Girls on the Brink: Raising Emotionally Healthy Girls

Our girls are simply not okay. 1 in 3 adolescent girls now reports symptoms of major depression. Rates of anxiety are twice as high in girls as they are in boys and young men. Rates of suicide attempts rose 51 percent among girls in the past year alone, compared to 4 percent in boys. But until recently we haven’t had the science to explain why this is happening—and why it is happening now.

At last, we have a roadmap to help, as the latest findings in neuroscience and behavioral health offer surprising and valuable new insights. In this lecture, Donna Jackson Nakazawa, author of Girls on the Brink, deftly braids together the latest research with compelling anecdotes to offer a clear-eyed picture of what’s preventing adolescent girls from thriving.

Lastly, Donna answers the question that all parents, teachers, and practitioners want to know: What can we do to help? Donna lays out 15 science-backed “antidote” strategies, including insights, tips, and scripts to use in difficult moments. This illuminating talk provides a new playbook for how we—parents, families, and communities—can ensure a healthy emotional life for all of our girls, as well as for our children of all genders.

The Our Daughters, Our Future mental health speaker series is sponsored with the generous support of The Miriam Fund of Boston’s Combined Jewish Philanthropies. The Miriam Fund is a philanthropic community committed to creating an equitable world that expands opportunities for women and girls. However, individual webinars in the series touch upon the experiences of girls, boys, and non-binary individuals, and parents and educators of teens of all genders are welcome and encouraged to attend.