LUMBERTON — A local Lumberton Girl Scout recently received the Gold Award for addressing teen suicide rates in her community.
The Gold Award is the highest and most prestigious achievement in Girl Scouting and is awarded to fewer than 6% of Girl Scouts annually. Autumn Walters has joined generations of young women who have earned their Girl Scout Gold Award while making a difference in their communities both locally and globally.
For her Gold Award project, titled “Project Warrior,” Walters worked to address teen suicide rates in her community. She acknowledged that teenagers may be less likely to share their emotions because they fear their issues may not be taken seriously, and wanted to help teenagers find solutions to their problems through early communication. Walters began “Project Warrior” as a way of helping her community gain more information on suicide by providing facts, statistics, helpful ideas and stories through the project. She also used the project to promote ways to get help through a website she made.
Walters is the daughter of Myra and Kent Walters and is a junior at Freedom Christian Academy. Walters has been in Girl Scouts since 2007 and is in Girl Scout Troop #17, led by her mother. In addition to Girl Scouting, Walters participates in her worship team at church, National Honors Society and is a part of Freedom Christian Academy’s Student Leadership team.
On average, girls spend one to two years working to complete their project. Girls must follow the steps of identifying an issue, investigating it thoroughly, getting help and building a team, creating a plan, presenting the plan, gathering feedback, taking action and educating and inspiring others.
“We congratulate Autumn on this remarkable achievement. When a girl ‘Goes Gold,’ she has taken the lead and demonstrated that she possesses the courageous qualities of a G.I.R.L. (Go-getter, Innovator, Risk-taker, and Leader),” said Lisa Jones, chief executive officer, Girl Scouts — North Carolina Coastal Pines. “The Girl Scout Gold Award shows that one girl, one voice and one project can have a powerful and lasting impact on the world.”
