Sophie Nelson

International and UK Girlguiding advocate, British Youth Council Member, founding member of Girlguilding's Period Poverty campaign

Sophie Nelson is a youth advocate with the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS), based in the County Down, Northern Ireland.

“Through our ability to provide a safe space for all girls, Girlguiding discovers human potential by giving girls the freedom to express themselves and explore their interests in a space free of judgement.”

Sophie is a Girl Guide Leader and UK Girlguiding Advocate, spokesperson and blogger. She speaks out on multiple issues related to girls’ needs and rights, and has represented Girlguiding on the British Youth Council.

A body confidence activist, Sophie is regularly involved in campaigning against the depiction of females in the media; she delivered several speeches in Northern Ireland as part of the No More Page Three campaign and wrote a blog on sexual harassment from a youth perspective in response to the #MeToo Movement. She is a youth facilitator for the Girlguiding Period Poverty and Free Being Me body confidence training and workshops.

In 2019, Sophie presented the results of the UK Girlguiding Girls Attitude Survey to the UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, which asks girls how they feel about the specific and emerging pressures facing them today, and what these mean for their happiness, wellbeing and opportunities in life. She has met with Maria Miller from the Women’s Equality Committee to discuss how the government can work with Girlguiding to represent the needs of young women in the UK.

Sophie has represented Girlguiding as spokesperson at the Conservative Party Conference, the British Youth Council AGM and Bank of England’s Youth Panel. As part of her work with the Bank of England, she has lobbied the UK government on increased financial education in schools.

In November 2019, Sophie organised and spoke at a Girlguiding REACH event, which focused on building girls’ resilience and inspiring them to reach their goals.

Ask Sophie about:

-Training to build girls’ resilience
-Action on body confidence
-Speaking out on sexual harassment and gender based violence
-Campaigning against period poverty

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