The Denton County DreamLab has a podcast and media studio, hands-on STEM and cooking space and badgework areas for all girls across Northeast Texas. (Photo courtesy of GSNETX)
The Girl Scouts are tackling mental health, self-esteem and career concerns among teen girls and young adults across Texas.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, mental health issues among teens have been on the rise since at least 2012. Feelings of sadness, depression and despair are higher among young girls than boys.
Jennifer Bartkowski, CEO of Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas, said symptoms increased following the Covid-19 pandemic, with 78% of girls saying they feel like they are going to explode.
“Given all the pressures they’re facing from social media, AI, school – all the things that are coming at them,” Bartkowski observed. “It is a different generation, this generation is and we have to create a space and an environment for girls to build their confidence so they can make the best decisions for themselves.”
The organization recently opened one of its new DreamLabs in Denton County in Northeast Texas. Girls do not have to be a Girl Scout to participate in activities at the facility. The organization supports girls across 32 Northeast Texas counties.
Organizations helping women and girls receive less than 2% in donations from charitable organizations each year. Bartkowski noted DreamLab offers girls an opportunity to explore careers and be their authentic self.
“Girls can walk in and have hands-on experiences in STEM, there’s a podcast studio, there’s crafts,” Bartkowski outlined. “There are all kinds of activities that are going to give girls a platform to use their voice as well as opportunities to explore their future and to build confidence.”
She added DreamLabs are the culmination of four years of work aimed at reaching more girls in different communities. Additional facilities will be opening in Dallas County and East Texas next year.
“Girls’ confidence peeks at about the age of 9 and it doesn’t recover for a long time,” Bartkowski emphasized. “We’ve never seen confidence as low as it for girls in the last couple of decades, right now. So, this is a crisis moment, I believe it is a moment where girls also are struggling to find a place of community and a place of belonging.”
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