Madeline addressed the lack of free extracurricular fitness activities for kids in Mesa County by creating a comprehensive fitness program for the Riverside Educational Center for Kids. The program teaches elementary and middle school students that exercise can be fun and worthwhile by engaging in team building, calming breathing techniques, and confidence boosters.
I chose my project because as a high school cross country runner, I am passionate about exercise and fitness education. In my sport I have learned so much about health and the importance of exercise. However, in Mesa County, there is a significant lack of programs besides sports that are free to students for exercise education, and as a result not many people have the opportunity to learn the same information and skills I had during cross country. I wanted to change this. Through my Gold Award project, I learned organizational skills, lesson planning, and flexibility. I also learned it never hurts to ask for help because you never know what knowledge people have and I gained a new perspective on how much work teachers put into their lessons.
Girl Scouts helps me go outside my comfort zone and try new things. This was true especially during my Gold Award project, where I got to learn communication techniques as well as how to teach students about the importance of fitness.