More than 200 students from across the borough took part in a series of inspirational This Girl Can workshops run by Erewash School Sport Partnership.
Motivational speaker Ruth Cooper-Dickson led the events for girls from Saint John Houghton CVA, Ormiston Ilkeston Enterprise Academy, Kirk Hallam Community Academy, Friesland School and Wilsthorpe School.
Ruth talked to the girls about her own journey from struggling at school to going on and achieving her goals.
They then worked in groups looking at behaviour and their own role models and how they could be ambassadors within their own schools.
Ruth told the girls: “You have to have belief in yourselves, take the opportunities and make the mistakes. You can’t change the past and when you are making decisions remember to be authentic and true to who you are and not always looking at what your friends are doing.
“You can do whatever you want to do, whatever your goals and dreams are. You need to think about how you behave in school and how you can be role models and ambassadors.”
Rhian Lilley, Erewash School Sport development manager, said she hoped the students had left the workshops feeling inspired.
She said: “What we want to do is inspire these girls to become role models in their own schools and think about what characteristics they want to have. We also want to offer support and give them some advice which might help them as they are growing up, such as how physical activity can relieve stress.”
Ian Bamford, head of PE at Ormiston Ilkeston Enterprise Academy, said he had been impressed by the workshops.
He said: “I think it’s inspiring for the students and it’s all about learning life skills that will help them to improve and become inspirational young women.”
Kiera Warhurst, a student at Ormiston Ilkeston Enterprise Academy, said: “I really enjoyed the session and it was good that it wasn’t all about sport, it was about life skills too.”
Notes to editors: Erewash School Sport Partnership is a group of 45 schools working together to develop PE and sport opportunities for all young people. Its core priority is to improve the quality and quantity of PE and sport in schools. The partnerships aims to engage, motivate and include as many young people as possible in a positive PE and sport experience.