Teen girls don't need to be taught to make themselves smaller

We have a habit of telling girls to calm down, speak nicely, be reasonable, manage their emotions and think before they react.

And while emotional awareness and regulation matter, I think we need to be careful about the message we are sending.

Because there is a difference between helping a young person develop the capacity to navigate big feelings and teaching her that those feelings are inconvenient.

Teen girls deserve spaces where they can be expressive, energetic, strong, uncertain, loud, curious and completely themselves. They deserve opportunities to discover what they are capable of, develop trust in their own judgement and learn that their voice matters.

That's the thinking behind Full Force Teen Girls at Geelong Boxing Club.

Why movement belongs in the wellbeing conversation

Not every young person wants to sit in a room and talk about how they're feeling. Some don't have the words. Some find direct conversations uncomfortable. Others simply engage more readily when there is something to do.

Movement can offer another starting point.

Through structured, non-contact boxing and padwork, young people have opportunities to notice what is happening in their bodies, practise responding to challenge, experience success and build confidence through doing.

The boxing is the vehicle. The learning goes much further than boxing.

Our sessions intentionally create opportunities to develop:

• Emotional awareness and regulation.

• Interoception and body awareness.

• Confidence, agency and self-efficacy.

• Communication, boundaries and assertiveness.

• Positive peer relationships and connection.

• A stronger sense of belonging and community participation.

These skills aren't developed through a lecture. They are explored, practised and reinforced through experience, relationships and coaching.

Not another program about fixing girls

Full Force isn't about making girls more compliant, more agreeable or easier for adults to manage.

It's about creating opportunities for them to understand themselves, recognise their strengths, practise using their voice and develop the confidence to take up space.

There is no sparring, no previous boxing experience required and no expectation that participants need to arrive feeling confident.

They can arrive exactly as they are.

As an educator and child and adolescent mental health practitioner, my work is grounded in the understanding that wellbeing support needs to be accessible, relational and responsive to the young person in front of us. There isn't one approach that will work for every teenager.

Sometimes the most useful starting point isn't asking a young person to explain what's going on. It's creating an environment where she can experience something different, build trust and discover what she can do.

Full Force Teen Girls | Geelong

Our November program is a four-week group for girls aged 12–16, held at Geelong Boxing Club in North Geelong.

• Thursdays, 5:15–6pm

• Four-week program commencing 5 November 2026

• $140 + GST

• Non-contact boxing and padwork

• No experience necessary

Registrations are still open.

If you're a parent, school wellbeing professional, youth worker or practitioner supporting a young person who could benefit from a different kind of wellbeing experience, we'd love to hear from you.

Sometimes confidence doesn't arrive before the experience. Sometimes it grows because a young person finally gets the chance to experience what she's capable of.

That's what we're here to make possible.