Are your girls struggling through the holiday season? Have the social isolation and loneliness of 2020 hit your family hard?
One side-effect of social distancing can be a failure to make and maintain outside relationships. Studies show that these personal relationships, people known as "confidants" in the lives of each of us, can be what makes a difference in a child's resilience to the challenges of everyday life. Under normal circumstances, kids have the opportunity to develop relationships with confidants at school, during after-school activities, and at family functions. But this year, many of those social connections have been cut or frayed.
Beyond the weirdness that is 2020, it's important to keep in mind that the holidays are traditionally a tough time for many, especially teens and pre-teens. No parent wants to find out too late that their child was struggling. One local mom, Samantha DeGrasse, is taking steps to provide local support for local kids--on their own terms.
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DeGrasse created Build Her a Bridge in response to the real-life struggles she saw her own teen and her friends dealing with. The program has put together innovative ways to connect with the needs of teens in the area, and this holiday season is focused on directly touching the lives of girls who are struggling or who would benefit from an outside role model and friend.
The new counseling and mentoring program is focused on teen girls twelve and up. They have partnered with four counselors. Build Her a Bridge will pay for the counseling sessions. Email buildherabridge@gmail.com to set up a counselor for your teen girl or to start a conversation about the process.
The mentoring program has seven women mentors lined up for a 12 month mentoring program. You can initiate registration for your teen through the email above.
Not sure that your teen or pre-teen girl needs counseling or mentoring? Talk to them and see what they think! You can always start the discussion by asking whether they or their friends know any girls who could use this social connection. Whether they've noticed that they don't have as many opportunities to bond with trusted adults outside their family this year. This will naturally lead to a discussion of how 2020 has impacted you and your family, and give your daughter a chance to open up about her own feelings. Maybe she and a friend can both participate to support each other. The service is free, and gives a great opportunity to model positive self-awareness.
