Girl-Kind North East: Making, Learning, and Spaces of Value

Research suggests that girls frequently experience a sense of devaluation in their everyday lives at school. Narrow models of learning and teaching further limit the scope of what can be valued. In contrast, Girl-Kind, a school-based program, aims not to address an assumed deficit but to allow girls to be recognized as excellent learners and experts in their own lives. We conceptualize the program as creating valuing spaces in which value is created through action and not simply imported from the wider context. Here, we situate Girl-Kind in the research on girls in schools, detail how this space is created, and argue that the program acts as a counterpoint to the devaluation girls frequently experience. Finally, we outline the tensions of delivering such a program.