Wildlife and nature

Animal shelters and rescues

Theater and dance

Rivers, parks and trails

Hunger and food

Schools and learning

Housing and homelessness

Community health

Mental health

Mentoring and foster care

Legal help and rights

Jobs and money help

Atlanta

The Triangle

Everywhere

The Collective Workshop

Royal Animal Refuge

Asian Americans Advancing Justice-Atlanta

Georgia Advancing Communities Together

Atlanta Writers Club

Cobb Collaborative

Bosleys Place

Jewish Fertility Foundation

Black Girls Smile is a national nonprofit dedicated to advancing mental health and well-being through culturally responsive education, healing spaces, and access to care. Our work centers joy, resilience, and community, and is rooted in the belief that mental wellness is a right, not a privilege.
Founded in response to the lack of culturally affirming mental health support for Black girls and young women, Black Girls Smile exists to ensure they are seen, supported, and empowered to thrive.
We promise affirming, accessible, and unapologetically Black girl-centered mental health support and spaces, so every Black girl can thrive on her own terms.
This promise guides how we design programs, show up in community, and build systems of care rooted in dignity, agency, and belonging.
Our work centers Black girls and young women, while intentionally engaging the caregivers, educators, and community members who support them. We believe mental wellness is collective, and healing happens in relationship.
We believe lasting mental wellness for Black girls and young women happens when care is preventive, culturally grounded, and community-centered.
When Black girls and young women have access to affirming mental health education, supportive relationships, and culturally responsive care, and when the adults and systems around them are equipped to support that care, they are better able to build resilience, strengthen coping skills, and lead mentally healthy lives.

Girlsgiving Edition

Unbothered: Virtual Election Day Ease

Ghost That Mindset

The Glow Up Guide

Boo-Vie Night

She's Deeply Rooted

Simply Sweet

Sound It Out, Baby

She's That Girl

Holding Space: Suicide Prevention & Awareness Webinar

Donate items from Wellness Wishlist

Give

Events | Empower Wellness Today—Join Our Events

Lauren Carson

Kiara Mitchell

Kadiatou Tubman

Madeline Livingston

Alexandra Scott

decisions, ask a million questions, change their minds, and not always know what to do next. We shouldn't mistake a girl's ability to handle responsibility for a reason to give her more of it. We shouldn't confuse independence with not needing support or assume that because she can articulate herself, she doesn't need someone to listen, guide, and show up for her. There's a difference between preparing girls for the world and expecting them to carry the weight of it before they're ready. Protecting her right to be means knowing that difference—and doing something about it. This year, we're raising funds to bring a dedicated Black Girls Smile community space to Atlanta. Help us build something that gives Black girls more than a place to go. Help us create a place where they can be young. Support Her Right to Be. Link in bio to donate.

A little look at what's happening this week at Black Girls Smile! From making space to study, unwind, and connect at BGS Office Hours in Brooklyn to coming together for our virtual Parent & Caregiver Support Group, there's room for community, connection, and care. Whether you're stopping by in person or joining us online, we'd love to see you. Swipe for this week's lineup, save the dates, and share with someone who should join us! See you soon, beloved!

Let's talk money, sis. Because adulting comes with enough surprises. Your finances shouldn't have to be one of them. Join Black Girls Smile for Adulting: Balance Due, a financial literacy webinar designed to help young women build confidence around budgeting, credit, saving, and managing money. Whether you're new to credit, trying to get ahead of holiday spending, tackling debt, or ready to enter 2027 with a financial plan, this space is for you. December 10 | 6–7:30 PM Featuring Akilah Glover Let's spend smarter, save more, and get our money right before the new year. Register today! 💜

Children don't have to be productive to be worthy of care. They don't have to be exceptional, well-behaved, mature, or helpful to deserve attention, support, and understanding. And Black girls are no exception. They deserve to be cared for simply because they are children. They deserve room to play, explore, make mistakes, ask questions, and figure out who they are without having to prove their worth. As we work to protect Black girls' right to experience girlhood, we're also challenging the expectations that too often ask them to grow up before their time. This year-end, we're raising funds to establish a dedicated community space in Atlanta where Black girls can access resources, build relationships, and experience the support and community they deserve. Her worth isn't measured by what she can do for others. Protect Black Girls' right to be. Make a year-end gift today. Link in bio.

What does the future of mental health look like when Black girls are part of shaping it? 👀 We're building something different. The Mental Health x AI Co-Lab isn't a lecture about why AI is good or bad. It's an opportunity for 25 Black girls and gender-expansive young people, ages 16–19, to explore how AI is shaping the way we think, learn, create—and have a say in what comes next. Here's what makes it special: ✨ 25 participants from across the country ✨ A paid opportunity with flexible participation ✨ Mentorship from Black women already working in the field ✨ Three guides created with young people, for young people, parents, and the people building these tools And no, you don't need to be tech-savvy. You just need to have noticed something, asked a question, or wondered what all of this means for your future. We're looking for curious minds, fresh perspectives, and young people ready to help shape the conversation. Applications close November 14. Know a young person who should be part of this? Share this post with them! Apply through the link in our bio.

Good food, good people, and the kind of conversations that remind us why community matters. We're bringing back Kitchen Table Talk with a Girlsgiving Edition! This time, we're pulling up to the table for a Friendsgiving gathering centered on connection, gratitude, reflection, and honest conversation. Because sometimes what we need most is a seat at the table, a good meal, and space to be ourselves. Come share a plate, reflect on the year, laugh a little, and connect with community. 352 University Ave SW, Atlanta, GA 30310 Friday, November 6 | 6 PM We saved you a seat. See you at the table! 💜

What becomes possible when Black girls have a space of their own? A place to explore their creativity. A place to build friendships. A place to access resources, try new things, and experience the freedom of simply being themselves. That's what we're working to create in Atlanta. Through our Protect Her Right to Be campaign, we're raising funds to establish a dedicated community space for Black girls and young women—building on what's been made possible through our New York City space. Your contribution helps make that vision possible. Whether you give $25, $100, or $250, you're investing in opportunities for Black girls to connect, express themselves, and belong. Help us bring our Atlanta community center to life. Give today. Link in bio.

We are so excited to share that Black Girls Smile has been selected as a grant recipient through Young Futures’ Express Yourself Challenge Series, with our Founder and Executive Director, Lauren Carson, joining the cohort as a Young Futures Innovator (YF Innovator / YFI). Partnerships like these make the work possible. We’re so grateful for Young Futures and look forward to all that we’ll accomplish together!

The election may be over, but whatever you're feeling doesn't have to be. 💜 Whether you're relieved, disappointed, angry, anxious, exhausted, or still figuring out how to process it all, give yourself permission to feel what you feel without rushing to make sense of it. You don't have to be okay today. You don't have to turn everything into action. You can rest, grieve, celebrate, unplug, talk it out, or simply take a breath. Consider this your reminder that your wellbeing matters beyond the ballot box, too. Take what you need. Give yourself some grace. And remember, you don't have to carry it all alone.

Consider this your invitation to pull up, get comfortable, and spend some time in community. Our Brooklyn home is open for Office Hours! Think of it as your community space to work, connect, recharge, or simply be around good people. Whether you need somewhere to get a little work done, reliable WiFi, a light snack, or just a change of scenery, there's room for you here. Join us Tuesdays and Wednesdays, November through January, for free open hours featuring: ✨ Free WiFi ✨ Comfortable seating ✨ Light refreshments ✨ Community and good vibes Swipe for upcoming dates and scan the QR code to learn more! Have questions? Email kadiatou@blackgirlssmile.org. We can't wait to see you!

There’s a support group for that. Sometimes you need a space to connect with people who get it. Sometimes you need to talk it out, feel seen, ask questions, or simply be in community with others navigating similar experiences. Black Girls Smile is creating space for all of that through our LGBTQ+ Support Group, Intergenerational Support Group, and Parent & Caregiver Support Group. Different experiences. Different perspectives. One thing in common: you deserve support, and you don't have to figure everything out on your own. Swipe through to learn more about each group and find the space that's right for you.

Girlhood isn't a waiting room for adulthood. It's the sleepovers, the inside jokes, the games that go on too long, the friendships that become part of your story, the freedom to be curious and a little ridiculous. It's having time to discover what you like, what you don't, and who you are becoming. Black girls deserve all of that. Not as a privilege, but as part of growing up. This year, we're asking our community to help make more of those experiences possible. Your support of Protect Her Right to Be will help Black Girls Smile establish a dedicated community space in Atlanta—one where girls can gather, make memories, explore, and build community. Let's give girlhood room to happen. Make a year-end gift. Link in bio.

Election Day can bring up a lot. So we're making room for a little ease. 💜 On November 3, join Black Girls Smile for Unbothered: Election Day Ease, a day of virtual wellness experiences designed to help you pause, reconnect, and take care of yourself. Whether you're looking to clear your mind through meditation and journaling or move your body through yoga, we've got a space for you. Here's what's happening (EST): 🧘🏾‍♀️ Meditation & Journaling 12 PM & 6 PM with Chanda Floyd-Bryant ✨ Yoga 1 PM & 7 PM with Luisanna Tejada Take the time. Make the space. Your well-being matters, too. Link in bio!

It's a new month which means new hangs! Whether you're in Atlanta, Brooklyn or joining us virtually—we have a little bit of something for everybody! Link in bio to RSVP! And if you're not following us on @eventbrite , you should!

You asked what to expect. Here is your answer. 🤍 The Glow Up Guide is 90 minutes across four wellness pillars built specifically for Black women who are ready to thrive from the inside out. Swipe through to see what we are getting into on October 29. Mind. Body. Emotional. Spirit. All four. One evening. And a personal wellness plan to walk away with. 📅 October 29 💻 Virtual 👤 Black women 18 and up 🎟️ Free to attend. Link in bio to register. We will see you there. 🤍

Atlanta, we are getting closer. 🤍 Girlsgiving is almost here and we want to make sure you have your seat at the table. This is not your average holiday dinner. This is Kitchen Table Talk, the real, unfiltered, honest conversation that Black girls and femmes deserve to have wrapped in community, gratitude, and good food. Come meet new people. Come with your girls. Come ready to talk about the things that actually matter. Because the best meals are the ones where everybody leaves feeling full in more ways than one. 🤍 📅 November 6 | 6:00 PM 📍 352 University Ave SW, Atlanta, GA 30310 Spots are limited. Link in bio to RSVP. Bring a girl with you. 👇🏾

You deserve a life you actually enjoy. 🤍 Not the one you are waiting to start after everything settles down. Not the one that begins when you finally have more time, more money, more certainty. This one. The one you are living right now. The life you actually enjoy does not arrive when conditions are perfect. It gets built in the small choices. The boundaries you hold. The rest you take without guilt. The things you do just because they make you feel good. Stop waiting for your life to begin. It already has. 🤍 What is one thing you are choosing to enjoy right now?

Bring a bestie or a sister and cozy up with us for Boovie Night. 🎃🤍 Two twin movies. One night. And full permission to get in your feelings. Tag your ride or die below. 👇🏾 📅 October 29 | 6pm 📍 Details in bio Link in bio to register. See you there.

However you are feeling right now is allowed. 🤍 Relief. Grief. Anger. Numbness. Hope. Exhaustion. All of it is valid. All of it makes sense. And none of it has to be performed or explained for anyone else. You showed up. You did your part. And now you are allowed to feel everything that comes after that. The future can feel daunting. Especially when the outcome is not what you hoped for. But BGS wants to remind you of something: your worth, your safety, and your community do not live on a ballot. We are still here. We are still building. And we are still with you. 🤍 Whatever today brought, BGS is here. 🤍 💬 Crisis Text Line: text SMILE to 741741

Fall is an invitation. 🤍 To slow down. To go outside. To cook something warm. To wear the coat you have been waiting to pull out. To let the season do something good for your nervous system. This one is a simple reminder that your mental health is allowed to enjoy this time of year. Not just get through it. Actually enjoy it. Swipe through for things worth doing this fall just because they feel good. Save it. Share it with a girl who needs permission to receive the season. 🤍 What is on your fall list? Drop it below. 👇🏾

One week until our spookiest walk yet. 👻 Don't forget to look the part and get your stamp. Show up in costume and who knows you just might get treated for it. 🎃👟 📅 October 31 | 8:30 AM 📍 Silver Comet Trail, Smyrna, GA Link in bio to register. Tag who you are bringing. 👇🏾

You ever look at yourself and everything you have accomplished and think, "Damn. I did that." Take a moment to do that right now. It does not have to be flashy or loud. No announcement necessary. Just a quiet, honest acknowledgment of how far you have come and everything you did to get here. Let yourself be impressed by yourself. You have earned it. 🤍 Drop your "I did that" moment below. Big or small. Visible or invisible. It all counts. 👇🏾

New York, Kitchen Table Talk is coming back to you. 🤍 Come escape the autumn breeze for a little while with good food and even better company. Come hungry and be a part of the kind of conversation that makes you forget summer is gone. This is an intimate dinner experience for Black women, girls, and gender expansive folks who want more than small talk. A space to gather, exhale, and explore the things that actually matter: rest, boundaries, emotional safety, and what it means to feel truly at home in community. Pull up a chair. Meet someone new. Share your story or simply be in the room. However you show up, there is a place for you at this table. 🤍 📅 October 23 | 6:00 PM 📍 1406 Fulton St, Room 203, Restoration Plaza, Brooklyn, NY Free to attend. Link in bio to RSVP. Bring a girl with you. 👇🏾

A glow-up is not something you look like. It is something you build. 🤍 The Glow Up Guide is a 90-minute virtual wellness experience designed for Black women who are ready to explore what it actually means to thrive from the inside out. This session is a sampler of our full four-week series, giving you a taste of each wellness pillar in one sitting. Mind. Body. Emotional. Spirit. All four. One evening. And a personal wellness plan to walk away with. 📅 October 29 💻 Virtual 👤 Black women 18 and up 🎟️ Free to attend. Link in bio to register. Come ready to pour into yourself. 🤍

Okay but what are we wearing though. 🎃🤍 Smiles & Miles Halloween Edition is one week away and we need our fits to be on point. Start planning because October 31st is coming fast. A few guidelines before you pull your look together 👇🏾 No face masks that greatly obscure your identity we want to see your face out there. 🤍 And please, for the love of the trail wear comfy shoes you can actually hike in. We know you are going to be so cute and so on theme. But your feet will thank you at mile two. 👟 📅 October 31 | 8:30 AM 📍 Silver Comet Trail, Smyrna, GA Drop your costume idea below. We are taking notes. 🎃👇🏾

Whatever Election Day brings, you deserve a moment to exhale. 🤍 BGS is creating a virtual space to rest, reflect, and come back to yourself on one of the heaviest days of the year. Whether you are voting for the first time, cheering on someone you love casting their ballot, or simply feeling the weight of it all, this space is for you. Election Day Ease is a free, laid-back virtual gathering with no politics and no debates. Just community, stillness, and a safe space to check in with yourself. Choose your session 👇🏾 🧘🏽 Meditation and Journaling 🕛 12:00 PM to 12:45 PM ET 🕕 6:00 PM to 6:45 PM ET 🧘🏽 Yoga 🕐 1:00 PM to 1:45 PM ET 🕖 7:00 PM to 7:45 PM ET 📅 November 3 Free to attend. Open to girls and young women ages 13 to 26. Spots are limited. Link in bio to register. Come as you are. 🤍

Do you live by the saying "Work hard, play hard?" If you do, this post is for you. 🫵🏽 You need to rest. Full stop. It does not need to come after you have worked yourself to the bone. It needs to come now. There is nothing to be earned here. No bonus points for suffering first. Just rest. Did you know it can take a whole year to recover from burnout? You are pushing yourself to the brink with a promise that you will take a break when it is over but the "over" you are looking for never comes. Put the phone down. Close the computer. Rest now. Not later. Now.

The harvest season calls for restoration. 🤍 You have been moving. Building. Showing up. And your body has been keeping score of all of it. Join BGS for an evening of restorative yoga, sound, and meditation in our NYC space. Breathe deeply. Stretch fully. Reset your mind and walk out feeling like yourself again. 📅 October 20 | 6:30pm 📍 NYC Space 💌 RSVP link in bio 🤍 We will see you there.

BOO. 👟🎃 Smiles & Miles Halloween Edition is happening October 31 and we are already planning our costume. Come walk with us. Come in character. Come as the scariest thing you can think of. Just come. 📅 October 31 | 8:30a 📍 Silver Comet Trail Smyrna, GA Save this and tag your walking buddy. 👇🏾

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. And BGS wants to make sure Black women are at the center of this conversation. 🤍 The disparities are real. The barriers are real. And so is our power to advocate for ourselves and each other in medical spaces that have not always shown up for us. Swipe through for what Black women need to know about breast health, screening, and community care. Save this. Share it with every Black woman in your life. Your health is part of your harvest too. 🤍

Friendsgiving just got a little more intentional. 🤍 This November BGS Atlanta is pulling up a chair and setting a table for the conversations that actually matter. The ones you have been holding onto. The ones that feel too real for small talk but too important to leave unsaid. Kitchen Table Talk: Girlsgiving Edition is where we bring it all. Open dialogue, genuine community, gratitude, and good food. Because the best meals are the ones where everybody leaves feeling full in more ways than one. Atlanta, we are saving you a seat. 🤍 📅 November 6 | 6:00 PM 📍 352 University Ave SW, Atlanta, GA 30310 Link in bio to RSVP. Bring a girl with you. 👇🏾

This Saturday! We are partnering with MindMatterMantra to bring you an event that is too sweet to miss.🤍 Simply Sweet is a sensory wellness experience exploring the powerful connection between scent, memory, and emotion. Think bouquet-making, mocktails, and a guided wellness discussion that will leave you feeling grounded, connected, and a little more like yourself. Led by Jennifer Ochiagha, this is the kind of afternoon your nervous system has been asking for. What to expect: 🌷A guided bouquet-making experience 🍹Mocktails to sip and savor 💬A guided wellness discussion on scent, memory, and emotion 🩵A warm, reflective space to connect with community 📅17 Saturday, October 17 | 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM 📍BGS Commons, 1406 Fulton St, Room 203, Brooklyn, NY 11216 🎟️ Free to attend. Link in bio to register. We will see you Saturday.

It’s #WorldMentalHealthDay, and we’re always looking for ways to make mental health literacy more engaging and mental health resources easier to find, understand, and access. For Black girls and young women, having the language to name what you’re feeling, the tools to navigate difficult moments, and the knowledge to find support can make all the difference. Mental wellness isn’t just about recognizing when something is wrong. It’s also about knowing how to care for yourself, advocate for your needs, and access support before you reach a breaking point. That’s why we created the Black Girls Smile Mental Wellness Toolkit—a collection of resources, worksheets, journaling prompts, and recommendations designed to help Black girls and young women build mental health knowledge and feel more equipped to navigate their wellness journeys. Because every Black girl deserves to understand her feelings, feel empowered to care for her mental health, and know that she doesn’t have to figure it all out alone. The Mental Wellness Toolkit is officially LIVE on our website! Explore the toolkit through the link in our bio, and share it with a Black girl or young woman who deserves access to these resources, too. 💜

Girl, you that. You did something that took work, patience, and more than a few moments where you were not sure you would get there. So why are you already moving the goalpost? This is your permission to sit in it for a second. To say it out loud. To let yourself be proud without immediately minimizing it, crediting everyone else, or pivoting to the next thing before you have even celebrated this one. The brag does not have to be loud. It does not have to make sense to anyone else. It just has to be honest. So go ahead. Let yourself have it. 🤍 What are you lowkey bragging about this season? Drop it below. 👇🏾

Rest is just as powerful as rising. 🤍 She’s Deeply Rooted is a free wellness experience designed to help you slow down, reconnect, and pour back into yourself. An evening of guided movement, grounding conversation, and a matcha and tea bar, because you deserve all of it. What to expect: 🍵 An opening welcome and mini matcha social 🧘🏾‍♀️ A guided movement and mindfulness session facilitated by Phoenix Sohl, MA 🤍 A Matcha and Mingle closing hour with connection, community, and complimentary wellness samples Mats are provided. Just show up and show out. Facilitated by Phoenix Sohl, MA — Mindful Movement Specialist Tea and Matcha Bar provided by sTEAp house Sponsored by Black Girl Vitamins 📅 Thursday, October 22 📍 Details and RSVP link in bio. We will see you there. 🤍

Some of the most powerful healing happens through the senses. 🤍 Simply Sweet is a wellness experience exploring the connection between scent, memory, emotion, and mental health. A space to slow down, reconnect with yourself, and be in community with other Black women who are doing the same. In collaboration with Mind Matter Mantra, led by Jennifer Ochiagha, you will spend the afternoon getting hands-on with bouquet-making, sipping mocktails, and taking part in a guided wellness discussion designed to spark reflection and real connection. What to expect: 🌷 A guided bouquet-making experience 🍹 Mocktails to sip and savor 💬 A guided wellness discussion on scent, memory, and emotion led by Jennifer Ochiagha of Mind Matter Mantra 🤍 A warm, reflective space to connect with community Come as you are. Leave with a little more clarity, a beautiful bouquet, and a renewed connection to your senses. 📅 Saturday, October 17 | 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM 📍 BGS Commons, 1406 Fulton St, Room 203, Brooklyn, NY 11216 Free to attend. Link in bio to register. We will see you there. 🤍

Rest is just as powerful as rising. 🤍 She's Deeply Rooted is a free wellness experience designed to help you slow down, reconnect, and pour back into yourself. An evening of guided movement, grounding conversation, and a matcha and tea bar, because you deserve all of it. What to expect: 🍵 An opening welcome and mini matcha social 🧘🏾‍♀️ A guided movement and mindfulness session facilitated by Phoenix Sohl, MA 🤍 A Matcha and Mingle closing hour with connection, community, and complimentary wellness samples Mats are provided. Just show up and show out. Facilitated by Phoenix Sohl, MA — Mindful Movement Specialist Tea and Matcha Bar provided by sTEAp house Sponsored by Black Girl Vitamins 📅 Wednesday, October 22 📍 Details and RSVP link in bio. We will see you there. 🤍

October is here and so is everything you planted. This month BGS is celebrating the harvest. Not just the big moments. The quiet ones too. The growth that happened when nobody was watching. The abundance that comes from staying rooted when everything around you was shaking. You grew through it. Now it is time to rise into what that work made possible. Swipe through to open the month with us. This one is for you. Drop a heart if October is your season.

Welcome to harvest season. 🧡 October at BGS is about one thing: celebrating how far you have come and everything your labor produced. We have a full month of community, events, and space made just for you. Save this. RSVP links in bio. Come reap what you sowed. 🤍

September poured into us. And we are carrying it forward. 🤍 This month we held the hard conversations. We sat with the heavy statistics. We made space for grief, for awareness, for honesty. And we did all of it together. Because that is what BGS is. Not just a resource. A community. A space where Black girls and women are reminded that there is more to this moment than what they can currently see. More help available than they know about. More people rooting for them than they realize. More possibilities waiting on the other side of this season. More life. 🤍 If September was heavy for you, we see you. If it was hopeful, we celebrate that with you. And if you are somewhere in between, that is okay too. You do not have to find your way to what is next alone. BGS is here. And so is help. 💬 Crisis Text Line: text SMILE to 741741 📞 988: call or text, available 24/7 🤍 blackgirlssmile.org See you in October. 🤍

That is a wrap on A Black Girl's Guide to the New School Year. 🤍 From freshman year advice to money talks to dating and rest and everything in between, this series was built for one reason. To make sure every Black girl stepping into a new season felt like she had someone in her corner. Save this series. Share it with a girl who needs it. And know that BGS is with you long after the back to school season ends. 🤍 Drop a 🤍 if this series poured into you this year. 👇🏾

We are closing out September with a simple question. 🤍 What makes life enjoyable for you? Not what you think it should be. Not what looks good on paper. The real answer. The things that make you smile without trying. The people that make time disappear. The moments you wish you could bottle up and keep forever. Music. Food. Friends. Art. Family. Movement. Travel. Pets. Dreams. Rest. Creativity. Community. Something else entirely. Whatever it is, drop it below. We want to celebrate it with you. 👇🏾 🤍

There comes a point when you realize that constantly making yourself smaller, quieter, softer, easier, or more palatable isn’t humility—it’s a habit. So you stop. You let yourself be loud. You let yourself want more. You let yourself take up space. You let yourself be seen. You let yourself become exactly who you are. And if that requires the world to adjust? Well, THAT is a them problem. Not a you problem.

This season is not about arriving. It is about the small, intentional choices you make every single day. The decision to show up for yourself even when it is hard. To keep going even when the progress feels invisible. To choose the life you are building over the life you have outgrown. That is what becoming looks like. Not a moment. Not a milestone. A practice. What is one decision you are making for yourself this season? Drop it below. 👇🏾

Dating. Boundaries. And knowing your worth before somebody else tries to define it for you—we're talking about relationships! And as exciting as they maybe, in the words of Andre 300, keep your heart 3stacks, keep your heart. (i.e Protect yourself, baby!) Because school is not just academics. It is also where a lot of us first learn what we THINK love is, the good, the bad and the ugly. Swipe through. Save or share it with every teen in your life—we can't save your from your first heartbreak, but we can do our best to prepare you for it.

It is easy to keep pushing through the season change. To add more to the list before you have rested from the last thing. But your body is asking for something different right now. Come honor it with us. Join BGS in our Brooklyn space for an evening of restorative yoga, sound, and meditation. Breathe deeply. Stretch fully. Reset your mind and walk out feeling like yourself again. 📅 September 29 | 6:30pm 📍 Brooklyn Space 💌 RSVP link in bio. 🤍 We will see you there.

Holding Space: Suicide Prevention & Awareness Webinar 🤍 This month BGS is creating a brave space for the conversation that saves lives. Because silence has never protected our community—but knowledge has. September is Suicide Awareness Month and we are not sitting this one out. Join us for an honest, supportive, and equipping conversation with speakers Brittany Davis and Chalice Nelson. Know the signs. Start the conversation. Save a life. 📅 September 24 | 6PM – 8PM 💻 Virtual — Google Meet 👤 Ages 18+ — young adults, parents, caregivers, and teachers welcome This is the room where we stop being silent and start being equipped. Come ready to learn, ask questions, and show up better for the people you love. 🤍 Link in bio to register. We will see you there.

Some of the best mental health advice we have ever received did not come from a book or a session. It came from the right person showing up at the right time. The playlist that always brings us back. The group chat that just gets it. The walk that clears everything out. To build the life we want we must also know the makeup of our (chosen) village. So tell us 👇🏾 Who or what helps you feel less alone? A person. A place. A practice. A community. A song. A ritual. Whatever it is, we want to hear about it. Your answer might be exactly what someone else needed to read today. 🤍

Safe spaces aren’t created by having all the right answers. They’re created through empathy. Through consistency. Through being willing to sit with someone in what they’re feeling without rushing to fix it, minimize it, or make it more comfortable for yourself. Sometimes support sounds like advice. Sometimes it sounds like reassurance. And sometimes, it sounds like: I hear you. I believe you. You don’t have to carry this alone. That kind of care matters—especially for Black girls and young women, who are so often taught to make room for everyone else before they’ve had the chance to make room for themselves. Our founder and ED, Lauren Carson, sat with @blackprwire chatting the importance of creating safer spaces, leading with empathy, and being intentional about how we show up for one another. Listen to the latest episode of Thrivin’ in Color on YouTube and all major podcast platforms. Link in bio!

September is Suicide Awareness Month. The data on Black women and girls is real—and it should be named. Not to alarm or to overwhelm. However, in order to address we have to first acknowledge. Join us for Holding Space: Suicide Prevention & Awareness Webinar September 24 | 6PM – 8PM Virtual: Google Meet Ages 18+: young adults, parents, caregivers, and teachers welcome Featuring speakers Brittany Davis and Chalice Nelson Know the signs. Start the conversation. Save a life. Link in bio to register. 🤍

A lil Friday PSA from our Marketing Director @briannepatrice: Our account was hacked and we apologize to all who may have been affected by it. Myself, our social media manager and members of our ops team are working behind the scenes to make sure this doesn’t happen again to the best of our ability. Our social media manager, @kaylahsambo is DMing everyone individually to unsend the message to those who had not opened it yet. If there are any other questions or concerns in regards to this manner please DM us, or you can email me directly — brianne@blackgirlssmile.org I hate we are meeting this way, but we appreciate your support! And I look forward to meeting again soon! with love, — Brianne Patrice

Let's be honest about something. 🤍 Nobody taught Black girls how to rest. They taught us how to perform, how to prove ourselves, and how to keep going—even when keeping going was hurting us. This week's guide is pushing back on that. Swipe through and save it for the next time productivity tries to convince you it is the same thing as worth. It is not. And you deserve to know that. 🤍 Share this with a teen in your life who needs to hear it. 👇🏾

It's National Suicide Prevention Day and the only thing we're thinking about is the number of Black girls who were taught to become fluent in everyone else's needs before learning the language of their own. Black girls are not your emotional caretakers. They are not your peacekeepers. Burden bearers. They are not proof or evidence of what one person can survive. They are CHILDREN. And no child should be required to make suffering look graceful. When these qualities are constantly rewarded, we have to ask ourselves what we're actually teaching—that she is most valuable when she is useful, composed, accommodating, and in control. What happens when she isn't? What happens when she is angry, overwhelmed, needy, confused, exhausted, afraid? Does she still believe she is worthy of care? Does she know how to ask for help? Does she trust that someone will come when she says, “I can't do this anymore?” Suicide prevention is not just about intervening at the point of crisis. It is about creating a world where Black girls don't have to disappear into themselves before we notice they're hurting. Black girls—and we will die on this hill—deserve protection, NOT projection. They deserve softer language. And we will keep saying it until care is no longer something Black girls have to earn by first proving how much they can survive.

Akeelah and the Bee, but this time there's a bar tab. Remember when spelling bees were a childhood rite of passage? When Akeelah and the Bee had all of us sounding out words, secretly thinking we could take on the dictionary too? Well…we’re grown now 🌚 and we're putting all those Hooked On Phonics lessons to the test. Sound It Out, Baby is bringing the spelling bee back—with a grown-folks twist. Grab your crew, grab a drink, and come put your vocabulary to the test for a good cause. Must be 21+ to enter the spelling bee. Link in bio to register.

We know that speaking up can be hard. Sometimes you’re worried about what someone will think. Sometimes you don’t want to feel like a burden. Sometimes you don’t even know how to explain what you’re feeling. And sometimes, you keep telling yourself, “It’s not that serious.” But you don’t have to wait until things get worse. You don’t have to have the right words. And you don’t have to have all the answers before you deserve support. Start where you are. Say what you can. Ask for what you need. This Suicide Prevention Week, we’re reminding Black girls and young women: your feelings are worth taking seriously. Your life is worth protecting. And you do not have to figure it all out alone. If you or someone you know needs support, save this post and share it with someone who may need it.

Eve once asked us, “Who’s that girl?” And much like Eve said, “Eve’s that girl.” Eve being you. You’re that girl. The one with big dreams and big feelings. The one still figuring it out. The one learning to trust herself, use her voice, take up space, and make room for joy. You don’t have to be the loudest, the boldest, or have it all figured out to be that girl. You just have to be you. Smiles and Miles is happening again this month, 9/26 at 8:30 AM. A-T-L Georgia *in our best Ludacris voice* Link in bio!

Talking to our kids, bonding with them, and building deeper, more intentional connections means asking better questions. But as parents and caregivers, it can be hard to know what those questions should—or could—be when all we grew up hearing from our own parents was, “How was your day?” and that's it. We want to connect with our kids and be interested in their world but we don't know always know how or where to start. So, here are a few conversation starters to try today—or any day you’re not quite sure where to begin. You might be surprised by what they share when you give them a little more room to open up. 💛 Save this for later, and send it to a parent or caregiver who could use a few new questions to keep in their back pocket.

Harmful language such as “strong,” “mature,” “resilient,” “independent,” and more are part of why signs of distress continue to be overlooked among Black girls and women. These are not compliments. This is complicit bias. It’s society saying, “I see you struggling, but I will not help because I am impressed by your ability to survive it.” This language has become a justification for providing less support, offering less protection, and expecting Black girls to carry what was never theirs to begin with. Falling apart should not be a prerequisite to care. She’s Mentally Well is a suicide prevention program created by Black Girls Smile to help Black girls, parents and caregivers understand, recognize, and respond to moments of crisis and struggle—learn the signs. Know what to do. Know where to turn. Link in bio.

There’s something powerful about telling the truth—especially when you’ve been taught to soften it, swallow it, or stay quiet. Your voice deserves room. Your truth deserves to be heard. Silence may have protected you once but it will not hold you forever. There are parts of you that can only be free once the truth has been spoken 🫶🏽.

Just to be clear—you cannot care about Black girls’ well-being while engaging in harmful practices that undermine their development, safety, and sense of self. But you didn’t hear that from us though 🌚. #suicidepreventionmonth

Know the signs. Start the conversation. Save a life. Sometimes the signs aren’t obvious. Sometimes they look like withdrawal, irritability, changes in behavior, giving things away, or simply saying, “I’m tired.” And sometimes, the people around us don’t know what to say when someone finally opens up. Holding Space: Suicide Prevention & Awareness Webinar is a 2-hour interactive conversation about suicide prevention, culture, and healing — created for young adults, parents, caregivers, and teachers who want to feel more prepared to recognize when something is wrong and respond with care. Come with your questions. Leave with tools, language, and a deeper understanding of how to show up. Register now at the link in our bio.

Sometimes the questions that stay with us the most are the ones that require us to be open, honest, and vulnerable about what's really happening beneath the surface. What have you been carrying? What do you need to say? What do you need to hear? Spend a few minutes putting pen to paper. Free write. Let the words flow. And if you find it too hard to journey alone, phone a friend. Save these. Share these. Come back when you're ready.

To the Black girl heading into this semester—we made this one for you. 🤍 The syllabus is set. The schedule is packed. And somewhere between all of it—we need you to remember to carry yourself with care. Not just with ambition. Not just with your GPA in mind. With softness. With boundaries. With the knowledge that your mental health is not something you tend to after everything else gets done. Swipe through. Save. and come back to when the days get hard. There's bound to be some and we'll be right here waiting for you 🫶🏽. Tag your campus girl. She needs this reminder too.

Today, we honor Gloria Steinem—writer, organizer, feminist, and lifelong advocate for the liberation of women and girls. Her work reminds us that change begins with telling the truth, asking better questions, and refusing to accept a world that asks women to make themselves smaller. May you rest easy, Gloria. We carry your spirit forward.

Black girlhood deserves to be studied with care, by people who love us. The Black Girlhood Mental Health Sisterhood—a collective of Black researchers and practitioners—is asking a beautiful question: what helps Black girls thrive? And they want your help answering it. If there's a Black girl ages 10–17 in your life, she can share her voice through a short survey (and receive a thank-you gift card for her time). Her story is data that matters. Link in bio to participate. CC: @thehomeplacelab , @drlaurenmims, @thedreamcollab, @the_essence__lab

New events just dropped! Meet us in Brooklyn for Restorative Yoga. Come take a walk with us in Atlanta. Are you smarter than a 5th grader? Join us for an adult spelling bee! Or join us virtually for Holding Space, A Suicide Awareness Webinar. Whatever the moment us, we look forward to hosting you this month. See you soon! Link in bio for all the things!

Some of the best healing doesn't happen in a therapist's chair—it happens on a mat, surrounded by people who get it. 🤍 We are always reminded that showing up for your mental health can look a lot of different ways. Sometimes it's a hard conversation. Sometimes it's reaching out. And sometimes it's just breathing on purpose, in a room full of Brooklyn girls doing the same. Big thanks to @blackgirlvitamins for partnering with us—supporting our girls from the inside out. Meet us in Brooklyn for Restorative Yoga—no mat skills required. 📍 BK | 🕒 6:30-7:30 | 🔗 RSVP in bio

September is Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, and we're reminding Black girls and young women that whatever they're facing right now, this moment is NOT the whole story. There is always MORE. More community. More help. More people who care. More love. More life. More joy. There is always more—and we want you here. So when you can't find or see your way, know that we'll be here, lighting the path forward until you can find your way again. Because you don't have to see the whole path to take the next step, and you don't have to take it alone. Check in with your community. Reach out to us. Ask for help. OR Be the person who checks in on someone else. There is no shame in needing support, and you were never meant to carry everything by yourself. If you or someone you know is in crisis, text SMILE to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor. There is more to life than this moment. And we want you here for all of it.

Catch our beloved founder, Lauren Carson, speaking at this year's Behavioral Health Tech Conference in Nashville, TN, Sept 22-24. Link in bio to attend!

NEW FACES. FRESH PERSPECTIVES. SAME BLACK GIRL ENERGY. Meet the newest members of our Junior Advisory Board! Over the next two years, we’ll be working closely with these brilliant young minds as they help shape the future of Black Girls Smile through lived experience, imagination, and creativity! Welcome to the JAB ladies, we’re so excited to have you!

As we head back into another school year, let’s commit to prioritizing the mental and emotional well-being of our children with the same care and attention we give their academics. Because both matter. And more importantly, both inform each other. A child who is struggling emotionally may struggle to focus, learn, connect, or show up at school. And the pressures of school, friendships, bullying, and expectations can impact how a child feels long after the school day ends. So this September, let’s check in about more than grades. Ask about their friendships. Ask what’s been weighing on them. Ask if they feel supported. Ask how they’re really doing. And when they tell you something is wrong, listen. Make space. Offer or help them find support. Their mental health is not separate from their well-being. It is part of it.

To the Black girl heading back to school — we made this for you. 🤍 This year is going to ask a lot of you. And before you give it everything you have — we need you to remember a few things. Your worth is not your GPA. Your feelings matter. Your peace is worth protecting. And you do not have to figure any of this out alone. Swipe through and save this one. Come back to it on the hard days — because there will be some, and that is okay too. 🤍 Share this with a teen in your life who needs a big sister in their corner this year. 👇🏾

You already know her name. 🤍 The friend you've been meaning to call. The one you think about and then put off because life got loud and the moment passed. That's the call. Make it today. Wellness doesn't always look like a ritual or a routine. Sometimes it's 20 minutes on the phone that reminds you both — I see you, I'm thinking about you, you don't have to carry this alone. Don't wait until you have more time. You have right now. 📞 Tag her below so she knows the call is coming. Save this for the next time you need a reminder to reach out. 🤍

One week. 👟🤍 Smiles & Miles is almost here and we need you on that trail with us. This is the last walk before we step into our next era and we want to close this chapter surrounded by our community. Here is everything you need to know 👇🏾 📅 August 29th | 8:30 AM 📍 Westside BeltLine Trail, Atlanta, GA 30310 👟 Wear comfortable sneakers and something breathable — it is August in Atlanta 🌞 Bring water and sunscreen 💛 Bring a friend — this one is better together Link in bio to register. Tag who you are bringing below. We will see you on the trail. 👟🤍

Session 2 done. And we are not done talking about it. 🦋 Bria Harris, LPC brought it again tonight — and if you were in the room you already know. If you weren't — Session 3 on August 27th is your last chance to catch this series live. Tell us 👇🏾 ✦ What is one thing you are walking away with tonight? ✦ What do you want to go deeper on in Session 3? Drop it below. Link in bio to register for the final session. 🤍🦋

There is something powerful that happens when Black women and girls across generations get in the same room. 🤍 Our Virtual Intergenerational Group Coaching session is back on August 26th — and we want every generation represented. Whether you are still figuring it out or you have lived through enough to pour into someone else — this space was made for you. Come ready to learn. Come ready to share. Come ready to be held by a community that gets it. 🤍 📅 August 26th | Virtual Link in bio to register.

To the Black girl heading back to campus — this one is for you. 🤍 College is a lot. New city, new faces, new version of yourself still taking shape. And in the middle of all of that — finding your community can feel harder than any class you will take this semester. But your people are there. The ones who get it without explanation. The ones who make you feel like yourself on the days campus feels too big. This week's guide is all about finding them. Swipe through and save this one — you are going to want to come back to it. 🤍 Are you heading back to campus this fall? Drop where you go below. 👇🏾

Congratulations to our Game.Set.Give. Congratulations to our raffle winner, Alexandra Scott! 🎾 Enjoy your stay at Omni Hotel Atlanta Centennial Park, your massage from Knotti Kneads, and your gear from Baseline & Greens. Thank you to everyone who entered—and to our partners for making it possible.

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