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Gold Award Spotlight: Nurture Your Mind with Nature
Concerned about the effects of too much screen time on kids, Girl Scout Ambassador Julia of Troop 15 decided to make a difference in her community and earned the Girl Scout Gold Award along the way. Her inspiring project focused on promoting wellness in Portsmouth, Virginia through a fun event at Paradise Creek Nature Park.
“Many kids live in the city with limited access to greenspaces, have excessive use of electronic devices, and experience difficult home lives,” Julia said. “Many kids would rather stay indoors on their digital devices playing video games, watching their favorite shows, or messaging their friends for hours on end. These activities are more attractive and require less energy. Apps have an algorithm that can make them addictive, and therefore, devices are hard to put down. These root causes are preventing kids from going outdoors and getting the many benefits of nature to improve their mental health and wellness.”
Julia worked to clean up Paradise Nature Creek Park, renovated existing equipment, and added ten exciting sensory stations that encourage kids to explore the great outdoors.
“I hosted a Saturday event where families could experience the new additions to the park,” Julia shared. “I had three nature crafts for kids to create that were run by my fellow Girl Scouts. The Wellness Walk consisted of ten different stations to help you engage in nature including yoga, cloud imagination, tune into nature, touch and feel, design in the dirt, tree and leaf identification, a silence session, a safari, rock tower building, and ‘I spy’. These activities required the users to be creative and to think. The sensory stations were built to calm the mind and help those with sensory impairments that include ADHD, anxiety, or Autism. At the event, I also had a spokesperson, Kerry Mitchell, a Virginia Master Naturalist, who talked about the benefits of nature and her personal experiences.”
With engaging activities like yoga, nature crafts, and even a musical wall, Julia’s event provided a fantastic opportunity for families to connect with each other—and nature! Thanks to her efforts, the park will continue to offer these wonderful features long after her project is complete. Way to go, Julia!
3/13/2025: Julia was named Youth Volunteer of the Year by Volunteer Hampton Roads.
