“I felt really hopeful for the future and it built my confidence because I realised there is so much to life and there are people to support me along the way.”
– Sister System participant
During our time as a grant giving organisation we, at Emergence Foundation (EF), came into contact with many wonderful people doing wonderful things in the world. One of the criteria we always looked for in awarding grants was that a project would make a meaningful and lasting difference to others’ lives. One such group we were delighted to be associated with was Sister System.
Began in 2018, Sister System was established by a small group of women, including its CEO Okela Douglas, who’d worked in the care of children and young people sector in north London. Okela’s professional lens and personal experience, along with frustration with the existing provision, its labelling and ghettoising of girls, led her to connect with 5 girls and 4 colleagues whose experiences solidified the creation of Sister System.
These women, coming from global majority backgrounds, were dismayed at the treatment and lack of preparation for life of, especially, the girls and young women in care who, like them, were from black, brown and other global majority backgrounds. Their mission was to change that for as many as possible. They began their work with a programme entitled ‘The Big Sister You Never Had’.
This programme took its ‘sisters’ on a creative and reflective journey, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to become qualified peer mentors and, therefore, the big sister another young woman had never had. Graduation from this programme allowed these Big Sisters to become paid, peer mentors, thus cascading skills and knowledge, and being a positive peer to their younger sisters.
Already, by 2020, Sister System was looking to expand its reach. At this point, EF funding helped support a programme for 120 care affected girls. Out of this number all of the girls went on to report improved mental health, resilience and understanding of healthy relationships. 65 also took up further education or work opportunities.
In talking to Reham Own, Director of Partnership and Communications, it became obvious that Sister System has never stood still. Since beginning in the borough of Haringey they have expanded to other nearby boroughs, reaching a total, at present, of some 250 girls and young women. At the same time, they have evolved their service so that now every young person is getting a very individualised pathway for their development.
Just as with the ‘Big Sister’ programme, a fundamental of their work has always been to encourage the young women to, wherever possible, take on greater responsibility. One manifestation of this is the Youth Advisory Board where young women themselves help inform the decisions and direction of the charity.
‘Together we are!’ has become a catchphrase of the organisation. It, Reham told us, encapsulates the ethos which underpins the organisation, which is one of unity of heart, mind and spirit. As she emphasised, “We all need each other.”
As a footnote, Sister System is, for the first time, entering a team in the 2026 London Marathon. If any runners would like a place in order to support this amazing, inspiring charity, please contact gro.metsysretsisnull@evlovni.
