Edith is the Cofounder and CEO of Be Her Lead, a social enterprise which trains women in teaching to run workshops for disadvantaged girls in their schools. Be Her Lead aims to support the wellbeing, resilience and aspirations of teenage girls, by tapping into the potential of female teachers to be effective role models and mentors. After a careful selection process, teachers on the programme are trained and supported to run a series of workshops designed to equip teenage girls with skills and knowledge to help them confidently face internal and external challenges in school and beyond. The programme is designed to springboard longer-term change in schools and tackle gender inequality for a new generation of young women.
The idea for Be Her Lead grew out of Edith’s work as a teacher in a school in Southall, where she ran extracurricular programmes alongside her classroom teaching. She was frustrated by the lack of effective interventions tackling the growing problem of low wellbeing for teenage girls. After speaking to many women in teaching who felt the same way, she founded Be Her Lead to provide them with the structure and support to make a positive difference in girls’ lives.