We specialise in providing dedicated support services for girls aged between 11 and 19. Sometimes, this can expand to a range of 5 and 25 years old depending on individual circumstances such as disability or for specially funded projects – our under 10s are known as Rose Petals. Our mission is to bridge the gap between adolescence and womanhood. We design targeted support for the various age ranges. For pre-teens, we engage with them through physical activities such as fitness, drama or dance and use that as a tool to explore issues around identity, self-esteem, communication and this has had a huge impact on how well they get on with peers, at school, and in turn how they assert themselves in life.
Rose Petals are the pre-teen service users of Rosebud Centre for Girls, aged 5-10 years. They receive support towards confidence building, self expression and communication skills. Performing Arts and Dance is also a favourite for our RosePetals. Sessions run during the half-term weeks and summer holidays.
For young teenage girls, the support needs become more complex – emotional, mental health, physical health and well-being. In response, we engage them in workshops that educate, empower and enable them to establish who they are and become the person they want to be.
Rosebuds: girls aged 11 to 15 are the key service users of the Rosebud Centre, accounting for over 70% of our registered members. Rosebuds workshops running at least five times a week after school from 4.30pm to 6.30pm. The workshops vary from music to dance, drama, confidence building, self-defence to cookery.
For late teens (16 to 19), we provide all of the above but with tailored support for independence and career development. This could range from identifying their interests, enrolling into further education, taking on apprenticeships or vocational skill training such as Jewellery Making or Fashion Design to encourage self-reliance through volunteering or entrepreneurship. For those who wish to pursue a career in the creative arts or cultural industries, we nurture and develop their talents through practical creative workshops and programmes.
We have built partnerships with schools and other independent and voluntary organisations and are open to new partnerships and working relationships to extend our reach in the community. Rosebud is part of the Listening Ears charity, whose aim is to reduce loneliness and isolation in communities. Rosebud is in place to offer a type of early intervention support to ensure that communities are strengthened by positive young women who have a lot to contribute. To achieve this holistic aim, we also work with parents of our girls through the Rose Garden programme, which is open to parents of teenage girls.
Rose Garden is our enrichment initiative aimed at parents of teenage and pre-teen girls. They are welcome into a nurturing environment and trusted space where they can share information, get support, which builds their confidence, in turn developing and empowering them with the confidence to face life’s day-to-day challenges.