About Us

History

The founding story of Her Haven

Her Haven was founded upon a shared realization between five girls from different communities, cultures, and experiences: countless girls around the world are silently struggling, yet far too many feel they must carry those burdens alone.

Across schools, homes, and online spaces, we witnessed girls quietly battling anxiety, loneliness, insecurity, stress, grief, self-doubt, and emotional exhaustion behind composed smiles and carefully maintained appearances. Many felt afraid to speak openly about their emotions out of fear of judgment, misunderstanding, or being perceived as weak. Others simply lacked a safe environment where they felt truly seen, heard, and understood.

What deeply moved us was the universality of these struggles. Whether among girls in rural villages in China facing isolation and limited emotional support, or among girls in countries such as Canada and the United States navigating academic pressure, comparison culture, and overwhelming expectations, the emotional experiences were strikingly similar. Though separated by oceans, languages, and lifestyles, so many girls shared the same quiet feeling of loneliness.

As we reflected on these experiences, we realized that despite living in a digitally connected world, there was still no dedicated space created specifically for teenage girls to openly share their emotional journeys in a supportive, safe, and empowering environment. Much of social media encourages perfection rather than authenticity, leaving many girls feeling pressured to conceal their struggles instead of expressing them honestly.

We created Her Haven to change that.

Her Haven was built to be more than simply a website. It was envisioned as a sanctuary, a compassionate global community where girls can connect with one another through understanding, empathy, and shared experiences. A space where vulnerability is treated not as weakness, but as courage. A space where girls uplift one another rather than compete with one another. A space where every girl, regardless of where she comes from, can feel welcomed, valued, and safe to express what she carries in her heart.

At Her Haven, girls are reminded that they do not need to face their struggles in silence. Through supportive conversations, peer connections, sharing circles, and meaningful friendships, girls from entirely different parts of the world are able to come together to support, encourage, and empower one another.

We believe healing begins when people feel understood. We believe strength grows through connection. Most importantly, we believe that every girl deserves a community where she can speak openly without fear and know that her emotions, experiences, and voice truly matter.

Her Haven was founded with the hope that no girl, anywhere in the world, will ever have to feel alone in her struggles again.

FUTURE

Vision, Mission and Value

Her Haven’s mission is to foster a safe online space where girls can understand their minds in healthy ways, share their feelings, find guidance, and grow in confidence.

Her Haven’s vision is a world where every girl can talk about her emotions without fear, receive the support she needs, and grow into a strong, hopeful, and empowered woman. Through safe online programs and comforting resources, Her Haven provides a true “haven” where girls feel embraced, supported, and free to express themselves as they discover who they are.

PERSONNEl

Introduction of the team

Angela Zang is a grade 9 student at Webber Academy in Calgary, Canada, and the founder of Her Haven, a youth-led community dedicated to supporting girls’ mental health. Through volunteering with underprivileged students, supporting rural education initiatives, and working with organizations that empower young women, I began to realize how many girls quietly struggle with stress, pressure, insecurity, and emotions they often feel afraid to talk about.

I started Her Haven because I wanted to create the kind of space so many girls wish they had- a space where they feel safe, supported, understood, and never judged for what they are going through. Too often, girls feel like they have to hide their struggles or face them alone. Her Haven was created to remind every girl that her feelings are valid, her voice matters, and she never has to go through difficult moments alone.

Through this community, I hope to help girls feel more confident, empowered, and connected to one another. Above all, I want Her Haven to be a place where girls can find comfort, strength, and the reminder that healing begins when we support each other with kindness and compassion.

Clara Kang is a grade 9 student at Southridge School in Vancouver, Canada and a co-founder of Her Haven, a youth-led initiative dedicated to supporting girls’ mental health. Outside of Her Haven, I’ve volunteered to teach English to underprivileged students, contributed to rural education programs, and taken part in my community’s Youth Council.

Being part of Her Haven has given me the opportunity to help create a space where girls can feel genuinely supported and understood. I know that many girls quietly struggle with stress, anxiety, pressure, and self-doubt, often feeling like they have to deal with those emotions alone.

Through this initiative, I hope to remind every girl that she deserves kindness, support, and care- not only from others, but also from herself. I believe mental health should be treated with openness and compassion, and that no girl should ever feel alone in what she is going through.

I’m Amanda Zang, a secondary school student at Webber Academy in Calgary, Canada, and a co-founder of Her Haven. I have experience volunteering as an English tutor for underprivileged students, where I developed a deeper understanding of how access to support and encouragement can shape a young person’s confidence and emotional well-being.

I’ve also participated in Technovation Girls, a global competition sponsored by the UN that empowers young women to use technology to solve real-world problems. My team and I advanced to the Asian Semi-Finals, an experience that strengthened my belief in girls’ ability to lead, create, and drive meaningful change in their communities.

I co-founded Her Haven because I recognize that many girls around the world are quietly struggling behind their smiles, often feeling unseen or alone in what they are going through. Her Haven was created as a safe and supportive space where girls can openly express their emotions, connect with others who understand similar experiences, and feel reminded that they are never walking their journey alone.

I’m Anthea Sun, a high school sophomore in the Bay Area and a co-founder of Her Haven. I’m passionate about the UN Sustainable Development Goals, especially gender equality and women’s rights, and I care deeply about how these global issues connect to girls’ everyday mental health and sense of self-worth.

Through my work with a nonprofit called Change for Her, where I served as a social media lead and an online business instructor, I helped support initiatives focused on providing young girls with access to menstrual products and equal educational opportunities. That experience showed me how inequality and lack of support can directly impact a girl’s confidence, dignity, and mental well-being.

With Her Haven, I hope to help build a compassionate and empowering space where girls feel seen, supported, and encouraged to speak openly. I believe that when girls are given access to care, resources, and community, they are able to grow with more confidence, resilience, and freedom to become who they are meant to be.

I’m Ivy Li, a high school student at Shanghai American School and a co-founder of Her Haven. My passion for advocacy began after learning about the experiences of women and girls facing oppression and injustice around the world, especially in Middle Eastern countries. Those stories inspired me to write research papers and case studies focused on women’s rights and the importance of creating safer, more supportive environments for girls everywhere.

I’ve also used dance as a way to express solidarity, emotion, and hope. In response to the death of Mahsa Amini and the global movement that followed, I performed to the protest anthem “Baraye” to honor the voices of women fighting for freedom, dignity, and the right to be heard. Through these experiences, I began to understand how deeply mental health is connected to feeling safe, valued, and empowered to speak openly without fear.

That is one of the reasons I helped create Her Haven. I wanted to help build a community where girls feel supported not only emotionally, but also personally- a space where they can express themselves honestly, uplift one another, and know that their voices matter. Through Her Haven, I hope girls around the world can grow up feeling confident, understood, and never alone in what they are going through.