Montgomery County Public Schools is hosting their second Girls Summit this weekend which will offer education, resources and activities centered around young women’s health.
The first summit was held in October of last year after a CDC report revealed teen girls reported symptoms of depression rates at twice that of their male peers, and increased levels of being victims of violence.
Aisha Mbowe, a spokesperson for MCPS, said that event drew close to 1,000 people attending and because of the response, the district decided to hold a second one.
“It’s to bridge that gap,” said Mbowe. “And the goal is solely to raise awareness, foster a discussion, build some of those skills, and really develop that community around health issues that are impacting girls and women. So some of these tips that are being shared at the … panel discussion or the workshop is not just for the teens in the room, but also their caregivers.”
The summit will provide informative workshops geared towards middle and high school girls on a variety of current topics, giving them a chance to network, participate in fun activities and learn valuable skills.
The event is in collaboration with several county agencies, such as the Department of Health and Human Services, and the White House Black Market retail company that will also present a fashion show celebrating diverse body types.
“We know that this is something that exists within our kids as well when it comes to these … symptoms of depression that are being responded to,” said Mbowe.” We really wanted to foster the discussion as a county, which is why we pulled in so many county partners to really help build those skills and have that open conversation.”
The event is on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at North Wood High School.
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