More Than Workshops: How Better Me for Girls Sparked Confidence and Change
From June 2025 to January 2026, Pratthanadee Foundation delivered the Better Me for Girls program to 678 girls in Ubon Ratchathani Province, supporting adolescent girls at an important turning point in their lives. Through four connected workshop modules, girls gained practical knowledge, stronger confidence, and skills to make informed decisions about their education, health, finances, and safety.
The program was designed to respond to the real challenges girls were facing. Many entered with big dreams, but also with uncertainty, limited guidance, and gaps in practical life knowledge. Some were already navigating safety risks, financial pressure, and difficult decisions about their futures without enough support. Better Me for Girls was created to help change that.
Across the program, girls took part in four modules:
- Preparing for Success – education and career readiness
- Family Planning – sexual and reproductive health knowledge and support awareness
- Financial Planning – budgeting, saving, and scam awareness
- Claim Your Rights – safety, violence prevention, and help-seeking readiness
The results show meaningful change. By the end of the program:
- 95% had started or regularly assessed their own abilities for education and career planning
- 71% had started or regularly sought family planning or health information
- 65% had started or regularly recorded income and expenses
- 92% had started or regularly assessed risk in unsafe situations
- 87% had started or regularly followed safety news
Girls also reported strong gains in the knowledge and readiness needed to navigate their futures:
- Ability to plan education and career pathways rose from 35% to 85%
- Understanding of family planning rose from 16% to 77%
- Knowledge of where to seek family planning support rose from 6% to 71%
- Ability to apply financial knowledge in daily life rose from 22% to 81%
- Readiness to prevent or respond to danger rose from 32% to 85%
- Awareness of safety and emergency support services rose from 9% to 82%
Beyond the numbers, girls described changes that felt deeply personal and real. Many shared that they became more confident to speak up, better able to plan for the future, and more prepared to protect themselves in everyday life. The program helped move girls from uncertainty to stronger voice, clearer direction, and greater readiness to navigate the challenges ahead.
After joining this training, I feel that the knowledge I gained will stay with me into the future.— Feedback from participantI learned many things I had never known before, and the experience made me feel supported and cared for.
I was very happy. Everyone was great. I would love to come again.— Feedback from participantI learned so much new things and became more mindful, more careful, and more thrifty.
The impact also reached beyond individual participants. 99% said they were glad they joined the program, while 79% shared their experience and knowledge with others. This shows that girls were not only learning for themselves, but also passing practical knowledge on to friends, families, and peers.
Teachers also strongly affirmed the program’s value. 100% of teachers rated all four modules as beneficial for students and said they were glad their students participated. This strong support reflects how relevant and needed this kind of life-skills education is within schools and communities.
Better Me for Girls was more than a series of workshops. It created a space where girls could better understand themselves, strengthen their confidence, and gain tools that are often missing from traditional education. By supporting girls to build agency, bodily autonomy, economic resilience, and safety, the program helped lay the foundation for safer choices, stronger futures, and greater gender equality.
