HAYDEN LIBERTY TROOP 10685

Project Title: INCL(YOU)SION

Gold Award Advisor: Dr. Nazly Nardi

Hometown: Weston

Service Unit: Magnolia

Hayden sought to improve inclusion and empathy among elementary school students. Because of the natural human instinct to seek belonging in a group, it’s all too easy for children to be negatively affected when they are left out of a game at recess, ignored in class, or excluded at a playdate or party. Distance learning worsened the issue, so Hayden wanted to spark the conversation and provide lessons about inclusion and empathy. She began by creating a comprehensive questionnaire asking for people’s experiences when feeling excluded and received more than 400 responses. The feedback guided her to explore how pervasive exclusion can be and the importance of inclusion. Hayden implemented her program in three classes of first grade students at NSU University School in Davie. Through close partnership with teachers and administration, Hayden successfully led interactive lessons of inclusion for social situations and explained the value of empathy—because treating others the correct way will always have a positive impact. Based on her feedback from students, teachers, and families, Hayden knows that the children she taught will grow up making a difference in their communities. Learn more about Hayden’s work on her website: inclyousion.weebly.com

Brooke Miller Troop 10685

Project Title: Project Upc-eye-cle

Gold Award Advisor: Debra Byrne-Mathews

Hometown: Cooper City

Service Unit: Magnolia

Brooke wanted to address the important issue of single-use plastic, like daily contact lens packaging and CDs, because they harm wildlife, ecosystems, and ultimately humans. She knew that younger generations could be educated on how to re-purpose materials, but with cities and school districts failing to prioritize these environmental concerns—especially in low-income areas—action needed to happen. Brooke decided to introduce sustainable lifestyle concepts and upcycling education for elementary students. She partnered with the Title I school, Peters Elementary in Plantation, to create a curriculum about environmental sustainability. Before her project, the elementary school had no campus art programs at all and her interactive and fun lessons encouraged students to follow more eco-conscious practices in school and at home. With her team, Brooke assembled 181 palettes and incorporated two art bins that all classrooms have access to. The art bins include supplies and instructions for classroom crafts that can be made from found objects. By working directly with students, Brooke found that her program was increasing their understanding of recycling and upcycling by more than 300%.

Jasmine Nguyen Troop 20924

Project Title: C.O.R.E. (College Opportunities, Resources, and Education)

Gold Award Advisor: Dr. Nazly Nardi

Hometown: Boca Raton

Service Unit: Luna

Jasmine experienced first-hand how critical a student’s SAT and ACT scores are. These scores are used to distinguish students during college applications and qualify them for valuable scholarships—all to make access to their dream school a reality. As Jasmine started to prepare, she quickly saw how pricey this pursuit can become, including prep courses, books, and tutors. She decided to work on a solution to eliminate financial barriers for economically disadvantaged students—making the dream of higher education accessible to anyone. Her one-stop-for-all website includes free resources, such as full-length practice tests, tips and tricks, and a section to set up online tutoring sessions; plus, information on how to obtain fee waivers for both the SAT and ACT, leverage the Common App, and master AP exams. Jasmine also included a list of scholarships that were divided into an external section (meaning they came from third parties) and a college section including 80 colleges that could be attended for free with scholarships. Jasmine partnered with the EJS Center in Delray Beach to directly connect with students, where she led 40 tutoring sessions and worked personally with 89 students to monitor their progress. Visit her website: collegeore.com

Malina Perdue Troop 20924

Project Title: Destigmatizing Bats

Gold Award Advisor: Merribeth Manning

Hometown: Boca Raton

Service Unit: Luna

Malina is passionate about bats and wanted to destigmatize their reputation while also providing them a safe habitat. With nine native species of bats in Florida, and two on the endangered species list, Malina felt strongly about educating the public about the loss of their habitat due to human disturbance or destruction from development. She also wanted to ignite more curiosity from a scientific perspective. In partnership with Palm Beach County’s Daggerwing Nature Center, Malina built a full educational curriculum for students and adults, teaching guests about the importance of bats and dispelling dangerous misconceptions. Following her live presentations, she led participants to build small bat houses to take home and install. Expanding the reach of her project, MaIina worked with board members of her family’s HOA to install a large bat house adjacent to the nature preserve in her neighborhood, created a community newsletter distributed to 1,842 households, and made a video that is now linked with the Daggerwing Nature Center website. Watch her education presentation: youtu.be/pOVsWe0C7Kk

Yashvi Purohit Independently Registered Member

Project Title: Dance Outreach

Gold Award Advisor: Merribeth Manning

Hometown: Jupiter

Service Unit: Jupiter

As a professional Indian classical dancer, training for 12 years, dance for Yashvi is much more than a hobby. As she moved through her own demanding educational career and activities, she noticed that dance provided important stress relief. In high school, as pressures mounted with assignments, tests, community service, clubs, and sports, Yashvi sought healthy methods of lowering stress and managing anxiety. Many students in her grade turn to unhealthy strategies to keep their minds calm. Stress costs Americans more than $300 billion annually and becomes very harmful when people use coping mechanisms such as alcohol, tobacco, or drugs. Yashvi started dance therapy for children at her temple to help demonstrate the power of dance and how to form healthy habits around stress. To expand her reach, she founded a Dance Outreach Committee through the Future Leaders of the United Nations (FLUN) as part of the sustainable development goals formed by the United Nations. Her Dance Outreach Committee fit perfectly with the UN’s goal for “good health and well-being.” Yashvi chaired the committee for one year and now works closely with the new, incoming chairperson.

Avery Redlich Troop 10685

Project Title: Tight-Knit

Gold Award Advisor: Kimberly Schnitzius

Hometown: Plantation

Service Unit: Magnolia

A major issue facing the homeless population is climate change. Not always top of mind in sunny South Florida, the winter months are getting colder and more dangerous for those without dependable shelter—if a person is in poor health, dropping temperatures without sufficient warmth is a serious life risk. Avery realized that there aren’t enough donations of warm clothes in our increasingly colder winters, so she created a partnership with the nonprofit Showering Love to inform others and make a difference. An avid knitter, Avery personally hand-knit 50 adult-size hats and created educational outreach that attracted other knitters to donate an additional 37 hats. Avery accessed a variety of platforms to get others involved and ensure the project’s sustainability. She created a step-by-step YouTube video teaching how to knit hats, hosted three live events to educate in various communities (one Zoom event attracted participants from Louisiana, Alabama, New York, New Jersey, California, and Texas!), and created an Instagram page to share her work. Learn more about Avery’s mission on her website: tight-knit-community.com