I talked to high schoolers, Amina Saho and Nikita Goyal, about the data. Both are members of the Girl Scouts of Central and Southern New Jersey and already leaders, with the patches and badges to prove it.
Amina earned one that says, "Resilient, Ready, Strong." She earned it by completing a Girl Scouts session on mental health, a major issue for girls, facing increased pressure in school and on social media.
Nikita tells me, "You're constantly comparing yourself to other students, to other people, whether it's appearances or capability."
Nikita says that leads to negative feelings "that make you feel more insecure or make students feel like they have to be someone they're not."
Other challenges include the consequences of COVID isolation, changing dynamics among friends, and transitions in school.
Amina tells me, "I believe it's that feeling of uncertainty so not really knowing what's going to happen, how things are going to change."
A new New Jersey report called Her Future in Focus, commissioned by the Girl Scouts, reveals:
1 in 2 high school girls report signs of depression
1 in 4 middle school girls use a controlled substance
1 in 6 high school girls has experienced sexual violence
1 in 4 middle school girls is the target of cyberbullying
According to Ginny Hill, the CEO of Girl Scouts of Central and Southern New Jersey, "28 percent of girls also report that they don't feel as though adults are stepping in and helping them when they're challenged."
Ginny says it shines a light on the importance of connecting girls with peers and mentors, and providing sisterhood in a safe space.
Hill tells me, "Over 85 percent of girls say that their Girl Scout troop leader is a champion for them and for their success."
Amina adds, "Girl Scouts has helped me prioritize my mental health in so many ways. It gives me options of things that I can do to relieve the stress or anxiety that I'm feeling. So if I just need to talk to someone, I know that I could go to a Girl Scout meeting."
Ginny says the report is a call to action "and we want people to download the report to read the information, to really think about the girls and their lives and whether those girls.
Certainly, we'd love them all to become Girl Scouts, but there are other organizations, too, where girls can benefit.
Both girls tell me that serving others has instilled a sense of purpose and value in themselves.
Nikia shares, "I think the biggest thing that Girl Scouts ever gave me was confidence." She says that confidence was built by playing music for seniors and running a reading camp for elementary students. Amina started a yearly food drive and says, "That just gave me an extra sense of community and seeing that the actions that I make can really affect people's lives."
Nikita adds that her work "really showed me that I, even though I'm one person, I can really build this team that can help us make the world a better place."
Nikita also says she's taken proactive steps to improve mental health by doing things like removing Snapchat from her phone.
She feels Snapchat, even more than other apps, requires constant attention and response. She says without it, she's better able to focus on her own growth and her mission to help others.