BE YOU, BOLDLY!
Join hundreds of middle schoolers for our youth-powered conferences packed with real talk, leadership, and a little rebellion. You’ll leave with new ideas, new friends, and a whole lot of confidence. Did we mention a dance party?
Coming to Augusta, Bangor, & Portland in March 2026!
Conference History
In 1998, Hardy Girls hosted the first annual Girls Rock! Conference – an opportunity for girls of all ages to come together to meet one another, be inspired, learn media literacy skills, and think critically about messages they get about body image and relationships. Participants also had opportunities to create their own media. In its second year, Girls Rock! brought even more youth from the greater Waterville area together to experience coalition, violence prevention, critical thinking, and ways to create the world they want for all girls and nonbinary youth.
Spring Conferences
Our conferences support 5th-8th grade girls and nonbinary youth, and they’re entirely planned and run by the high schoolers on the Feminist Action Board (FAB). FAB members self-select topics that are relevant to Maine girls and nonbinary youth, and spend several months developing content for the workshops they lead. In addition to workshops and presentations, attendees gain valuable skills at our action spot stations, and are given the opportunity to connect and build coalition. It’s a great opportunity for the younger attendees to learn from, and be inspired by, the teens who are making positive contributions in their schools and communities. Conferences are fun-filled days of learning, sharing, growing, and youth-powered activism!
Spring Conferences 2025 were held with generous support from these sponsors:
Please click here for 2026 sponsorship opportunities.
how you can help!To make the conferences as accessible as possible, we rely on donors and sponsors to supplement ticket costs. Please email us for more information about donation and sponsorship opportunities.
Bring girls to the conferences! Adults who accompany girls to the conferences are welcome to join professional development sessions while the youth participants are in their workshops. Past topics have included self-care, “Moving Beyond Mean Girls,” and Cultivating Hardiness Zones.
If you belong to a local organization that promotes activism, consider setting up an “action spot” at one of more of our conferences. Action spots offer attendees opportunities to practice taking action (e.g. writing letters to government officials; designing awareness-raising buttons & signs; and learning about community initiatives). Please email our Program Director at kathy@hardygirls.org if you’d like to host an action spot!