About Us

Hardy Girls is a Maine-based, research-driven nonprofit. Established in 2000, we partner with girls and nonbinary youth to ignite curiosity, promote thinking critically, build coalitions, and challenge the status quo. We believe in changing the culture, not fixing the young person. Hardy Girls works with 1,200+ girls and nonbinary youth annually through year-round, statewide programs.

Since day one, Hardy Girls programming, resources and services have been powered by the latest research in girls’ development. Much of that research comes from the work of Hardy Girls co-founder, Lyn Mikel Brown. Read Dr. Brown’s keynote address: Cultivating Hardiness Zones for Adolescent Girls and learn more about the research that was used as the guiding principles to help found this organization.