Recent CDC studies reveal 57% of high school girls have “persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness” nearly twice as high as males. And while May is officially Mental Health Awareness Month, here at Girl Scouts, we consider a girl’s mental well-being a top priority all year long and our programs reflect that.
Though most troops may be on pause for the summer, the next few months can still be filled with friendship-building and self-confidence-boosting activities that positively impact their mental health. Here are 4 ideas to help your Girl Scout stay connected to what matters this summer.
1. Connect with Herself - The Resilient. Ready. Strong. wellness patch program is filled with loads of no-cost ideas for all ages and Girl Scout levels. Download the free guide (in English or Spanish) and get your girl started on hands-on activities ranging from gratitude journals to songwriting, to animal care. Activities can be done alone or with friends or family.
2. Connect with Nature – Studies show that being in nature even for half an hour a day helps us feel better mentally and physically. There are many opportunities in Georgia to hike, fish, go biking or river tubing. Girl Scouts also offers day and overnight camps with opportunities for lake swimming, horseback riding, and miles of nature trails. Is your Girl Scout nervous about attending a camp for the first time or without a friend? Our counselors are trained to ease a girl’s worries and connect her with others. We have almost 100 years of experience in delivering a safe, fun, and memorable summer camp experience to all ages.
Beginning June 1 your Girl Scout can take part in the “Girl Scouts Love the Outdoor Challenge.” Download your free activity guide so she can jump into a variety of outdoor activities in easy ways with little to no cost or travel time. Whether she has an open window, a backyard, a balcony, or a nearby park, she can join in the fun.
3. Connect with Friends and Family - According to doctors, supportive relationships increase your sense of belonging and purpose, boost happiness and reduce stress. This summer, set up a time for your girl to get together with members of her troop to play, be silly, and catch up with each other. Encourage her to try a new hobby like photography, woodworking, or anime illustration. Bring her and the family to one of our Girl Scout Days with a few of our area partners and share the fun at theme parks, professional sporting events, museums, and classes with savings up to 50% off. Don’t forget to take pictures of your day, print them, and help your girl create a scrapbook to remember her adventures.
4. Connect with Community - Mental health experts agree helping others gives us purpose and creates a sense of well-being. In the Girl Scout Law, we promise to “make the world a better place” and summer is a great time to put that Law into action. Ask your girl what she’s passionate about and help her find a way to turn that passion into purpose. For example, does she love animals? Maybe she can collect towels or newspapers for the local shelter. If she’s completed the prerequisites, she can learn more about the Girl Scout High Awards at our Silver, Bronze, and Gold Award summer academies. Here, with girls her own age, she can spend the day developing a take-action project for the upcoming Girl Scout year. Previous Girl Scout High Awards include building a little library, running a water safety course, creating a used musical instrument donation for students at a Title 1 school, and designing a mural along the Atlanta Beltline. Visit our events calendar to register.
And if you haven’t reregistered for the 2023-24 Girl Scout year, visit your personal My GS page or speak with your girl’s troop leader. You don’t want your Girl Scout missing out on events like “Girls Night Out” a K-12 evening filled with tips, tools and a little dance and yoga thrown in for stress management. New mental wellness badges, outdoor activities and more are on the way with details available in late summer.
Girls need Girl Scouts more than ever. Girl Scouts is a place where every girl can be herself, where she is physically and emotionally safe. It is a place where every girl belongs and where she will grow in perseverance, confidence, and resilience.
