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.
An article related to this topic is How does Body Confidence Affect Online Learning in Today’s Pandemic?
DR KATHY WESTON • October 13, 2021
Mike Fleetham of Thinking Classroom has written a book " Headlines: Inspiration, humour and advice for school leaders ". A collection of original ideas, advice from professionals, quotes, and tips to support and inspire all leaders. Perfect for new and established leaders working in education, especially headteachers. "Being a headteacher is like looking both ways before you cross the road, and then getting hit by an aeroplane." To Enter the Competition To win a copy of Headlines please share your inspiring education or life lesson in no more than 600 words. The winning article will also be published in our next edition of Engage. Send your words of inspiration to admin@stevesinnottfoundation.org.uk 📅 Deadline: 5th September 2025 Stuck on Ideas? Here are some questions and prompts to get you started! What’s the one lesson school didn’t teach you, but life did? Think of a moment that changed your path, what happened? What piece of advice has helped you grow the most? When did a challenge turn into an opportunity for you? What story from your life would inspire someone on the other side of the world? What’s the life lesson that unlocked your next chapter? Your words could uplift, empower and be seen by many. Let your story inspire the world! 🌍💡 Good luck and we cant wait to read all the entries!
This week our CEO Ann and Jude (SSF Ambassador) visited schools in Coventry and heard about the wonderful work that students are doing to foster peace and community connection, as part of Coventry Arts Week. We visited Lyng Hall school in the morning and met with Ms Hagan and four of the schools UNESCO ASPnet ambassadors. They told us all about their recent project. The students took their art and poetry to the 80th Anniversary symposium in Ypres and Dunkirk. They shared with us some of the poetry they had written together with the students on the field trip and some of their own poems too. They also shared their future plans for working with their local primary school on peace and community. We also had the privilege of joining Ms Hagans class where they were looking at Caliban’s tale. Here is one of the students work
For my birthday this year I had the honour to walk 60 miles (yes it was a big 0 birthday) over 3 days to support the essential work of the Steve Sinnott Foundation of which I am CEO. Education in its many forms is essential for all of us to thrive and make the most of life's opportunities. The Foundation works to ensure that as many children and adults as possible across the globe can access the human right of education. The plan was to walk with friends and supporters who I hoped would keep me smiling along the way and it felt like a good way to make use of the Foundation’s “Get Moving” campaign. Here's how my Get Moving Fundraiser went on the first day. The 13th June I started my walk in London by walking from Barnet to west Hampstead and visiting my sister at her shop at Tree of Life where I got served a nice iced coffee to keep me going.
