Because When it Comes to Girls’ Mental Health...Connection is Key
May is Mental Health Awareness month…and next gen girls are painfully aware.
Aware of the February 2023 CDC report that noted a dramatic increase in the number of girls feeling persistently hopeless or sad.
Aware of the growing need to find mental wellness strategies that are working…and share them.
Aware that now more than ever - connection is key.
Être is listening, aware and wanted to act.
Listening to our girls across the globe as they shared action items that have been working for them – think podcasts and playlists, meditation apps and mental health mentors, role models, resources, and morning routines – we thought to ourselves: this conversation ought to be bigger.
What if girls everywhere could share fresh resources with each other and bring them back to their classmates and cohorts? What if and why not?
So Être established a youth-led coalition, with representatives from national and global girls' organizations to meet quarterly for discussions about the state of girls' mental health and specific strategies that are working right now. In addition, as Être proudly features content from The Jed Foundation (JED) on our website and has seen firsthand the impact campaigns like #seizetheawkward can have, JED role models and resources will be spotlit in every session.
Who joined the coalition? Think teens from…
Girls Inc., Girls Who Code, Girl Scouts of the USA, Play Like a Girl!®, Brown STEM Girl, Girls Write Now and Girl Up, United Nations Foundation. We’re combining forces to see - and enact - what’s working for girls today.
Can quarterly convos roll back the stats we’re seeing from the CDC?
Probably not.
But whether it's talking with therapists, peers or school counselors, finding strength through community projects, writing or coding clubs, or playing sports, video games or a particular playlist, we think girls from diverse backgrounds sharing fresh resources and exchanging approaches to mental wellness is a good place to start.
And the right space to support all year.
Stay tuned for more coalition updates as girls focused on mental wellness join hands and exchange links from across the globe.
Because right now, perhaps more than ever, connection is key.
Être doesn’t have all the answers. But together with peer groups and alongside mental health mentors, we’re ready to find them.
Looking forward,
Illana
ÊXTRAS: Three key resources from JED we’re loving this May: JED’s Mental Health Awareness Month landing page, how to use activism as self-care, and ways to get serious about having fun.
