Girls Arise!
Ages 10-14 Years
A school-based program to improve negotiation in young girls
Implementation Guide
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The Girls Arise! program is a behavioural and negotiation-based intervention designed to empower teenage girls while navigating health and education decisions with authority figures. Using a structured curriculum, girls learn how to communicate with parents, teachers, and partners through four core principles: understanding their own needs (Me), recognising others’ perspectives (You), identifying shared interests (Together), and creating win-win outcomes (Build).
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Evaluations show that participants were less likely to experience early pregnancy and more likely to stay in school, particularly those with strong aspirations. Girls also reported greater confidence in making decisions about their education and relationships, along with improved communication with parents and partners. Importantly, the program also supported girls’ mental well-being by helping them feel more in control of their future and less anxious about social pressures.
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The program drives change through two key pathways: psychological empowerment and interpersonal skill-building. By helping girls reflect on their future goals, the program strengthens self-worth, clarity, and a sense of control - protective factors for mental health. At the same time, it builds communication and negotiation skills, enabling girls to navigate decisions with parents, teachers, and partners more confidently. Together, these tools boost agency, reduce anxiety, and support safer, goal-aligned choices in both education and relationships.
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The Girls Arise! program evaluation found no evidence of adverse effects on mental health or well-being. Two design features that help mitigate risk include supportive teacher facilitation and a focus on shared understanding.
Minimum Must-Dos
Target Grade 8 girls
Intervene just before key transition years when girls are most at risk of dropout or early pregnancy.Run weekly sessions for at least one academic year
Consistent, low-dose engagement (around 1 hour/week) is essential to build trust, allow reflection, and reinforce skills over time.Train female teachers as facilitators
Invest in teacher training—not just in content, but in supportive, non-judgmental facilitation to create a safe, empowering space.Use interactive, culturally relevant materials
Exercises must be adapted to the local context and delivered through stories, journaling, and discussion, not lectures.Ensure psychological safety
Create a consistent, private, and respectful group environment where girls feel safe to share, reflect, and explore difficult topics.
What happens when we teach young girls negotiation skills?
Corrine Low describes how the Girls Arise! Negotiation skills training programme in Zambia empowered girls to make better decisions about their health and education.
The full curriculum is made available by Harvard Business Publishing Education.
Evidence Base
Building non-cognitive skills in adolescent girls positively affects mental health outcomes (Ashraf et al., 2019; Kautz et al., 2014). The Girls Arise! program is a curriculum that teaches adolescent girls to negotiate with people in authority in their lives. The randomised evaluation of the study found that girls who were taught negotiation skills had better health and education outcomes several months after the intervention, including improved school attendance, national test scores, and reduced pregnancy rates before 11th grade (Ashraf et al., 2019). The program has been scaled up in all schools in Zambia by the Ministry of Education.