International Day of the Girl | October 11
Think about a middle school girl you know. Maybe she’s your daughter, a student in your classroom, an athlete on your team, or a young girl in your neighborhood.
She’s curious about the world, discovering what she enjoys, and beginning to imagine who she might become. She has questions about her future, even if she doesn’t always know how to ask them.
But she’s also paying attention to the world around her. She’s noticing who gets encouraged to speak, whose ideas are taken seriously, and which opportunities seem open to someone like her.
At an age when so much of her identity is still taking shape, the people and experiences around her can make a lasting difference.
This International Day of the Girl, we want to ask a question that deserves more than one day of attention: Are we giving girls what they need to become who they are capable of becoming?
Why These Years Matter
Middle school should be a time of discovery, but for many girls, it becomes a time of doubt.
According to the Women’s Sports Foundation, by age 14, girls drop out of sports at twice the rate of boys. Behind that statistic are girls who may have once loved playing, competing, and being part of a team, but who face barriers that make it harder to continue.
For some, it’s the cost of participation or a lack of transportation. For others, it’s social pressure, limited opportunities, or the feeling that they no longer belong.
And while sports are only one part of a girl’s life, the experiences she has during these years can influence how she approaches challenges elsewhere.
When a girl begins to question whether she belongs on a team, in a classroom, or in a space where she doesn’t see anyone like herself, she may also begin to question what she’s capable of achieving.
The problem isn’t that girls have stopped being capable. It’s that too many are growing up without consistent opportunities to discover just how capable they are.
We have an opportunity to change that before girls begin counting themselves out.
Every Girl Needs Someone in Her Corner
Think back to someone who believed in you before you fully believed in yourself. Maybe it was a teacher who recognized a strength you hadn’t noticed, a coach who encouraged you to keep going, or someone who introduced you to an opportunity you didn’t know existed.
You may not remember every word they said, but you probably remember how they made you feel.
Girls need those same experiences today.
They need adults who listen to their ideas, encourage their curiosity, and remind them that making mistakes is part of learning. They need opportunities to try new things without feeling pressured to be perfect, and they need women who can show them what life might look like beyond the experiences they already know.
At Play Like a Girl, we’ve spent more than two decades creating opportunities for girls to build confidence, connection, and career readiness through sports, mentorship, and STEM experiences.
We’ve learned that telling a girl she can do anything is only the beginning. What matters just as much is giving her opportunities to discover that for herself.
That might happen when she leads her team through a difficult challenge, solves a problem she initially thought was too hard, or meets a woman whose career introduces her to a future she had never imagined.
When a girl meets an engineer, entrepreneur, scientist, or business leader and hears about the challenges that woman overcame, those careers can begin to feel less distant. When she visits a workplace, asks questions, or tries something hands-on, she gains a clearer picture of what those possibilities might mean for her own life.
These moments may seem ordinary to the adults creating them, but they can become the experiences a girl carries with her for years.
You Can Be Part of Her Story
Supporting a girl doesn’t always require a formal program, a special occasion, or a grand gesture. Sometimes, it begins with paying closer attention to the girls already in our lives.
Ask her what she’s interested in, and give her the space to answer without deciding what she should pursue. Notice when she works through something difficult, and tell her what you admire about her effort. Show up for the game, presentation, or competition so she knows her accomplishments matter to someone else.
If she mentions an interest in science, technology, art, business, or anything unfamiliar to her, consider who you might introduce her to. Your everyday work, experiences, and connections may be exactly what helps her discover something new.
You don’t need to have all the answers to make a difference in a girl’s life. Sometimes, your willingness to listen, encourage, and open a door is enough to help her take the next step.
What Could You Put Her On To?
This International Day of the Girl, we celebrate the curiosity, courage, creativity, and potential of girls everywhere. We also recognize that celebrating girls means making sure they have meaningful opportunities to grow.
So, think about one girl in your life and ask yourself: What could I put her on to?
Maybe it’s a person who can answer her questions, a career she has never heard of, a new skill she’d love to learn, or an experience that helps her see herself differently.
What feels like a small introduction or simple act of encouragement to you could become a defining moment for her.
Because the goal isn’t to decide who a girl should become. It’s to make sure she has every opportunity to discover that for herself.
Help us create more of those moments. Become a Play Like a Girl mentor or volunteer and help girls build the confidence, connections, and experiences that can shape their futures.
Keep Reading
Explore more stories, tools, and ideas for supporting girls at iplaylikeagirl.org/stories.
- How to Build Confidence in Your Middle School Girl at Home and at School
- 10 Women in STEM Every Middle School Girl Should Know About
- How to Talk to Your Middle School Girl About Her Future Career
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