Girls Are Having a Mental Health Crisis—Some Solutions, Though, Are Simple
Two years ago, girls in a national survey reported the highest rates of loneliness on record. Then in 2019—months before COVID-19 was even a blip on most people’s radar—more than one in three girls in the U.S. said they felt extremely anxious on a daily basis. Most tragic of all, suicide rates in girls ages 10–14 tripled between 1999 and 2007 and have risen by 13 percent since then.
Add a global pandemic, widespread lockdowns, separation from their friends, social unrest, and a long-term pause on many social activities and routines, and girls are truly in crisis.
Girl Scouts of the USA has a resource page on its website, Raising Awesome Girls, which includes many articles sharing advice including this article on 7 Ways to Deal When the World Is Just So Overwhelming , and other articles from the past year about how to talk about difficult issues with girls including injustice, standing up for what is right, and COVID-19 among others.
Some additional resources include:
- National Geographic – Talking To Your Kids About Chaos: Here
- Child Mind Institute – Helping Kids Understand the Riots at the Capitol: Here
- And a past article from PBS – Helping Kids Navigate Scary News Stories: Here
Winter outdoor activities for your family
Self-Led Outdoor Activities
It’s undeniable that 2020 has been a challenging year for many of us, but that doesn’t mean it needs to dampen our holiday spirit. Even though activities may look differently this year, the holidays are still a perfect opportunity to spend time with your family and spread cheer to others.
Our annual Join-a-Thon is Wednesday!
Every year, we hold a 12-hour membership drive that provides unique incentives to new Girl Scout members as well as prizes for current members.
If you refer a new co-leader and they join between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. this Wednesday, January 13, you can win!
Girl Scout Cookie Initial Order Taking is happening now!
As of Saturday, January 9, Girl Scouts can take in-person orders through February 7. Online orders can also still be collected.
If you have questions about the Cookie Program, please contact Customer Care ay 1-888-837-6410 or customercare@gswny.org.
Tune into our Facebook Page Fridays at 10 a.m. to hear directly from our Product Program team. Each week they’ll discuss a different cookie-related topic. You can even ask your question your comments and have them answered live.
Videos are available to watch after the live broadcast on Facebook and YouTube.
Upcoming Girl Scout Programs
| Upcoming Girl Scout Programs Programs are marked by level: Daisies/Brownies/Juniors/Cadettes/Seniors/Ambassadors |
| Digital Game Design – S Saturday, Jan. 16 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM Wondermakers Star Spangled Tales – D/B Saturday, Jan. 16 11:00 AM – 11:35 AM Coding Basics with Innova Girls Academy – J/C Wednesday, Jan. 20 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM Buying Power – S/A Thursday, Jan. 21 6:00 PM – 7:00 PM |
| App Development for Ambassadors – A Saturday, Jan. 23 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM Daisy Board Game Invention – D Saturday, Jan. 23 12:00 PM – 1:15 PM Making Fun Games – B Saturday, Jan. 23 12:00 PM – 1:15 PM Travelers – S Saturday, Jan. 9 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM |
| Silver Award Training – C Thursday, Jan. 28 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM Animal Helpers Badge with SPCA Serving Erie County – C Saturday, Jan. 30 9:00 AM – 11:30 AM Winter Blast at Camp Seven Hills – D/B/J Saturday, Jan. 30 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM Breaking the Silence: Mental Health Awareness – D/B Saturday, Jan. 30 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM |
| Breaking the Silence: Mental Health Awareness – J Saturday, Jan. 30 11:30 AM – 12:30 PM Animal Helpers Badge with SPCA Serving Erie County – C Saturday, Jan. 30 12:30 PM – 3:00 PM Breaking the Silence: Mental Health Awareness – C Saturday, Jan. 30 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM Breaking the Silence: Mental Health Awareness – S/A Saturday, Jan. 30 2:30 PM – 3:30 PM |
| Winter Blast at Camp Seven Hills – C/S/A Sunday, January 31 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM Silver Award Training – C Wednesday, Feb. 3 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM Valentine’s Day Theme Squash Book – S/A Wednesday, Feb. 3 6:30 PM – 7:30 PM Winter Blast at Piperwood – D/B/J Saturday, Feb. 6 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM |
| Wondermakers Zooming in the Snow – D/B Saturday, Feb. 6 11:00 AM – 11:35 AM Winter Starry Night At Camp Piperwood – D/B/J/C/S/A/Adult Saturday, Feb. 6 4:00 PM – 8:00 PM Winter Blast at Piperwood – C/S/A Sunday, Feb. 7 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM Senior Think Like an Engineer – S Monday, Feb. 8 5:00 PM – 6:00 PM |
| The programs listed above are available as of January 7, 2021. All programs are virtual unless otherwise noted. To view more programs, visit gswny.org. |
Virtually Outdoors Opportunities
Looking for ways to keep your skills fresh or learn something new while we are unable to be together outdoors? We are bringing the Outdoors…Indoors, and together we are getting prepared to get back out there with our “Virtually Outdoors Series” There is something for everyone and you can join a session your own or with your family. You will receive a package of items you will need to participate and instructions to join our Zoom meeting. Register Now!
Categories: Family Newsletter
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