Why girls & gender non-conforming kids?
We are out of balance.
In America, we are experiencing unbearable levels of disconnection, disengagement and distrust in our schools, workplaces, civic institutions, and neighborhoods. We lack skills to bridge our differences, listen to one another, share opinions in respectful ways, empathize, and work together to solve problems.
All of our communities are suffering from a serious compassion deficit. And this compassion deficit is taking its toll on our girls especially. School-aged girls as young as kindergarten are participating in multiple behaviors associated with bullying and relational aggression among girls and between girls and boys. In fact, 32% of girls ages 8-17 say that their number one concern is being teased, judged, or made fun of. And 56% of all students have witnessed a bullying crime take place at school.
And this compassion decifit is turned inward on our girls as well. The emotional life of girls is rich and complex. We know from research on emotional intelligence that, when girls are unable to label, manage and regulate feelings – especially those feelings associated with challenge and conflict – they suffer from anxiety, depression, and other mood disorders that seriously impede their development.
It has been said that a society must be measured by how it treats its most vulnerable citizens. When we stand by and allow our young girls to suffer violence and self-hatred, we all suffer.
Our Hope
for your Daughter
We work with girls to give them the skills they need to love and respect themselves, to keep themselves safe, to be more empathetic, and to make bold and brave choices in their lives. We work with girls because we believe that girls are the superheroes who will lead the world in a compassion revolution.
The lyrics of the Go Girls! theme song are “I’m not a mean girl. I’m not a good girl. I am a Go Girl!” We do this work because we hope your daughter knows that, no matter what she feels or what mistakes she makes, she is just right just as she is. We hope that your daughter will forever dare to be just who she is no matter what limits others try to put on her.
We hope that she can face and accept any new challenge, no matter how difficult, and find the courage keep going. And we hope that your daughter knows that she has the magic and power inside of her to work with other girls (and boys) to create the peaceful & powerful world we all want to live in.