girl scouts of the colonial coast
For her project, Hannah focused on helping youth identify the effects of positive and negative self-esteem and build their own self-confidence by hosting workshops for teens at Oak Grove United Methodist Church in Chesapeake. Hannah worked with a school guidance counselor to develop activities, which included games and exercises that helped teens identify and celebrate unique characteristics, find common ground with others and find the courage to follow their dreams. Hannah made “toolboxes” for each participant that outlined the topics in the workshop that teens could keep to use as a reference as they face a variety of situations.
“I chose this project because I struggled with self-esteem issues during my high school years, and I wanted to create an event that would help those around me who are struggling as well,” Hannah said.
Hannah posted all of the activities and resources from her workshops on a website that she created so that people from around the world and use them to promote self-esteem in their own schools, churches and community groups. She also arranged for the youth group at Oak Grove United Methodist Church to continue to host the workshop.
The Gold Award requires girls to identify an issue in their community and carry-out a Take Action project to address the matter through leadership work. Nationwide, less than 6 percent of eligible Girl Scouts earn the Gold Award, which adds Hannah to an elite group of female leaders across the country with the honor.
