Building Resilience in Youth - What It Really Takes

Resilience is often misunderstood as "toughing it out," but for youth—especially those navigating trauma or instability—resilience is built, not born. It requires support systems, skill-building, and the belief that better is possible.

The Science Behind Resilience:

• Harvard's Center on the Developing Child identifies stable relationships, supportive communities, and opportunities to develop coping skills as key to building resilience.

• Youth with access to caring adults are 40% more likely to bounce back from adversity.

How to Build It:

• Emotional Regulation Skills – Teaching mindfulness, coping strategies, and emotional literacy.

• Consistent Support – Mentorship, community leaders, and peer groups that provide trust and encouragement.

• Opportunities to Lead – Empowering youth to make decisions, take initiative, and discover their own strengths.

Growv's Role: We build resilience by helping youth reframe their stories. Through group sessions, skill-building workshops, and affirming spaces, we remind them: strength can be soft. And courage shows up every day.