Get Outdoors for Your Mental Health!

What Eva Did

Eva completed her Gold Award project on the benefits of being outdoors for those who struggle with positive mental health.

She focused on the idea of relaxing and getting fresh air from the comfort of a gently swinging hammock.

Eva created and distributed an educational survey across the United States regarding mental health and being outdoors. She received input from more than 1000 people and her analysis showed:

• 92.4% of respondents said they would be more likely to spend more time outside if they had a hammock to relax in.

• 62.6% of people also said that they would be more likely to visit a park if there were hammocks available.

Hammocks for Happiness

Eva decided her Gold Award Take Action project would be installing sustainable hammock stands at Independence Oaks County Park to help people in her community reap the health benefits for years to come.

“I ended up putting up a total of five stands throughout the park in two different locations,” she said. “These stands are helpful to the environment as well as people because they ensure hammocks are not being hung up on trees, which can damage the bark.”

Since the start of her project, two other local areas have built hammock stands as well.

Eva says that completing her Gold Award project helped her learn how to ask for help and build a team to accomplish goals. She will take these skills she learned throughout her project with her wherever life takes her.

Eva graduated from Clarkston High School in Clarkston, MI. She is a member of Troop 75949.

Find Out More

Check out Eva on the GSSEM YouTube channel talking about her Take Action project and being a 2024 Gold Awards Girl Scout.

Congratulations, Eva!