Girl Scouts of Colorado announces Mental Wellness Initiative – Sisterhood of Support!
Our nation is in the middle of a youth mental health crisis and girls are at its epicenter. Half of all mental health conditions start by age 14, but most go undiagnosed and untreated.
At Girl Scouts of Colorado, we are deeply concerned about the mental well-being of our Girl Scouts and the mental health issues, such as anxiety, they are experiencing. We’ve heard loud and clear from Girl Scouts that they want tools and support to help them take the lead for their own mental wellness, as well as that of their peers and community. To provide this, we have partnered with experts in the field to bring the Sisterhood of Support, a new mental wellness initiative to Colorado.
In Girl Scouts we finish the Girl Scout Law by stating “be a sister to every Girl Scout”, affirming that we are here to support each other through the good and bad in life- just like a sister would. Our Sisterhood of Support initiative is a support system for Girl Scouts, leaders, and broader Girl Scout family to learn how to take care of themselves and how to look out for their friends.
What’s to come in 2021 – 2022
Girl Scout Support
Sisterhood of Support patch program: Through lessons developed by GSCO and our partners, Cadettes, Seniors, and Ambassadors will learn the skills, tools, and knowledge to support themselves and their peers.
Rainbow of Feelings: Girl Scout Brownies and Juniors learn about our their feelings and why it is OK to have a rainbow of feelings.
Make Kindness the Norm patch program: Developed by Random Acts of Kindness, Girl Scout Daisies, Brownies, and Juniors explore the power of kindness and how both receiving it and sharing it with others can truly change the world, one kind act at a time.
Sisterhood Retreat: In spring 2022, a weekend retreat at our Tomahawk Ranch resident camp property for Girl Scout Cadettes, Seniors, and Ambassadors and one of their friends (can be a Girl Scout or not) to get some hands-on experience with meditation, mindfulness, self-care, outdoor exercise, and other techniques to build their knowledge around being a mental health ally.
Mastering Meditation through Virtual Reality: Cadette, Seniors, and Ambassadors will get some hands-on experience with a variety of meditation practices through virtual reality. Tapping the expertise of NMHIC, the girls will take part in guided meditation using VR headsets that takes relaxation to high-tech levels with the immersive experience of virtual reality.
Leader Support
Mindfulness in Troops: At the Leadership Summit on September 18, Mindfulness & Positivity Project will deliver a keynote address on the importance of mindfulness in youth, then have a workshop to discover how to bring mindfulness into troop meetings. (Register now for Leadership Summit in gsLearn)
Feelings 101: In partnership with NMHIC, this training will help our adults understand the complexity of feelings that we as humans experience. Simple tools will be provided to help identify and label those feelings to be able to know how to work through them with their Girl Scouts.
Caregiver Support
Mindfulness & Positivity Project Program: This six-week program will give caregivers a deep dive on the science behind mindfulness then explore the knowledge, tools, and skills to support the youth in their life with their mental well-being.
We would like to take a moment to thank and introduce our partner organizations who are supporting Colorado Girl Scouts through their expertise in mental wellness.