiya Jiva, Christine Baldwin, Community Champion ASDA, Dr. Leigh Vallance, Bolton Hospice, Martyn Cox, Councillor and Governor, Mark Rigby, Governor and Liz Bohler from MiGSO-PCUBED.

During the lunch, Gulnaz Brennen, co-founder of the She Inspires Awards, delivered a speech where she spoke about her work at the She Inspires Foundation and what inspires her. The foundation is centred around empowerment, protecting women’s rights, and encouraging women nationwide to achieve their full potential. The She Inspires Awards aim to highlight and celebrate inspiring women trailblazers in Bolton and further afield. Gulnaz honoured all the B6 nominees during her speech.

Throughout the rest of the luncheon, the students, staff and guests had the opportunity to mingle with one and other, sharing views, opinions, and advice in a safe and social atmosphere full of opportunity. It was a really special event where students were able to talk to and form connections with people who they admire, from all different backgrounds and professions. The event showcased what it means to be involved in Women into Leadership; meet new people and engage in new and challenging experiences.

B6 A Level student, Rachel Cowie, is a member of the Women into Leadership programme and attend the event.  The former Tottington High School pupil said,

“It was a really inspiring event and a great opportunity for me to network with a wide range of professionals. It was especially inspiring to meet Gulnaz Brennen who offered some words of wisdom to the members of the Women into Leadership group, she said “if the mind can conceive, you can achieve” which I believe is a really beautiful and important message to send to all of the young women that attended the lunch today.”

Sandra McManus, Deputy Principal at The Sixth Form Bolton, said

“This is such a wonderful event as it gives our young women a genuine opportunity to talk to people from the workplace about their experiences and career journeys. Social networking and access to genuine support is so important in the modern workplace, so experiencing it at our luncheon from such high standing local business people is a highlight of our Women into Leadership Programme. I would like to give out thanks to all those who came to support the event.”

Several of our students took this theme further and recorded a Podcast before the luncheon with Liz Bohler, Portfolio Director at MiGSO-PCUBED. You can listen here