FEMINIST FOUNDER FEATURE: Adwoa Aboah and Daniella Raveh of Gurls Talk
by Ky Polanco
Read this in the FEMINIST ZINE
We caught up with founder Adwoa Aboah and Executive Director Daniella Raveh of Gurls Talk about the intersection of feminism and mental health. Gurls Talk is a safe space both URL and IRL where anyone who identifies as a gurl, including non-binary young people and those exploring their gender, can find community healing and care. The community-led non-profit organization was created following Adwoa’s, personal experience with mental health. Gurls Talk creates space for gurls to access mental health resources, share their experiences and support each other so they never feel alone or have to reach a breaking point.
How did you come up with the idea for Gurls Talk?
Adwoa: When I was younger, I struggled with my mental health and identity. I felt like I didn’t belong and had nowhere to turn to for help or support. I didn’t really have any resources; I lacked language to even understand what I was going through and felt really isolated in my experience. After reaching a breaking point with my mental health and addiction, I was finally able to get help and wondered - why did I have to hit rock bottom to get the help I needed all along? So I started Gurls Talk as a safe space where female-identifying people can share what they’re going through, connect through their experiences and get the resources they need to nurture their mental health. It’s what I wish I had growing up - a judgment-free space for girls to talk, relate, share, validate and support. One where no topic is off-limits and everyone can feel accepted for who they are and empowered to care for themselves as well as others. Our society often only recognizes mental health when it reaches a crisis, which is exactly what happened to me. I wanted to change that culture and create something that finds people upstream, so they never have to reach a breaking point or feel alone in their mental health journeys.
Why is it important to have open conversations about mental health?
Adwoa: Society has begun to recognize the importance of mental health. But it still has stigma and a sense of secrecy attached to it. Mental health is just as necessary as physiological health and deserves to be a part of public health conversations. When we cultivate an open, honest, and responsible dialogue around mental health, we make it safe to share our own experiences and feel a little less alone.
Daniella: These conversations also expose issues of sexism within the mental health field. Historically, society has pathologized normal female experiences. Words like hysteria, lunacy and “crazy” have been used as weapons against women’s credibility. Misogyny and oppression have also harmed women’s mental health over centuries Through open mental health dialogue among women, we give a voice to these struggles while building a nuanced and responsible narrative around women’s mental health. Wherever these conversations happen, the most important part is that they exist.
What has it been like to watch the Gurls Talk community grow and connect with people all over the world?
Adwoa: I never imagined so many people would rally around my story, and it just shows you how many people out there have had similar experiences but lacked a safe space to share them. It’s been amazing to see connections created among gurls, whether they’re in New York, Warsaw, Accra, LA or London.
Daniella: Our whole purpose is our community. We became a non-profit out of demand from the community and everything we do is community-led. There is nothing more meaningful than seeing our members connect all over the world - whether through an in-person event, online dialogues, through our ambassador program or by relating to a community member’s submission where they share their experience. These connections are deep and long lasting, and our community has grown into one where girls find support but also deeply commit to supporting their peers.
Our society is so individualized and for long, mental health has been seen as an individual’s problem, divorced from larger political, cultural and societal issues. We see so much focus on ‘self-care’ these days. Of course that’s important, but so is community care. Gurls Talk is about creating support for both the individual and the community.
"My idea of feminism means freedom. The freedom to choose the type of life I want to live."
— Adwoah Aboah
What advice do you have for young people who are feeling alone?
Adwoa: Loneliness can feel and look different to different people. You can be in a room full of people and feel alone, or you can feel like you have not had a deep human connection in some time. In these moments, take a second to pause and ask yourself what does support mean to you? What would you like support to look like? When was the last time you reached out to a friend, family member, fellow community member? In a post-covid world— and particularly for young people, who have carved their social spaces in an online world— loneliness can feel all-encompassing. I would urge young people all over to find their tribe. It can be a local community sports club, joining a social league, starting a new hobby, or finding an online community of support such as ours.
Daniella: Struggling with your mental health or identity can be such an isolating experience, even though so many out there actually struggle with the exact same issues. It can be difficult to open up and share what you’re going through, but it’s so important to reach out for connection and support when you need it.
How do you use your power to empower your community?
Daniella: Vulnerability is so powerful. It is a huge part of our ethos at Gurls Talk not only because it builds deep connection but also because we know that sharing your experience and how you got through it can reduce stigma and encourage others to get the help they need. Sharing your story can change your life and get you the support you need— but it also can change the lives of so many others.
What does being a feminist mean to you?
Adwoa: My idea of feminism means freedom. The freedom to choose the type of life I want to live. The freedom to participate or not participate. For much of human existence the patriarchy has dictated how women should lead their lives. And although we have come a long way with obtaining basic human rights and forging our own paths, we still face heavy expectations. For me, feminism is deconstructing these schemas. It is up to me to decide how much space I want to take up, and how I decide to present myself in these spaces.
Daniella: To me being a feminist is about honoring individuality. Making space for all of our unique experiences, circumstances and stories and honoring each and every one of them as valid and valued. So many women, especially women of color, are written off and invalidated by society on a daily basis. We are here to validate these experiences, especially when it comes to psychological wellbeing, which is shaped by broader sociopolitical and power dynamics, especially for those with overlapping experiences of marginalization.
It doesn’t help to tell a single mother with no healthcare to meditate. We need to hold space for these stories, understand these experiences through a social justice lens and advocate for community care through policy as much as self-care.