INDIANAPOLIS — Right now, close to 800,000 girls call Indiana home.
Thanks to a new report from Girl Coalition of Indiana, we now know those girls a little better.
"Indiana girls are incredible," said Girl Co. Executive Director Mackenzie Pickerrell. "They are resilient."
Comprised of several girl-focused organizations, Girl Co. released its first ever Indiana Girl Report earlier this year.
"We must be clear with our gender-specific data to really get a clear picture of where girls are," said Pickerell, "and that data was really shocking to us."
The report looks at four main aspects of wellness: academic, emotional, physical and social.
To get a better understanding of the data, 13News' Samantha Johnson sat down with a group of girls, ranging in age from first grade to high school.
First, the girls shared, honestly and openly, their concerns regarding school.
"I'm pretty sure it would be IREAD and ILEARN," said 4th grader Chirayn McClung. "Last time when I took it in 3rd grade, it was horrifying. It depended on whether or not I moved on to the next grade, so I think that."
"The last few tests are going to make the biggest impact on our grade," said 7th grader Bhavya Thakkar, referring to school days before the upcoming winter break.
According to the 2023 report, while Indiana girls have a higher graduation rate than boys, both girls and boys are still bouncing back from a 10% drop in math and science.
That decline is documented as starting in 2019.
Plus, the data shows girls tend to trail boys in math and science proficiency exams by nearly 3.5%.
During the panel discussion with 13News, girls shared that academic stress can easily carry over into the mental and emotional wellness of girls.
"A lot of people will be like, 'yeah, I'm really great. I'm happy. I'm okay,'" said sophomore Hannah Wooton. "But then, you'll hear the little things they say to themselves, and you're like, 'Maybe they're not.'"
According to Girl Co., nearly half of 7th through 12th grade girls reported experiencing depression in 2022. Plus, nearly one in four girls seriously contemplated suicide.
"When you hear it, it is really startling," said Pickerrell. "It is really gut-wrenching."
The girls say cyberbullying is a big contributor to declining emotional wellness.
"They'll say things to other people that they wouldn't tell them in person," says Bhavya. "And then it'll put the other person down."
"People I know," said Hannah. "They are really worrying about how they present themselves on social media."
"I think social media can cause insecurities and jealousy," said Chirayn. "And it's not really a good thing to be on there anymore."
"Girls do experience bullying at a much higher rate than their male counterparts," said Pickerrell.
The Indiana Girl Report highlights emotional wellness, but also physical wellness.
"Girls enter hospitalization at three times the rate of boys," said Pickerrell. "And what's really startling is that we can't explain why."
Plus, data shows more than 54,000 Indiana girls under 18 were not covered by health insurance in 2021.
Socially, the report shows girls want to be involved and included. In fact, leaders say there needs to be more opportunities for young people in Indiana.
"There are not enough seats in our after-school programs or in our out-of-school-time programs for the number of youth who want to participate," said Pickerrell.
"Our children are brilliant," said Danielle Shockey, chief executive officer of Girl Scouts of Central Indiana. "You just have to ask them and be great listeners."
Shockey says while Indiana does need more extracurricular programs for children, Girl Scouts is always an option for Indiana girls.
"We welcome all," said Shockey. "And troops form every single day."
With the help of the Indiana Youth Institute, the Girl Coalition of Indiana was founded by the six Girl Scout councilors currently serving Hoosier girls. The coalition is funded by Lilly Endowment, Inc.
Heading into 2024, leaders at Girl Co. say they plan to use this new data to spark change.
"The first step is really understanding the data to create awareness around the needs of girls," said Pickerrell.
"We hope this has a ripple effect," said Shockey, "not just within girl-serving organizations or in our statehouse or in our classrooms – but other parts of the ecosystem that serve boys and girls."
Leaders say they plan to use the data to advocate for girls' needs at the local and state level.
"To really ensure that all girls' wellbeing is prioritized in the state of Indiana," said Pickerrell.
"It's an elephant," said Shockey. "It's one bite at a time, but I'm proud that we took this bite. That we took the first step to raise up that girls are uniquely different and special."
As for the girls, they ended the conversation with advice for Indiana adults with young daughters or granddaughters.
"You can encourage them to do what they want to do and be happy with that," said Bhavya. "There is a lot of peer pressure at school already. You don't want to add to what your daughter is feeling."
"I would say just check up on her," said Hannah. "You don't know what's going on in the inside, and sometimes all we need is just a little support and comfort just to get us through whatever is happening."