Girl Scouts is here for the girls. Girls like Gold Award Girl Scout Tatiana T., whose Calm-4-You website and video channel educate elementary school students on mental wellness and coping skills. On her website, Tati says: “Your emotional health is just as important as your physical health, the only difference is that you can’t see your mental health. This can make it difficult to talk about. Talking about your mental health is NOT embarrassing or stupid. All of the feelings you are having are valid, which means you have a right to your feelings and the right to talk about them.” Tati said this topic was very important to her because “living my teen years with a brain injury made me realize how important normalizing and talking about mental health is within our communities.”
Tatiana is just one of 119 girls last year who received the Gold Award – the most prestigious award that can be earned in Girl Scouts.
Putting girls’ needs at the center of everything we do is our top priority at GSNorCal. Last year, girls identified key topics that are important to them, which inform our program development. Their choices included climate change & social justice, diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB), and mental wellness. The experiences we provide for girls in Girl Scouts are one way we can support girls’ positive mental wellness. Will you be a part of a community that believes in the power of girls to change the world?
Girl Scouts is here for our communities. Girl Scout Alum, former GSNorCal Board Member, and Girl Scout Hero honoree Stephanie Hannon, Senior Director of Product Management at Google, shared that her personal superpower was “making it okay to talk about emotions at work,” especially when working on a critical project like the COVID-19 Exposure Notification project in partnership with Google and Apple. She went on to explain: “A project that is about the pandemic can be really scary. It’s more important to say, I’m sad, I’m scared, I’m tired, I’m happy, I’ve had a good day, I’ve had a bad day. Making it okay to talk about that at work and modeling talking about that at work, I think is a superpower and something I’m really proud of.” Be inspired by all of our hero honorees here.
Girl Scouts is here for you! Whether you are an alum, a supporter, a Girl Scout family, a volunteer, or a friend in our community—your Girl Scout sisters are here and are willing to ask “are you okay? We have all been living through a transformative time and the connection to others and community building that is core to Girl Scouting is crucial to mental wellness. The sisterhood of Girl Scouts is more important than ever.
Can we count on your support to be there for girls and your community today and in the future? Your gift of any amount will help girls build courage, confidence, and character in a safe, no-limits environment designed for girls and by girls.
Visit www.gsnorcal.org/yea to make your gift by December 31 or Text SISTERHOOD to 366283. Thank you for sharing our belief in the power of girls to change the world.
