KENNEBUNK — Cadette Girl Scouts, Lily Downing of Kennebunk, Libby Towne of Arundel, and Erin Morrison of Kennebunk, earned Silver Awards for their project addressing increased anxiety levels in young children, specifically those in kindergarten.

According to a Girl Scouts of Maine news release, the Girl Scout Silver Award — the highest honor a Cadette can earn — is achieved when Girl Scout Cadettes focus on an issue they care about in their community and take action to make a difference.

After extensive research, the girls discovered several reasons behind the increase amongst young children: separation anxiety susceptibility, nerves about academic transitions, and increased general uneasiness in kids going to school during the pandemic.

After speaking with school counselors and local healthcare providers, the three Girl Scouts came up with the idea of providing kids with a “transitional object,” or an object that reminds them of home and loved ones. The tangible keepsakes would create a sense of comfort and alleviate some of the children’s anxieties. With the help of the school superintendent, kindergarten teachers, and the local recreation department, the girls devised a program for kindergarteners to make fun, unique, and useful objects called “Comfort Keychains.”

The program allows students to keep their keychains near them during school hours to promote a sense of calm and readiness to learn. To ensure sustainability of their project, the girls made an agreement with the parent-teacher association to provide long-term funding.

“To really get something done, you have to be proud of what you’re doing and not be afraid of being judged for your opinions and goals,” said Downing, Towne and Morrison in an email. “When trying to convince someone to help us, we were proud of our project and took responsibility by being transparent and listening to what others had to say … our project did a lot for the youngest members of our community. It will hopefully better their educations and careers as students.

For more information about the Silver Award project, visit www.girlscoutsofmaine.org/ highest-awards-stories.

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