Celebrating Mental Health Awareness Month

May is recognized as Mental Health Awareness Month nationwide, emphasizing the importance of taking care of our mental well-being. With mental health concerns affecting millions of individuals across the country, it is crucial to prioritize our mental health just as we do our physical health. Through their projects, 13 out of 164 Gold Award Girl Scouts are addressing important mental health topics and raising awareness for a prevalent youth issue. Read more about their inspiring efforts below.

Aurelia Klunder - Beautify, Empower, Inspire: Quotes to Uplift Our School
Aurelia addressed poor mental health by beautifying her high school with paintings and quotes to boost happiness and instill students with confidence.

Diya Pradhan – Mental Health Through Mindfulness
Diya Pradhan conducted a project aimed at raising awareness and educating her community about mental health and mindfulness. She held workshops that focused on teaching attendees various techniques to improve their mindfulness. The goal of the project was to promote mental health and wellness within the community, by providing attendees with the tools to cope with stress and anxiety. Through the workshops, Diya hoped to encourage individuals to prioritize their mental health and take positive steps towards maintaining their overall wellbeing while also promoting mental health and well-being within her community.

Lindsay Sherman - Auburn Mental Wellness Room
Lindsay Sherman created a Mental Wellness Room at Auburn Middle School in Warrenton, VA in 2022. She raised $5,000 from her community, family, and friends to fund this project using Give Campus. A Mental Wellness Room is a dedicated space in a school or other organization that promotes relaxation and a reduction in stress levels among its occupants. Wellness rooms commonly contain sensory devices and utilize colors, sounds, and textures to make the occupants more comfortable. Lindsay decorated the room with comfortable furniture, sensory devices, and craft supplies that have been shown to combat stress in adolescents. Lindsay carefully researched how middle-school aged students are impacted by mental health and bought products to support their needs. Lindsay painted the walls a calming blue and the ceiling lights were covered with cloud filters to reduce their harshness. Lindsay provided the room with multiple copies of “Finding Joy” by Liliana McGee, another Gold Award project that focused on mental health.

Mary Wade – The OCD Project
Mary Wade developed a website with education and information resources to help those with obsessive-compulsive disorder and anxiety, and to create public awareness about these mental illnesses.

Josephine Blanton - Double Tap: Social Media and Mental Health
Josephine worked with Kilmer, improving social media use. She hosted workshops, created a lesson, built a website, and started a 24 social media detox day.

Arielle Chretien - Kindness Rock Garden for Soldiers
Arielle built a rock garden for soldiers at the Operation Second Chance facility. The rocks were painted by children, who were educated on mental health issues.

Ryleigh Clark - Women's Health
Ryleigh Clark created a workshop for younger girl scouts to discuss many issues that women/girls encounter during their teenage years like mental and physical health, diet and exercise, and relationships with themselves and others. Ryleigh outlined for the girls with information and expert advice, many topics that she felt would promote strong ideals and positive reinforcement.

Jillian Fortney - Moving for Teen Mental Health
Jillian strived to break the mental health stigma by creating a focused movement room at her school, sharing an informational PowerPoint, and hosting a community Color Run.

Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for more mental health tips inspired by our Gold Award Girl Scouts and register for an Upcoming Mental Health First Aid Class (Virtual).