Opinion

Op-Ed: Teens Are Talking to AI—It’s Time for Us to Listen 

By |

[Farrell Lindemann, LMSW, is SHE CARES Program Manager at New Canaan-founded nonprofit organization LiveGirl.]

“I’m going to tell you something I’ve only ever told AI.”  

This summer, as I met one-on-one with girls at Camp LiveGirl, I heard this phrase again and again. Concerned and curious, I immediately began to research this phenomenon. Here’s what I found: 70% of teens are using generative AI, and about one in three teens have used AI companions for social interaction and companionship.  

These numbers come from a report recently published by Common Sense Media, and while the teens’ use of AI might feel alarming, panic or shame are not the answer.  It’s clear that teens will explore these spaces, with or without us. There’s insight here if we pause to listen. This piece unpacks the trend, and ends with concrete guidance for parents who want to support their kids.  We need to approach the phenomenon of the AI chatbot with curiosity, education, and connection.  

Why AI?

Opinion

Op-Ed: From Camper to Counselor — How Camp LiveGirl Shaped My Confidence

By |

As a young camper, I remember chanting, “I am smart, I am strong, I am special” every day at camp with dozens of other girls and then going home and restating it in the mirror at night. Each morning, I couldn’t wait to go back to camp to see all my friends and the counselors I looked up to, to feel a sense of belonging in the sisterhood of LiveGirl. Now, this summer as a counselor, I was able to give back and help inspire the younger girls and help them feel a part of this phenomenal organization. 

LiveGirl, a Connecticut-based non-profit organization founded right here in New Canaan in 2014, is different from any other community I’ve been a part of. Not only do the leaders empower the youth, but they also build relationships that cannot be broken. Camp LiveGirl is an escape from screen time and self-consciousness.

Opinion

Op-Ed: NCHS Senior Intern on the ‘Unique Opportunity’ of LiveGirl

By |

In 2025, women made up 57% of college graduates. Yet, despite representing half of the population and possessing the education to pursue leadership roles, women make up only 28% of Congress and just 11% of Fortune 500 CEOs. These were the statistics shared with me during my first conversation with LiveGirl Founder Sheri West. To fully understand the mission of LiveGirl, it’s important to first recognize the need to support women and girls especially at this moment in history. I had the opportunity to intern at LiveGirl through the New Canaan High School Senior Internship Program.

Around Town

LiveGirl Marks 10 Years

By |

Maggie Murphy remembers thinking as a fifth-grader that Camp LiveGirl “was just going to be like every other summer camp.”

A New Canaan High School senior set to graduate next week and attend the University of Michigan in the fall, Murphy recalled that she only knew that there would be sports and activities there. “What I definitely did not expect was that she [LiveGirl founder and CEO Sheri West] would bring in so many powerful speakers, so we had exposure to so many different empowering women,” Murphy recalled. “At the very end of every single day, everyone went around and told what their favorite part of the day was,” Murphy recalled. “In the beginning of the week, I was one of the younger kids at the camp and I was very shy. And I remember being very proud of myself that I eventually got up in front of the whole camp and said what my favorite part of the day was.

News

‘The Building of a Sisterhood’: Camp LiveGirl Marks 10 Years

By |

For 10 years, a local camp has been providing girls in grades five through eight the chance to become “confident, inclusive leaders.”

LiveGirl’s summer camp is designed to bring leadership development and mentoring skills to girls of all ages. 

While after-school groups such as “Confidence Club” or “LiveGirl League” give girls and young women opportunities to embrace their individuality, advocate for themselves, and develop resilience in the face of challenges, “Camp LiveGirl” fills a gap in the summer. Camp LiveGirl Program Director Shamare Holmes said, “We wanted to make sure that during the summer we don’t lose sight of what our girls need.”

What they need is increasingly important given rising rates among young girls of multiple mental and emotional health problems, such as depression, anxiety and suicidal ideation, experts say. And Camp LiveGirl addresses those issues head-on. In middle school, many girls experience a drop in confidence, their self-esteem reaching all-time lows. For that reason, LiveGirl—founded by New Canaan’s Sheri West, CEO—starts working with them during this period, encouraging them to build resilience and develop their strengths while connecting them with a support system. 

“When you’re in middle school it’s an awkward time so LiveGirl provides that added support to teachers, parents, guidance counselors,” Holmes said.