Emily Herrmann and Lauren Dombrowski, graduating seniors at Clarkston High School, were among 25 scouts honored by Girl Scouts of Southeastern Michigan with the Gold Award.
Herrmann installed an Outdoor Musical Playground at Depot Park for her Gold Award Project. Her inspiration stemmed from a choir classmate with Down Syndrome who always had a positive emotional reaction to the music. Herrmann researched the effects music has on individuals with special needs and decided to raise funds to install the playground. The Outdoor Musical Playground is a teaching tool to help kids with different learning abilities create and engage with music.
“Creating my Gold Award project has increased my patience and compassion,” Herrmann said. “I’ve always strived for inclusivity, especially involving people who’ve felt unnoticed or ignored. However, because of my Gold Award journey, I want to have a career that will help give people a voice.”
After realizing a substantial portion of her classmates were suffering through mental illness, Dombrowski created the Take Care of Your Selfie website to provide reliable resources and information on mental health for high school students.
TakeCareofURSelfie.com links to trustworthy information regarding suicide hotlines and chats, tips to combat anxiety and creating steady mental health habits for LBGTQ teens.
“I didn’t realize how strong of a leader I was until I started my Gold Award project,” Dombrowski said. “Throughout my project, I was managing teams and helped problem solve difficult parts of the program. I learned that when you use your voice, people will listen.”
The Gold Award is Girl Scouts’ highest honor and is presented to scouts who dedicate a minimum of 80 hours to addressing a community issue or problem through a sustainable community change project.