girl scouts of the colonial coast
The focus of Kathleen’s project was empowering students to be able to positively deal with bullying situations. Kathleen chose a book, “Smile” by Raina Telgemeier, and developed a discussion guide, resource bookmark and information about bullying that she donated in kits to the library. The kits can be checked out by any member of the library and be used in a book club setting. She then scheduled a discussion at the library for people to come and talk about the book and the issue of bullying.
Kathleen also held a book club meeting at a local middle school and donated five books to Hornsby Middle School and Berkley Middle School.
In order to raise awareness about the issue of bullying and her project, Kathleen sent a letter to the editor to let members of her community know about the new resource available at the local library and schools.
“I have experienced a great deal of bullying, which has taken its toll,” Kathleen said. “I wanted to find a way to provide empowerment to others who might also share my story.”
The Gold Award requires girls to identify an issue in the community and carry out a Take Action project to address the matter through leadership work. Nationwide, less than six percent of eligible Girl Scouts earn the Gold Award, which adds Kathleen to an elite group of female leaders across the country with the honor.
