Gold Award project, “A Mindful Girl,” will become a patch program
BEDFORD, NH | At Girl Scouts, we’re all about practicing everyday leadership, preparing girls to empower themselves, and promoting G.I.R.L. (Go-getter, Innovator, Risk-taker, Leader)™ experiences. Julia Tilton, 16, of Amherst, is standing up for what is important to her by changing how girls are negatively affected by social media, Photoshopped images, online stereotypes, and cyber-friendship stress with her Gold Award project, A Mindful Girl. The project provides an educational program for young girls, ages 7-11, to help them find ways to make healthy choices, understand and recognize their true beauty, develop a sense of self-confidence, and forge lasting relationships, both online and off. It will also introduce mindfulness/meditation techniques as ways to de-stress and cope with negativity often found in everyday life.
To help her with this project, Julia applied for and received a $500 Take Action Mini-Grant. She used the money to pay for printing of fliers, patch program booklets, and other materials to be used for workshops with girls. She is holding program workshops at Girls Inc. in Manchester, N.H., and has created a Girl Scouts patch program that girls everywhere can participate in.
“By exposing girls to the truths behind many of the ‘perfect’ images they find online and in the media, my project will work both by educating girls about common stereotypes, gender roles, and the use of Photoshop, as well as by providing them a safe space to share their own experiences with self-confidence,” she said in her project application.
The Take Action Grant was originally awarded to Girl Scouts of the Green and White Mountains by the Jack and Dorothy Byrne Foundation in 2013, which allows GSGWM Girl Scouts of all ages to request mini-grants to support their Take Action projects. According to the original grant request, the girls identify a community issue they would like to address and then apply for a Take Action Mini-Grant using a form available on the council website. The simple form asks them to describe how they identified the issue, how they plan to address the issue, why they need the mini-grant, what other resources they will use to do their Take Action project, and a timeline for completion.
These Take Action projects represent an avenue for girls to use the leadership and problem-solving skills they have built to identify issues in their communities and work with others to implement sustainable solutions, and enables girls throughout New Hampshire and Vermont to develop the leadership skills they will carry through school into college, jobs, and community life.
Being a Gold Award Girl Scout is the ultimate achievement with modern metrics for today’s girls for making a sustainable impact on the world. Gold Award Girl Scouts earn college scholarships, enter the military at a higher rank, and – most importantly – are committed to creating a better future for their entire community.
About Girl Scouts of the Green and White Mountains: Girl Scouts of the Green and White Mountains is recognized throughout New Hampshire and Vermont as a leading expert on girls. Our innovative leadership programs help girls discover, connect, and take action as they develop strong values, a social conscience, and a deep sense of self and their potential. Through our exciting and challenging programs, Girl Scouts not only participate but also take the lead in a range of activities—from kayaking, archery, and camping, to coding, robotics, financial literacy training, and beyond! Serving more than 10,000 girls throughout New Hampshire and Vermont, girls discover the fun, friendship, and power of girls together. Visit www.girlscoutsgwm.org.
