When Middle School Girls Hear the Truth, Change Happens

Middle school is a time of growth, when girls begin asking some of the bigger questions in life about who they are, where they belong, and their purpose. During a recent True Genius Virtual Event with Endow, women from across the country shared what happens when girls are given space to discover the truth about these heady issues and why it matters.

Accompanying girls in this discovery can be magical, especially when the girls are able to voice their “aha” moments from their encounters and experiences with other girls and the women who lead them.

That truth is echoed in testimonies. These stories trace how girls learn to recognize and then choose authentic relationships that form lasting bonds and inspire change in their lives.

“Finally, Someone Is Telling Me the Truth”

Riley, now a youth minister in Nebraska, encountered Defining Dignity, the first in this two-book series, as an eighth grader. Years later, she still remembers the moment clearly.

“There was a part of me that thought, ‘Finally, someone is telling me the truth,'” she shared. “I had been told so many things about who I was supposed to be and where my worth came from. And then I heard, ‘You have dignity just because you exist.’ That was really powerful for me.”

At the time, Riley was struggling and felt little hope for the future. While the study didn’t remove those struggles, it gave her hope to hold onto.

“It told me the truth about who I am and that God has a good plan for my life,” she said. “I carried that truth into high school, college, and even into my prayer life.”

Today, Riley is preparing to launch the same series in her own parish. She’s determined to “sit down with young girls and give them time, attention, and truth so they know they are seen and loved.”

Small Shifts That Matter

Emma, a middle school counselor at a Catholic school in Georgia, began leading True Genius groups midday during lunch and recess.

What she noticed was subtle change.

“The girls used to separate into little pockets,” she explained. “Now they sit at one long table. They listen to each other. They don’t divide the same way.”

Seventh grade, she noted, is often defined by insecurity and social comparison, which can challenge relationships. The group gave girls a shared language and a safe place to explore healthy boundaries.

“These are small shifts,” Emma said. “But they matter. You can see them becoming one group, not rivals.”

Her takeaway for other educators was simple. No matter how brief, once exposure to truth takes hold, girls want more.

School Culture Is Changing

For Suzy, a campus minister and mother, the journey began when her daughter asked to start a prayer and friendship group with friends. What followed surprised everyone.

Seventeen out of twenty girls invited said yes. Then two more groups spun off. In total, more than sixty middle school girls began walking through the True Genius series in homes and schools.

One of the clearest signs of change came from teachers.

“They said, ‘The seventh-grade girls are no longer catty,'” Suzy recalled. “They’re watching out for each other. The entire school culture is changing.”

A father later approached Suzy after Mass. “Because of the change I saw in my daughter,” he told her, “I’m entering the Church at Easter.”

“This isn’t just changing one girl,” Suzy said. “It’s changing families, schools, and whole communities.”

Friendship That Goes Deeper

Through the experience, girls who thought they knew one another were able to find something deeper.

“There’s a trust and an authenticity that’s developing,” Suzy explained. “Head knowledge is becoming lived experience.”

Girls who had never considered religious life began voicing questions about vocation. Others found confidence to pray aloud, speak honestly, and show up more fully at home and at school.

Emma echoed this shift. “They’re face to face. No screens. They’re figuring things out together.”

Show Up

Adults may hesitate, especially moms, when discerning whether to lead a youth group through an Endow study.

“I didn’t want to do this at first,” Suzy admitted. “Life is busy. Middle schoolers can be intimidating.”

What she found, though, is that being present is enough.

“Some days I showed up in sweatpants,” she laughed. “That gave them permission to be real too.”

After all, we ask the girls to show up. Her advice to other women thinking about leading an Endow study is to make the space, be yourself, pray and most importantly, show up.

“The Holy Spirit does the rest.”

What Girls Are Looking For

Girls don’t want more information. These testimonies demonstrate their hunger for truth, relationship, and belonging. Their capacity to respond can ripple out through friendships, schools, and families in surprising ways.

One participant put it simply, that “a truth that is discovered stays.”