Ages 13-15

In this age group, the average teenage girl becomes less communicative and more emotional as she enters her teen years. She also undergoes a plethora of physical and hormonal changes, including fuller breasts and wider hips, as she begins to enter the first phase of womanhood. Unfortunately, Black girls and gender-expansive youth have to contend with and overcome the implicit bias that others have about Black girls while navigating new teenage experiences. Due to the stereotype of Black women being hyper-sexual, her newly developed body has exposed her to unwanted sexual comments and advances from peers and men twice her age. Black girls are expected to find equilibrium in behaving like children and being responsible like an adult woman.

We've created this program to target the issues that are unique to Black girls, such as challenges at school due to teachers' perceptions about the abilities and attitudes of Black girls, while balancing their internal conflict of how to respond when encountering hurdles. Newly emerging friendships and social constructs that develop at this age often develop into cliques that at times are fueled with gossip and the emergence of 'mean girls' and other forms of bullying. From a cultural perspective, often African-American children who return home with bullying stories are traditionally not met with sympathy; instead, they are often advised to return and defend themselves against the perpetrator. Black boys are encouraged to engage in physical confrontations. Whereas in contrast, Black girls and non-binary youth must grapple with multiple forms of bullying, which includes the practice of gossip (though not solely unique to girls). Girls at this age are more likely to employ this type of behavior towards each other. Therefore Black girls are also expected to be impervious to gossip and the negative impact of gossip while also displaying strength and dominance. By balancing the head and the heart, balance is designed to help students this age learn how to cope with being a teenager without the added expectation of adult responsibility.