The Maine Mother-Daughter Project —modeled after SuEllen Hamkins and Renee Schultz’s book, The Mother-Daughter Project:  How Mothers and Daughters Can Band Together, Beat the Odds and Thrive During Adolescence — aims to bring mothers and daughters together to create a community that supports mothers, daughters and mother-daughter relationships.  The project is based on the premise that it is possible for mothers and daughters to stay connected during adolescence and beyond.  It is a preventive model that fosters the development of strong and resilient girls.  The project will provide participants with opportunities to look more closely at the social forces that influence mothers and daughters, for mothers and daughters to develop a deeper understanding about their own lived experience, and to create opportunities for mothers and daughters to strengthen their connections with each other and their communities.

The project includes:

• A conference on mother-daughter relationships that was held at University of Maine’s Hutchinson Center in Belfast, Maine, on Friday, October 26, 2012
• A film series on topics that girls face as they navigate their way through adolescence
• The formation of mother-daughter groups that meet regularly in an effort to work together to address the challenges and risks that mothers and daughters face in the U.S.  There are currently six active groups. To learn more about setting up a group please contact us.

The next event will be held on Thursday, June 6,2013 at 7:00 pm at University of Maine’s Hutchinson Center in Belfast, Maine.

The Maine Mother-Daughter Project would not be possible without generous support from the Maine Humanities Council, the University of Maine’s Hutchinson Center, the University of Maine’s Department of Sociology and the University of Maine’s Women’s Studies Program.

Kim Huisman, Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Maine, is the Project Coordinator and  Elizabeth Joy and Tess Walter, undergraduate students at the University of Maine, are the Research Assistants for the project.