Throughout her life Elena Press found herself frequenting the campsites and bike trails around her, but noticed the shortage of young girls having these empowering experiences as well. For her Culminating Leadership Project, Elena decided to organize and lead a three-day camping trip for 20 Girl Scouts. Elena wanted others to enjoy in the curiosity and love for the environment that she first gained from her experiences in the Girl Scouts. The goal of Elena’s CLP, Girls Outdoors, was to foster an appreciation of the environment by exposing young girls to the outdoors. Having a connection the outdoors helps girls gain knowledge, skills, confidence and self-reliance that will help lead to healthy lives. The trip involved, among other things, teaching them Leave No Trace principles, risk management, and adequate camping planning. Although Girl Scouts encourages girls to get outside and camp, many scouts rarely have the opportunity to go camping because their leaders are not certified to take them or feel overwhelmed by the immense planning required. Many kids lack the skills and knowledge required to fully take advantage of the outdoors.
“I think it is important that young people feel an appreciation to their land and feel able to pursue their connection with the outdoors facilitated through the great community of Girl Scouts.” – Elena
In order to reach her audience, Elena presented her plan at the local Girl Scout council meeting. From this meeting, she was able to form a connection with the two leaders of troops 7140, 7730, 708 and 77135. She held a number of action team meetings to adequately plan for the trip and determine logistics. Elena also worked to include the girls in planning for the trip.
At the end of the three days, the campers regretfully packed up and left, taking their newfound knowledge and happy memories. Twenty girls attended throughout the weekend, in addition to multiple parents, a few siblings, the troop leaders and Elena.
A date for next year’s camping trip is already set! Elena hopes to further her connections with these troops and forge new ones. She will continue to work to equip kids with the skills they need to spend time outside and implement environmentally sustainable practices in her town. This summer, Elena is traveling to Alaska to continue to develop her own skills in the backcountry, and she was recently selected as an alumni representative on the Alzar School’s Advisory Committee.