Australian teenage girls are continuing to face neglect and abuse in today's society, making growing up even harder than it already is.
A song has been released by the duo Spare Pages as part of what's called The Illuminate Project, shining a light on the issues disadvantage girls face in Australia.
The project is seeking to raise awareness and empower women to speak up and ask for help when they're struggling. It's is in support of charity SISTER2sister and their mentoring program that partners disadvantaged teenage girls with positive female role models.
Australian musician Emily Rex and American poet Azure Antoinette make up Spare Pages. They spoke to The Huffington Post Australia about the collaborative project.
"It's our take on persevering through adversity. A message both of us would have loved to receive as a young girl or a teenager," Antoinette said.
The pair came up with the song lyrics by asking themselves what they would have liked to have heard through the tough times that life had thrown at them.
"We wanted to encourage people to always find the light, both literally and figuratively," the American poet said.
"This particular song has had such a beautiful reception because the message is ageless. It belongs to humanity, that's why it has been received so well."
Rex explained she felt that personally when she was struggling, she found it scary to share how she was feeling. She said there is a pressure to always be positive.
This is where SISTER2sister's mentoring program comes in. It's where teenage girls are partnered with positive female role models or 'Big Sisters' to inspire and motivate them to overcome adversity and achieve their goals.
Antoinette explained The Illuminate Project gives a new set of eyes to the mentoring program and basically asks people if they want to get involved.
"It's about mentoring and giving an extra ear to speak to if they need it. It's a necessary and critical program," she explained.
The message we want to put across is that hard times do not always last. Whatever you are going through whether it feels long-standing or short-lived it's part of the journey and not a destination. We want to encourage people to keep moving.
"We are reaching out to women who are 25 and older to say that if they want to partner, there is always room. If they are passionate about wanting to be a mentor, they will be well embraced," Rex added.
Antoinette explained that the song, the project and the mentoring program want to show people -- they are never by themselves. There are always people, friends, family and charities like SISTER2sister that want to help.
"The message we want to put across is that hard times do not always last. Whatever you are going through whether it feels long-standing or short-lived it's part of the journey and not a destination. We want to encourage people to keep moving," Antoinette added.