Camille 1:18

We looked at different hairstyles we could do.

Kaya 1:22

What does that mean to be a part of the sisterhood

Camille  1:26

It means that I get to spend time with other women just like me, but also that I was able to make new friendships and any problems that I may have further can’t necessarily talk to my mom and dad about

Kaya  1:40

What are some of the topics which we have discussed during a sisterhood session.

Carla Mark  1:45

So we’ve had quite a big variety of topics. We’ve spoken about builiding resilience, we’ve spoken about practising self care, you know how to actually utilise gratitude and the power that gratitude carries, mental health. So we had a session based around taking care of, you know, our mental well being and actually what mental health actually is, you know, did a fitness session together, virtually through descriptive exercise movement. And we’ve done in person sessions too. So we had a sisterhood pamper day where the girls were able to have their nails painted, have hand massages, and have really great goodie bags to take home with them. We had a fashion stylist session where we had a great young lady come in to, you know, share tips with the girls about how to, you know, organise your clothing and how to kind of like show your personality through your fashion basically, as a young woman, so quite a variety of different sessions we’ve had

Kaya  2:47

and what have been the reactions to some of these sessions, and they will be really good and positive. I can imagine.

Carla Mark  2:52

Yeah, absolutely. I think a lot of the girls have found it extremely beneficial to learn these kinds of different skills. And they found connectivity between the sessions too so they’ve been able to relate to one another. Yeah, just to know that they’re not on their own.

Kaya  3:06

How do you offer support and guidance for the members of sisterhood.

Carla Mark  3:11

So sisterhood is a very much a youth led group. So essentially, I go off what the needs of the young women are, and what the kind of topics they feel they need and want to discuss. There’s always been the option to for the young ladies to reach out to me and get support individually if they needed to. Or I would then also be able to signpost them to different organisations that may be specific for the needs that they have. So yeah, that’s kind of how it goes.

Kaya  3:43

That’s fantastic. And Camille, do you think that your voice is heard during sisterhood session?

Camille  3:48

Always. I’ve always thought that even if I’m not always actually in the hour , I’m always been heard somehow

Kaya  3:56

has becoming a member of this sisterhood helps you in any way. Has it helped your self esteem?

Camille  4:02

Yeah, I mean, I felt like I found some good friends. That I can rely on even if we’re not necessarily in the same part of England.

Kaya  4:11

That’s brilliant. Do you think that all of the members on the sisterhood listen to each other?

Carla Mark  4:16

So yeah, I think we’ve been able to create a really close knit space in sisterhood. We’ve always been a welcoming community, which has allowed room for everybody to show up again as their authentic selves. And I’ve seen girls you know, from when I started, I’ve seen the development of particularly young ladies who you know, started off really, really quite shy and maybe a little bit reserved, to then be in a lot more vocal in the group. And that’s because of how much of a safe space it’s been and how encouraging the other girls have been and how supportive they’ve been towards each other. So it’s definitely been really great to see brilliant

Kaya  4:57

and Carla, how do you remember Is the sisterhood cope when discussing sensitive or personal topics or issues?

Carla Mark  5:05

Again, because it’s quite a safe space, it’s been a great opportunity for sensitive topics to be discussed. And it’s, again, it’s so great that we have quite a different range of ages within the group, because we’re able to, although we definitely manage the conversations appropriately, there’s a lot of wisdom that comes from some of the older ladies that can be passed out to the younger ones. But even the younger ladies have a lot of wisdom that they can pass on to, you know, all of us, it’s been great that we’ve had Amy, who is also one of the family practitioners here at RSBC, who’s also been a great support to kind of like manage those, you know, more difficult conversations, sensitive conversations are important to have, they’re very much needed. But we’ve been able to create a space where those conversations can be had appropriately and in a very empowering format.

Kaya  6:01

Do you have any tips or advice when discussing sensitive information?

Carla Mark  6:05

Yeah, I think it’s really important that everybody, you know, respects where, you know, everybody’s coming from everyone’s gonna have different experiences. And it’s just really important to be able to listen to be able to, you know, yeah, just genuinely respect and offer a listen and ear and kind of just, you know, treat people how you’d like to be treated. And also, if you are the person that’s sharing, you know, within that environment, you know, it takes a lot of courage to kind of like, even just speak in a group.

Kaya  6:35

Brilliant. Thank you, Carla, and Camille, what does friendship mean to you?

Carla Mark  6:40

So to me, friendship means commitment. It means, you know, being able to be yourself being able to feel like you can speak to someone express yourself, clearly express, you know, your feelings, your emotions have good times, you know, be encouraged. Yeah, friendship, to me means happiness. It means sisterhood, it means joy.

Kaya  7:05

And what about for you, Camille,

Camille  7:07

I mean, friendship for me is, I mean, just to get along with others, and to try and respect each other and have fun.

Kaya  7:15

And Camille  Are there any, any sessions or Sisterhood sessions, which you would like to add to what you’ve already done?

Camille  7:23

This is a tough one. I’ve enjoyed every single one. Its sometimes hard to choose just one. I’ve really enjoy them all, especially when we get to chat with each other and express ourselves through not necessarily having a topic

Carla Mark  7:41

Sisterhood is great because it just allows people to feel connected, it breaks away the the feelings of isolation and builds a space that people can just, you know, have a laugh and actually feel like there’s people that will understand you

Kaya  7:56

and think also the most important thing about sisterhood is that you can be yourself. Agreed

Carla Mark  8:03

Yeah, definitely. I have had the privilege of just being able to, you know, lead the sisterhood programme for the past year and a half. And it’s just been an absolute honour and privilege to meet so many young ladies from so many different walks of life. It’s just been a space that I’ve been able to see so many young ladies grow, develop, welcome new young ladies in and just see how the friendships have evolved over time. So I’m really grateful for the experience and have really enjoyed my time at Sisterhood.

Kaya  8:36

And Carla what has been the highlight of running sisterhood,

Carla Mark  8:40

I think just the opportunity to actually use something that I’m so passionate about which it is, you know, seeing young women empowered, seeing young women encouraged, seeing young women thrive, you know, and who they are and stuff like that. So, for me just been able to actually sit down and create the sessions and you know, utilise everyone’s voices to help me structure how the sessions are delivered.

Kaya  9:07

Brilliant. Well, thank you so much, Carla and Camille for today. I thoroughly enjoyed creating this podcast and talking about all things about Sisterhood. Thank you.  Sisterhood!