Bailey Livengood of Girl Scout Troop 20023 in Lincoln County has earned the Girl Scout Gold Award for a community leadership and service project that supports teen mental health and helps students cope with stress.
Aiming to aid high schoolers in dealing with the overwhelming pressures and expectations they deal with daily, the Girl Scout Ambassador partnered with Gaston Christian School for “Project Stress Less” to give students a space to decompress and relieve stress throughout the school day.
“Students in my community have been overwhelmed about homework, schoolwork and overall grades,” said Livengood, a Girl Scout of nine years. “It was important that we found a way to rest along the way.”
Bailey partnered with her school’s Fruits and Roots Club and the Interact Club to create a sensory garden that can be used by students and staff alike. By creating an outdoor space with various textured areas, scented flowers and instruments, the sensory garden acts as a place to reset and recharge.
Girls in high school can earn the Girl Scout Gold Award by creating sustainable change on a community or world issue. They address the root cause of a problem, plan and implement innovative solutions to drive change and lead a team of people to success. Each Girl Scout must dedicate a minimum of 80 hours to planning and carrying out their project that benefits the community and has a long-lasting impact.
Gold Award Girl Scouts gain tangible skills and prove they are the leaders our community and world need, and those from the Girl Scouts Carolinas Peaks to Piedmont (GSCP2P) council have created community gardens, addressed issues in foster care, combated bullying in schools and so much more.
“I learned that not everything is going to work out like you planned the first time,” said the Gold Award Girl Scout. “These challenges were a key part in making me much more resilient and thoughtful when heading through different projects in my life.”
Thousands of Girl Scouts across the country earn the Girl Scout Gold Award each year, which first began in 1916 as the Golden Eaglet. Earning the Gold Award opens doors to scholarships, preferred admission tracks for college and amazing career opportunities. In 2024-2025, 40 GSCP2P Girl Scouts earned their Gold Award.
For more information about local Girl Scouting and leadership projects like earning a Girl Scout Gold Award, visit www.girlscoutsp2p.org.
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