Metrowest Women's Fund Awards New Girls' Mental Health Impact Grant

Innovative New Grant on Girls' Mental Health from the Metrowest Women's Fund

The Metrowest Women's Fund announces a Girls' Mental Health Grant in support of a program for Metrowest middle school girls to improve mental well-being on social media. This exciting new grant will support the expansion of a free digital well-being and STEM summer workshop for middle school girls in Metrowest from low incomes. The program focuses on improving healthy digital relationships that will promote positive self-image and healthy habits. The workshop is designed and run by the Youth, Media & Wellbeing Lab at Wellesley Centers for Women.

"Girls' mental health is of significant concern," states Rebecca Parkhill, Co-Founder of the Metrowest Women's Fund. "The constant presence of social media in the lives of middle school girls raises questions about its impact on mental health. We chose to support this project as it uniquely addresses the critical needs of middle school girls by providing social and emotional learning in conjunction with project-based collaboration skills and STEM career exploration."

The Lab, led by Dr. Linda Charmaraman, studies a breadth of issues related to youth, the media in which they are immersed, and implications for social, emotional, academic, and physical well-being. The Lab is well-positioned to attend to the unique needs of girls during a critical developmental and transitional period in their lives, including their first smartphones, their introduction to social media, and their independence from caregivers.  

"The Metrowest Women’s Fund, in partnership with the Center for Social Research at Framingham State University, conducted a Needs Assessment of Middle School Girls: Metrowest. Girls’ mental health was identified as a priority concern,” adds Rachel Sagan, Co-Founder. “The report raises questions about the effects of social media on girls’ lives.” 

Maximizing Our Impact

The Metrowest Women's Fund grant of $25,000 will be fully matched by the Wellesley Centers for Women.  

The Metrowest Women’s Fund invests in women and girls through education, community building, grantmaking, and strategic partnerships. Our mission is to identify the needs of women and girls in the Metrowest and raise resources to meet those needs. This Impact Grant is awarded in addition to the annual grants program for non-profits serving women and girls in Metrowest.