Girls Journeying Together coaches girls to be confident in their body, manage big feelings and accept differences, before they enter adolescence.
The first Girls Journeying Together event took place last Sunday, in Nether Edge, with 12 girls making up the group.
Sarah Blagg, accredited Girls Journeying Together facilitator for Sheffield, said: “Body image and beauty is a big theme we look at.
“We promote acceptance and encourage the girls to look at themselves in the mirror with kind eyes and look at each other with kind eyes.”
The groups are backed by organisation Rites For Girls, who mentor girls through adolescence and aim to make growing up safe, easier and a better supported system.
12 monthly sessions are offered for girls aged 10-12, as well as their female parents or guardians.
The scheme also goes into a few schools in Sheffield which are fully funded by the National Lottery.
This gives girls from a background where it may not be accessible a chance to improve the way they see their bodies and how they view the world.
Mrs Blagg, who is a mother of two, said: “We talk about periods, bullying and transitioning to secondary school, all in an age appropriate way.”
Other themes include looking into friendship challenges and de-bunking myths of beauty standards, relaxation, self confidence and changes inside and out at the pre-teen stage of life.
Mrs Blagg acknowledges that it is difficult to get schools on board with the sessions funded by the National Lottery.
The next aim for her is to push the information forward to more schools and make it an accessible place for more girls to feel safe and comfortable in themselves.
“What we take away from these bodies we see online is that we have to celebrate our own changing bodies.
“At the end of the sessions, each girl gets a personal letter sent to them, celebrating their journey throughout the course.”
Mrs Blagg emphasises the need for more reach with groups like these and highlights the importance for girls in school who may miss school days to have access to a scheme like this.