Rubies is a grassroots charity providing trauma-informed support for girls. Working across Middlesbrough and Redcar & Cleveland in some of the most deprived areas of the North East, the team are passionate about helping disadvantaged girls to increase their self-esteem, build resilience and stay safe.
Rubies began after research by Plan International concluded that Middlesbrough was the worst place in the country to grow up as a girl. Rubies co-founders were determined to give local girls a more positive message about their potential and their futures. After starting with one local girls’ group, over 300 girls are now supported every year through a range of projects in schools and community venues.
In order to help girls overcome the challenges they face, Rubies provides support in 3 main ways:
Schools Programmes: Bespoke Self-Esteem Courses are delivered for girls in Year 6 and 7, to help them navigate the transition to secondary school, as research shows that girls' confidence can be severely dented during this time. Empowerment Courses are then provided for girls in Year’s 8-11, to help them develop confidence and communication skills. Based on the ‘Philosophy for Children’ model, the course enables girls to build connections and develop their identities whilst also growing in empathy for others and forming their own views and opinions.
Youth Work: The team run 4 weekly GLOW girls groups in community venues. These are safe spaces for girls aged 11-16 to meet with a range of activities and support available, plus hot food and toiletries/sanitary products.
Counselling: 1-2-1 sessions are provided for girls who can't access this support elsewhere. This is mainly on a medium-long term basis, targeted for girls who have experienced trauma and Adverse Childhood Experiences. There is a huge need for therapeutic support that lasts longer than 6-12 sessions.
Most of the girls referred to Rubies are struggling with issues such as anxiety, self-harm, disordered eating and poor sleep, as well with the effects of the cost of living crisis and high levels of poverty. In order to meet increasingly complex needs, going forward Rubies will reduce its group sizes, working with maximum of 8-10 girls at a time. The team will also increase the length of the Empowerment Courses from 8 weeks to 20-30 weeks (initially trialling this in 2 local schools).
This means more focus on depth of support in specific areas and communities so that Rubies can make a greater, longer-term impact. School staff will also be offered training so that they have a better understanding of the impact of trauma, adverse childhood experiences and mental health issues. Support from the Foundation was awarded towards staff salaries, as Rubies moves towards a more targeted approach to its work.
