Educating about Dangerous Currents in the Great Lakes

What Katya Did

For her Gold Award Take Action project, Katya created an engaging activity book focused on swimming safety when she learned people didn’t know about dangerous currents in the Great Lakes.

“Many people think that because we are on lakes, currents are not an issue, or as dangerous as ocean rip currents,” she said. “That isn’t true.”

Changing Current Perceptions

A swimmer herself, Katya collaborated with Michigan’s Department of Natural Resources, local authorities, water safety experts, and early education experts to make the book possible. It features 21 pages of interactive activities and interesting visuals to help kids recognize hazards in and around the water, and how to get out of danger if they get stuck in a current.

Michigan’s DNR is planning to distribute 25,000 copies of her Dangerous Currents Safety activity book, beginning at Ludington State Park on Lake Michigan.

“I would like to see it go to all state parks bordering the Great Lakes, the US coastlines, and the Gulf Coast, and eventually to be distributed globally,” she said.

What She Learned

Throughout this process, Katya learned about the importance of networking, how to communicate in the business world, perseverance, and compromise.

Katya graduated from Adlai E. Stevenson High School in Sterling Heights, MI. and was a Juliette Girl Scout.

Find Out More

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

Congratulations, Katya!