girl scouts of the colonial coast
For her project, “Break the Stigma,” Kaylee addressed the
lack of education and readily available resources surrounding mental health
issues. She was determined to find a way to help others achieve positive mental
health status.
Kaylee created visibly labeled bookshelves filled with
informational pamphlets on mental health for students to bring home to their
families in order to start a conversation about the subject. She wanted to
erase the stigma surrounding mental health so that more students could become
more confident in asking for help. Kaylee also created a public service
announcement to be played on the morning announcements at her school to inform
the student body of the resources that were in the library.
“Mental health is an issue that impacts my friends and me.
Some suffer from anxiety and others from depression,” she said.
Kaylee used her project to inspire others by posting on her
social media accounts to start a discussion on mental health with her friends. She
also posted the PSA on her YouTube channel for the public to view and posters
were placed in participating high schools.
According to Kaylee, the most successful aspect of her project
was when she got to help many students who struggled with mental health.
Her project was recognized by National Alliance on Mental
Illness (NAMI) with requests to implement in the Virginia Beach Schools.
In addition, Kaylee was honored in April 2019 as Scout of the Year by Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 4809 for the work she has done in her community.
In addition, Kaylee was honored in April 2019 as Scout of the Year by Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 4809 for the work she has done in her community.
