Inspiring the next generation of young women leaders at Queen’s University Belfast

In January 2024, Queen’s University Belfast welcomed 275 year 13 pupils from schools across Northern Ireland through its doors for a one-day leadership event, as part of this year’s SistersIN programme. 

The SisterNI programme, which began in 2018, aims to enable, empower and develop female pupils to become the leaders of tomorrow through helping them build their confidence and skills. Queen's University is one of SistersIN's foundation partners who are helping students develop the leadership skills needed to succeed in tomorrow's workplace.

The event aimed to inspire sixth-form girls by engaging with academic leaders at Queen’s and encouraging pupils to discover and follow their talents. The pupils had the opportunity to explore the different pathways and how they could shape their future careers.

As a foundation partner of SistersIN, Queen’s hosted the one-day event that explored topics such as artificial intelligence, the built environment, developing dynamic teams and an interactive session about the merits of box office hit Barbie the Movie as an empowerment tool for girls.

The pupils then visited various schools and faculties to find out more about the range of opportunities at Queen’s and the various career paths open to them.

Which included visits to: 

• The School of Biological Sciences to hear more about how studying proteins can help identify and develop novel treatments for different types of cancer. 
• Queen’s Film Theatre where staff from the Seamus Heaney Centre spoke to the pupils about storytelling and creative writing, and the potential career paths these may lead to. 
• The Brian Friel Theatre to hear more about careers in performing and creative arts. 
• The Kn Cheung Sk Chin Intersim Centre for an immersive experience in the University’s state-of-the-art healthcare simulation centre and how real-world skills can be gained in a guided environment.
  

The event concluded with the formal endorsement of the SistersIN Leadership Programme by the William J. Clinton Leadership Institute at Queen’s.  

Welcoming the pupils through Queen’s doors, Professor Karen Morrison, Dean of Education in the Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences, and SistersIN Board member said: 

“We are delighted to be hosting this one-day event on campus and to be meeting this fantastic cohort of young women from across Northern Ireland who have come along to be inspired, and inspire us, as they consider how they could best use their skills, talents and passions in their future careers.  

“As a SistersIN foundation partner, Queen’s University Belfast firmly believes in the importance of a leadership programme like this, and in events such as today, which can inspire and encourage girls and young women into successful and fulfilling leadership roles in their futures." 

Speaking after the event, Peter Dobbin, Principal of Assumption Grammar School and Chair of SistersIN, said: 

“Today has been an outstanding and inspirational event for some 300 SistersIN participants from 25 schools. The sessions from the academic staff at Queen’s were expertly delivered and so enjoyable for the girls on their leadership journey. Thank you again to Queen’s for hosting today's SistersINspire event, it was truly inspirational”. 

To find out more about studying at Queen’s, visit www.qub.ac.uk/Study/ and more information on our Careers Service can be found www.qub.ac.uk/directorates/sgc/careers/

This article appears in the skills, education and tech careers edition of Sync NI magazine. To receive a free copy click here.