Gold Award Spotlight: Mental Health Help
Girl Scout Ambassador Page earned the Gold Award by completing a service project addressing mental health. Page dedicated over 80 hours toward creating a mental health wellness club at her high school. Page said that the club is a safe space for students to learn how to work through the academic and athletic pressures they face. An estimated 32% of today’s young people experience some form of anxiety disorder, according to the National Federation of State High School Associations.
“My Gold Award project aimed to address the issue of mental health in student athletes,” Page said. “Student athletes face pressure in the classroom and on the field or court, and I want coaches and parents to be aware of the stress they put on their players. Some students may think they are the only one feeling stressed or overwhelmed and do not know how, or when, to ask for help.”
The mental wellness club held bi-monthly meetings, facilitated by Page and other delegated students with support from school coaches and counselors. Through practicing role-play activities, stress-reducing techniques, and other healthy coping skills, Page is helping to improve the quality of life for other students. The club continues with the assistance of volunteers at the school. As an outreach effort, the group recently organized a sports and mental health event open to their peers to bring awareness to the availability of mental health resources and to educate students about the mental wellness club.
Congratulations, Page! Thank you for helping to make the world a better place.
Page’s project was spotlighted on the Nansemond-Suffolk Academy website in this article from October 24, 2022.
