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Cultivating Girls’ Resilience

Kathy Weston has over 15 years experience as a social researcher with a particular interest in parenting, education and family life. She currently works as a motivational speaker and is passionate about bridging the gap between academic research and parenting.

The number of out-of-school girls worldwide has dropped by 79 million in the last 20 years (UNICEF, 2020). Yet, as access to education improves around the world for girls and young women, we have another fight on our hands. There is a pressing need to recognise girls’ resilience, sustain it and ensure that optimal conditions exist for girls to thrive emotionally, academically and in the digital world. We know that girls are generally less resilient than boys, and that their mental and emotional wellbeing is declining, with suicide the second leading cause of death among adolescent girls aged 15-19 worldwide (UNICEF).

In the UK, 30% of 15 year old girls experience high levels of emotional difficulties, as opposed to 18% of boys, and for girls, unlike boys, emotional problems increase with age (HBSC, 2020). Teen girls are struggling with their body image (only 49% of 15 year old girls think that their body is ‘about the right size’), rising anxiety, perfectionism and the unique challenges that come with access to social media (OFCOM, 2020). They worry more than boys, and can struggle to communicate with parents, particularly with fathers. 50% of girls feel significant academic pressure (only 30% of boys feel the same) and girls are less likely to enjoy school. Girls also engage in fewer behaviours that promote health. There appear to be universal challenges associated with moving from girl to womanhood in the 21st Century.

Part and parcel of any educational programme worldwide, should be a focus on resilience. What does it mean to be resilient? It means being a ‘thinking scientist’ and staying curious. It means remaining flexible and open to others’ perspectives. It means not repeating things that you know don’t work, reframing challenge as opportunity and maintaining a sense of optimism, humour and hope about the future.

Cultivating positivity may seem challenging given the contexts that some young women find themselves in, but we need to aim high. All young people should understand that there is a proactive component in resilience. We decide if we are resilient; paying careful note to the times when we demonstrated it by overcoming difficulties and barriers.

Agency is important when cultivating resilience. Young women don’t need other people to fix or mollycoddle them. They need to know that they have personal power and should strive to reach the multiple options, choices and opportunities available to them. Our role is to create pathways which enable them to do this. We must ensure that they are conscious of the family and community values that can psychologically anchor them, give them access to positive role models, give effective praise when they demonstrate resilience and provide them with opportunities to experience intellectual and physical challenge. Girls also need to be conscious of the threats to their own personal resilience. Self-awareness is key and should be facilitated by as supportive a network as possible. Behind every resilient girl, is someone saying “I believe in you, now give it a go!”.

From Engage issue 20.

DR KATHY WESTON • October 13, 2021
By Ann Beatty March 28, 2025
Spring is definitely here, daffodils, blossom and crocuses are all basking in the bright sunshine. There is still a chill in the air in the shade but it's happening and all the seeds that were sown over the last few months are coming to fruition. At the Foundation, we have been planning the year ahead and our Positive Periods and Prevention of Gender Based Violence programmes got underway this weekend in Haiti and Ghana. These projects will have a long-lasting effect on the lives of the women and girls who take part: tackling the root causes of gender-based violence and enabling girls to attend school every day when they have their period, to feel safe at school and know how to take action when they are faced with violence. These are the first of many projects planned for the year ahead as we continue to work towards Education for All children everywhere.
By Hannah Frisch March 7, 2025
The outlook for the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG4) on global education is far from rosy. But a gloomy future isn’t inevitable. Disappointing statistics are the result of political choices that can be shifted and there are thousands of youth, grassroots activists and civil society organisations across the UK advocating for global education to make these changes. We need more people involved to build the momentum, we need to make a difference in challenging circumstances. You can help! Here’s how; Making global education a UK priority The UK is an important donor and champion for global education. However, education has been gradually deprioritised on the development agenda. Global education spending has plummeted from 13.5% of Official Development Assistance (ODA) in 2013 to just 3.5% in 2023, and education was one of the sectors hit hardest by the abandonment of the 0.7% gross national income (GNI) target for ODA. With Labour’s annual budget confirming another reduction in the aid budget, funding for global education is under threat of being cut even further unless we stand together to say this can’t happen. While education is a domestic priority for the new Government, it has yet to emerge as a strong theme in their development agenda. As the Labour Party continues to develop their approach there is a unique opportunity for advocates to connect these dots and make the case for why education must be a key part of the Government’s international plans. For the Government to take action it needs to hear demand for change. There are many issues MPs recognise are important, but if they do not hear about these issues from constituents it can be hard for MPs to be vocal about them in Parliament. Following an election where many parliamentary seats were won with tight margins, MPs need to hear from the people they represent that global education must be on their agenda. With over half of MPs elected for the first time this year, many are actively looking for a steer on what issues to work on. We can give them one! How to Get Involved Write to your MP about why global education needs to be a bigger priority for the UK Government and encourage members of groups you are a part of, such as your union branch or a local community group, to do the same. This can have a real impact on your MP’s interest and ability to act for global education. You can also connect with other grassroots activists and get resources for taking action from international development advocacy organisations like Results UK. You can learn more about Results UK’s grassroots network on our website. If you are a teacher, get your school involved in the Send My Friend to School Campaign (SMF). Send My Friend is a UK civil society coalition advocating for SDG4 which supports a mass UK schools campaign to amplify student voices calling for universal quality education in solidarity with their peers around the world. Free campaign packs are available on the SMF website for primary and secondary levels with everything teachers need to run the campaign in their school. Parliamentarians can learn more about education issues and how to act by joining the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Global Education, a cross-party group that brings together Parliamentarians interested in the right to education and provides them with knowledge and resources to be champions of the issue. By joining our voices through collective action, we can make a real difference in moving the needle on this issue. Together we have a chance to rechart the course for the realisation of quality education for all. BIOGRAPHY Hannah Frisch is the Senior Policy and Parliamentary Advocacy Officer for Education at Results UK and a Co-Chair of the Send My Friend to School Policy and Parliamentary Working Group. She is a policy advisor for the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Global Education in the UK Parliament.
By Melanie Lavery March 3, 2025
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