Eves to Eden (February 2011)

From girlhood to womanhood -a residential trip, a cultural journey


Twenty British Pakistani, Somali and White British young women from three youth groups ensconced themselves in Boswinger youth hostel in Cornwall for a weekend to explore cultural issues surrounding the transition from girlhood to womanhood.  The young women learnt and shared cooking skills, visited The Eden Project, walked by the sea  and in the evenings used story-telling to explore their shared experiences of womanhood.

The young women reported that they never venture away from home without their parents and certainly never to the countryside.  They felt more confident having been once and some said that their parents would be happier for them to venture away again.  Others felt this would only be possible with their parents but now they had done it, they would encourage their parents to venture away from the city. Since this trip some of the girls have arranged trips to Devon and Wales independently.

“It’s been really fun, I’ve really enjoyed it. I’ve found more about them, more sides- not the fake sides of everyone because I think it’s all open here so no one really cares about their appearance. It’s all about just having fun.”
Participant, 15, Eves to Eden (Feb 2011)