Aloha,
The numbers are staggering and heartbreaking: 85% of girls from low-income families on Maui are at risk for teenage pregnancy. Nationally, nearly 3 in 5 (57%) U.S. teen girls felt persistently sad or hopeless in 2021-a nearly 60% increase over the past decade, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
In Hawai‘i, the situation is just as concerning. Over one-third of public high school students reported feeling sad or hopeless for weeks at a time, and in Maui County, 14.1% of teens reported being bullied. These statistics highlight the critical challenges facing teenage girls today-challenges that threaten their mental health, emotional resilience, and future...