ASHEVILLE, N.C. (828newsNOW.com) — With three colorful badges and an age-appropriate curriculum, Girl Scouts are bringing mental wellness to the top of scouts’ minds.
Girl Scouts of the U.S.A. (GSUSA) has teamed up with the National Alliance on Mental Illness and HCA Healthcare Foundation for the effort, which was announced Monday at a small gathering at HCA-run Mission Hospital in Asheville.
The program gives girls in grades 4 through 12 a chance to earn patches by completing a curriculum at three different age-based levels. Junior-level girls can earn a “Knowing My Emotions” patch; Cadettes can earn “Finding My Voice” patches; and the Senior/Ambassador-level Scouts earn a “Showing Up for Me and You” patch.
It’s intended to teach about different mental health conditions, how to identify stressful situations, different types of self-care and coping skills, using kind and inclusive language, and how to ask for help when the scout or others around them need it.
For example, for older girls, one of the messages in the curriculum states: “If you are struggling with your mental health, it’s important to know that you are not alone. Lots of young people face mental health and wellness challenges — so you should never feel embarrassed or worried about asking for help.”
Materials for the patch program were developed by NAMI and a special Girl Scouts advisory committee, which included two HCA Healthcare behavioral health experts.
“We are really excited for this partnership and excited to help further destigmatize mental health care across our community,” said Melina Arrowood, COO of Behavioral Health from Mission Hospital’s Sweeten Creek Mental Health and Wellness Center.
She was joined by Jennifer Wilcox, CEO of Girl Scouts Carolinas Peaks to Piedmont, at Monday’s event in Asheville.
For more information, see:
Mental Health Matters