Project 1 in 6

BIO Girls is on a mission to improve the self-esteem in adolescent girls through empowerment of self and service to others. While our program’s growth continues organically in the states we reside in, we have narrowed in on a specific goal for targeted growth in the coming years. In 2021, we set our boldest goal to date:

BIO Girls will reach 1 in 6 North Dakota girls annually by 2025.

This equates to 3,500 girls going through BIO Girls each year in North Dakota.

2023

✔ Devils Lake, nd

✔ Dickinson, ND

✔ Hillsboro, ND

✔ Valley City, ND

✔ Williston, ND

✔ Rugby, ND

2024

✔ Steele, ND

✔ Bottineau, ND

Washburn, ND

Stanley, ND

Cando, ND

Harvey, ND

2025

Wyndemere, ND

Langdon, ND

Hettinger, ND

Watford City, ND

Larimore, ND

BIO Girls serves girls grades 2-6 and is proven to increase the self-esteem & body-esteem of participants. Research indicates 62% of girls suffer from low self-esteem. Self-esteem is the opinion you have of yourself. Low self-esteem? That means you feel unhappy or unsatisfied with yourself most of the time & is one of the strongest predictors of behavioral & emotional problems (Leary et al., 1995), such as depression and anxiety.

Why girls?

According to the 2021 North Dakota Youth Risk Behavior Survey, girls are struggling with their mental health & other indicators tied to low self-esteem.

• Report feeling sad or hopeless every day for more than two weeks so they stopped doing their usual activities:

  • 35.8% of middle school girls (vs. 17.2% of boys)

  • 40.8% of high school girls report (vs. 20.3% of boys)

• Report having serious suicidal thoughts:

  • 29.5% of middle school girls (vs. 15.2% of boys)

  • 25.5% of high school girls (vs. 15.2% & 11.9% of boys)

• State their mental health is not good:

  • 67.7% of middle school girls (vs. 44.1% of boys)

  • 75.7% of high school girls state (vs. 47% of boys)

Why North Dakota girls?

Those with low self-esteem are 75% more likely to engage in destructive behaviors such as suicide, eating disorders, risky sexual behavior & substance abuse. Looking at that same survey, in North Dakota, the numbers point to a crisis amongst adolescent girls.

North Dakota girls:

• Are having serious suicidal thoughts:

  • 29.5% of middle school girls; 25.5% of high school girls

  • 1 in 7 North Dakota girls has attempted suicide

• Are abusing substances at an early age:

  • Smoking: 12.2% of middle school girls; 29.3% of high school girls

  • Vaping: 20.7% of middle school girls; 53.9% of high school girls

  • Alcohol: 21.1% of middle school girls; 29% of high school girls

  • Marijuana: 28% of high school girls

• Have unhealthy body esteem:

  • 52.2% of middle school girls; 57.8% of high school girls trying to lose weight

  • 27.3% of high school girls use extreme dieting methods

• Are sexually active at the same rate as boys, but are 3 times as likely to experience sexual violence

Why BIO Girls?

BIO Girls is proven through independent research to significantly increase the self-esteem in adolescent girls. 7 in 10 participants have reported a significant increase in self-esteem, along with other key findings, such as girls scoring significantly higher on “being proud of their bodies” from pre-season to post-season. Read our full outcome-based research report for more.

BIO Girls isn’t a ‘nice to have’, it’s a ‘need to have’.

With your help? We can begin to reverse these statistics. 1,000s of girls can continue to discover their beauty comes from within.

How you can Help:

Now you understand the importance of the BIO Girls mission. We invite you to take action.

1. We are actively seeking volunteers in these key communities. Each location will need:

   • 2 Volunteer Site Directors: Apply

   • 10 Volunteer Mentors: Apply

2. Share the GREAT news with friends and family in these cities!

3. Join our next Virtual Lunch & Learn to learn more about our program and getting involved with BIO Girls: Register