My firsthand battle with depression has put into perspective how such a large issue can go unnoticed and therefore undiagnosed. As a teenager with many friends at school, I hear stories about their struggles with mental health issues, and I realize that their accounts are just a few out of the thousands of people who go silently through the same experience. Knowing about all of this suffering makes me want to change the approach that people take to mental illnesses, to educate others on this topic, and to transform how high schoolers deal with mental illnesses.

I decided that I was going to do something to help. In response to the growing issue of mental illnesses among high schoolers, I have decided to focus my Girl Scouts Gold Award on depression. Experiencing firsthand how depression has affected my life, I have decided to educate students and adults on what they can do to help or prevent this rising issue and how to keep a "Golden Mindset." To accomplish this goal, I plan to lead informative group sessions, create this educational website, and share these resources with my community.

I will be focusing on the following key areas: identification, coping skills, and outside sources. Using these tools, I hope to make this website a place where everyone can learn about the things happening to people they love and themselves.