A Victoria’s Secret “Angel” or the creator of cult TV show Girls might not be the first on a list of role models that teachers would assemble to inspire their female students to have lofty aspirations. But as entrepreneur Edwina Dunn explains, “ambition looks and feels different for different people”.

Dunn is behind a new project that aims to foster “ambition and self-belief in young women” through a book and documentary that ask 60 “inspirational women who are shaping the world today” about their personal and professional journey.

Those featured in The Female Lead include model Karlie Kloss (the aforementioned Angel), Girls creator Lena Dunham and a diverse mix of others including Christine Lagarde, head of the International Monetary Fund, and physicist Dame Athene Donald. The book, documentary and a teaching pack have been made free to schools in the UK and the US (see below for how to get a copy), as Dunn is intent on changing the way girls think.  

“I set about creating The Female Lead book in 2014 with the aim of fostering ambition and self-belief in young women,” she says. “We hope our book and teaching resource can open up more inclusive conversations about ambition in the classroom, so more young people are inspired and enabled to think positively about their future.”

Resource for schools to inspire girls

The teaching resource pack to accompany the book and documentary has been created in conjunction with Mulberry School for girls, a comprehensive in Tower Hamlets, London. The purpose of the resources is two-fold: to encourage students to engage with the stories, and the wider social issues to which those stories connect; and to enable students to find in these women’s stories resources that will help them on their own journeys to success.

“At Mulberry, we see first-hand the positive impact that role models have on the lives of young people, and especially young women. Positive role models - especially when they reflect the breadth and diversity of young people’s aspirations, experiences and backgrounds - are hugely important in encouraging young people to strive for success, and helping to instil in them the confidence that they can be successful,” says Dr Vanessa Ogden, headteacher at the school.

Although some teachers may be uncomfortable promoting untypical role models such as an underwear model (for the record, Kloss is also a champion for girls coding and has set up a scholarship named Kode with Karlie for young girls interested in computer science and software engineering, as well as being one of the world’s most successful models), Ogden says the diversity of the interviewees - who also include actress Meryl Streep and peace activist Leymah Gbowee - is key as women should be able to aspire to many different interpretations of what ‘success’ looks like. 

”The Female Lead book and documentary series is a rich resource for schools: this work provides access to a range of inspirational female role models, from every walk of life and field of work, chosen with immense care,” Dunn says.

The creators suggest using the resource in PSHE lessons. Members of the public can nominate a school to receive a free copy of the book at thefemalelead.com/order-the-book 

Want to keep up with the latest education news and opinion? Follow TES on Twitter and like TES on Facebook