A group of students from Thornhill College in Derry have used this year's Young Enterprise competition to tackle stigma around shared female experiences.
'To My Younger Self' is a guide to shared experiences aimed at young women in secondary schools.
The booklet addresses issues such as period poverty, self-esteem as well as sexual harassment and misogyny.
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The creators wanted to make something that they felt would have helped them navigate their teenage years.
The students behind 'To My Younger Self' spoke to MyDerry about the creation of the booklet and the incredible reception they have had so far.
One member, Sophia said: "We did this because we didn’t have something like this and if we had the right education and preventatives, we could have recognised things sooner and reached out for help. People don’t know they are victims of sexual harassment or something else because they don’t know how to recognise it.
“The majority of us do not have older siblings and this booklet illustrates what we wish we knew. We are taking the big sister role and passing the knowledge and experience on to future years.
“That is our unique selling point, each chapter has its own personal story. We had to work around child protection and safeguarding to get these stories out but we took the steps to overcome it. We were determined to get it done.
“Everyone was really keen to get their stories heard, we did have to ask people if they were okay to share their stories and of course it was fine to say no. People wanted their stories to be heard and we knew it would help others feel comfortable to speak out too."
The initiative has been a success both in the Young Enterprise scheme and wider across social media.
Sophia said: "During the Young Enterprise trade fair in Foyleside we won the award for Best Marketing and Best Innovative Product. It gave us so much confidence dealing with the public, the support we got that day was amazing from the judges, politicians, youth groups and the rest of the public."
Another member of the group, Molly, led the social media page. She said: "We wanted as a team something similar to what would be found in the book. We knew there was a thin line between educating people about preventatives and victim blaming.
"We made sure to give out helplines on heavier topics such as assault or eating disorders, which would then be followed by a lighter post. The support has been unreal, we got 1,000 followers in 10 days at the start and we have had so many people reach out and say how much this is needed."
Sophie said: "We are meeting with Cara Hunter MLA this month who is working towards legislative reform in sex education in school too, it is amazing we feel like we are making a difference. The fact that she wants to hear from us about what we have done is amazing."
The group's success has come with it an array of new skills, from presentation to graphic design to balancing finances, which they are keen to take forward beyond their school years.
'To My Younger Self' can be purchased here.
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