Hardy Girls
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We take girls & nonbinary youth seriously! spring conferences - held annually each spring and open to students in grades 4-8.
Since day one, Hardy Girls programming, resources and services have been powered by the latest research in girls' development. Our programs include: the Feminist Action Board (FAB) - for students in grade 9-12; the Coalition Group and Muse Program - groups are for students in middle school and they're facilitated by Muses (college student volunteers) in colleges & universities across Maine; the Training Institute - customized educational workshops for students and youth-serving adults; Camp Brilliance - a week long arts & activism day camp held annually and offered to students in grades 5-8; and the Be You Boldly! Conferences are 1-day events and occur in 3 geographical locations across Maine. Girls & nonbinary youth are bombarded with images and messages conjured up by the media and other corporate giants in their quests to make money from girls’ insecurities and self-doubts. They experience cultural pressures to conform to an “ideal” image of thin, sexy, boy-crazy shoppers at far too young an age. The 3,000 media images they see on any given day paint a picture of an ideal girl no real young person can match up to. It’s no wonder that nearly 80% of pr***en girls are on some form of diet and that girls as young as eight years old feel enormous stress and pressure to be pretty, thin, accommodating, and popular. For far too many young people the pressure to measure up is too much and they turn to drugs, alcohol, eating disorders and self-harm to cope. At the same time, they are made to feel in competition with each other, more often than not, leading to girlfighting. The problem isn’t the girls; the problem is the messages they are getting from the culture. Among all these pressures, girls & nonbinary youth are rarely given the tools to deconstruct these messages or the opportunities to counteract the media. Hardy Girls provides programming that empowers girls & nonbinary youth, teaches them to be critical consumers of the culture, and gives them opportunities for community and social activism. Hardy Girls also works with adults to equip them with the skills and resources to create "hardiness zones" or safe & accessible spaces where young people can grow up equal, independent, and safe.
09/28/2026
🎟️✨ FEELING LUCKY?! ✨🎟️
We’re bringing the luck to our Wonder Event raffle! Your ticket could win you an incredible prize package featuring some of our amazing local business supporters:
☕️ Gift certificates to Wild Clover Café & Market
🧘♀️ A 5-class pack at Soul Revival
💐 A beautiful floral arrangement from The Robin’s Nest
💍 A piece of jewelry from The Wild Pine
🏨 A midweek 2-night stay + soak at Newcastle Inn & Waterstruck Wellness
Talk about a lucky night! 🍀💜
Join us for Wonder Event on October 9th from 7–9 PM at Colby College, celebrate with us, and grab your chance to win these incredible prizes!
🎟️ Get your tickets today using the link in our bio!
A HUGE thank you to these wonderful local businesses for supporting Hardy Girls and helping us make this event possible. 💜
09/24/2026
✨ Ever have a feeling you just couldn’t explain?
Join us for Wonder—an evening of intuition, laughter, mystery, and live readings with Bonnie Lee Gibson and Ernie VandenBossche.
Whether you’re a believer, a skeptic, or just in it for a unique night out, you’ll leave with stories to tell—and you’ll be helping empower girls and gender-expansive youth across Maine.
📅 October 9 | 7–9 PM
📍 Colby College, Cotter Union
Come for the mystery. Stay for the community. Leave inspired.
09/22/2026
☕️ Fancy coffee is only part of the job! Our FAB Co-Chairs are also busy welcoming new members, planning events, building community, and making FAB the place to be. ✨
Ready to be part of it? 💛 Apply to become a FAB member now at hardygirls.org!
09/18/2026
🔮 MEET BONNIE LEE & ERNIE ✨
Wondering what’s in store for Wonder: An Evening of Intuition & Empowerment? Meet the two incredible guests who will be bringing their unique gifts and perspectives to the evening!
✨ Ernie VandenBossche is a dedicated Spirit Medium & Clairvoyant who works with Spirit to guide, support, and help others along their personal journeys.
💫 Bonnie Lee Gibson uses her gifts of clairvoyance, clairaudience, and clairsentience to connect clients with loved ones and guides in the Spirit World — offering insight, healing, and peace of mind.
Together, Bonnie Lee and Ernie will create an evening filled with intuition, connection, reflection, and maybe a little bit of the unexpected. 👀🔮
Curious what they might have in store? Come experience Wonder for yourself!
📅 October 9 | 7–9 PM
🎟️ Tickets available through the link in our bio!
09/17/2026
🌸 BE YOU BOLDLY — SPRING CONFERENCE 2027! 🌸
Save the date! 💜 Join us March 26, 2027, at Colby College for a fun-filled day of learning, sharing, growing, and youth-powered activism!
Designed for 5th–8th grade girls and nonbinary youth, Be You Boldly is planned and led entirely by high school students on our Feminist Action Board (FAB). ✊✨
Throughout the year, FAB members choose topics that matter to Maine’s girls and nonbinary youth and spend months creating engaging workshops and presentations to share with younger attendees.
💡 Learn through youth-led workshops & presentations
📣 Take action at our interactive Action Spot stations
🤝 Build community and connect with others
🌱 Grow confidence, skills, and leadership
✨ Get inspired by teens making a difference in their schools and communities
It’s more than a conference — it’s a space where young people can find their voice, build coalition, and discover their power to create change.
📅 March 26, 2027
📍 Colby College
💜 Be You Boldly Spring Conference
Mark your calendars — we can’t wait to see you there! 🌸
09/15/2026
✨ We’re looking for sponsors! ✨
Join us in supporting Hardy Girls at Wonder: An Evening of Intuition & Empowerment — an unforgettable fundraiser featuring psychics Bonnie Lee Gibson and Ernie VandenBossche. 🔮💫
This special evening brings our community together for connection, inspiration, and a little bit of magic — all while supporting Hardy Girls’ mission to empower girls and gender-expansive youth. 💜
Want to be part of making this event possible? Become a sponsor! Your support helps us create an impactful evening while putting your organization in front of an engaged, community-minded audience. ✨
Reach out to learn more about sponsorship opportunities!
🎙️ Introducing HARDY VOICES!
We’re kicking off our brand-new series where our FAB members interview Maine feminists about the people, ideas, and experiences that shape their work.
For our very first episode, FAB member Abby sits down with Hardy Girls founder Karen Heck for a conversation about feminism, community, and the work of building a more just world. 💜
✨ Consider this your first taste of Hardy Voices. Episode 1 coming soon!
09/03/2026
HELLO INNOVATORS!!!! Our team is kicking off Year Two of our innovation challenge with the ! Together, our team will spend the next year building our creative muscles and innovating new ways to help teens communicate about gender and power.
This week in Denver we met the rest of our cohort, learned more about Human Centered Design, designed a mini-challenge to exercise our innovation muscles, and ate a ton of Denver’s excellent Mexican food. Stay tuned as our adventures unfold!
Yours in creativity-
Hardy Girls / Maine Boys to Men / Spencer Traylor (they’re page is new, give them a follow!!)
09/02/2026
✨ Hardy Girls is coming to the Bangor area—and we need Muses! ✨
We’re looking for passionate, creative, and community-minded students to join us as Muses! 💜
Are you a student at UMaine Orono or another college in the Bangor area? We want to hear from you!
As a Muse, you’ll have the opportunity to help amplify young people’s voices, challenge gender stereotypes, build community, and create positive change. 🌟 Muses also receive a stipend for participating in a 6-week session!
📣 We’re looking for Muses who are ready to get involved, speak up, and make a difference.
Interested in becoming a Muse? Go to HardyGirls.org/Muse to learn more!
08/25/2026
“Research-based” is more than a buzzword. It’s about listening to girls and nonbinary youth, taking their experiences seriously, and using research to better understand the pressures they face—and the power they have to challenge them. 💜
Swipe through to learn how Dr. Lyn Mikel Brown’s research helped shape the foundation of Hardy Girls and continues to inform our work today.
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1 Weston Court Suite 203A
Waterville, ME
04330
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