Northview Student Earns Girl Scout Gold Award

JOHNS CREEK, GA - From Student Leadership Johns Creek: Anuhya Kasam, a junior at Northview High School and member of Student Leadership Johns Creek, traveled internationally and met people from all over the world for her Girl Scouts Gold Award project. The Gold Award is the highest achievement within Girl Scouts and is the most prestigious award in the world for girls. This award recognizes girls who demonstrate extraordinary leadership with sustainable projects and is earned by only 5% of Girl Scouts.

More than 300 million people suffer from stress- caused depression, according to the World Health Organization. After gauging the stress levels of her high school peers through a schoolwide survey, Anuhya found that 90% of her classmates are stressed every day. Seeing these statistics, Anuhya decided to take initiative to solve the growing issue of stress; thus, project “DeStress 101” began.

After researching teenage stress, Anuhya found that students are generally stressed because of
overscheduling, a demand for exceptional academic scores, parental pressures, and uncertainty for the future. Students struggle with getting assignments finished on time, staying organized, handling environmental pressures, and knowing about their higher education and job options. Anuhya also found that there are several hormones that are essential in reducing stress. Endorphins that are released during laughing reduce the negative effects of cortisone during stress. Serotonin makes people sociable and happy, and dopamine keeps people alert and focused to achieve their goals. All of these hormones can be balanced through breathing techniques and yoga postures, which were taught to the students in the series of workshops.

The six workshop locations were the Andhra Lutheran College in Guntur, KBN College in Vijayawada,
Northview High School in Johns Creek, and local community centers in London and Johns Creek. She was
also selected to present this workshop at the Girl Scouts Volunteer Leadership Conference for adult
volunteers.

“My most touching experience was at the end of the KBN college workshop in India... before I left, a college student ran up to me and told me how much I motivated and inspired her through the workshop,” Anuhya says. “It was heartwarming to see an immediate impact of the project, and her statement made me more confident for the rest of my workshops.”

To ensure that the wonders of these workshops are accessible to more girls, boys, and their families, the
DeStress 101 team members are continuing to spread these workshops through clubs and programs to other schools and colleges in several countries. Anuhya is also getting several invitations to present at national and global conventions. Through the ongoing inclusion of new volunteers, these workshops are reaching thousands of students.

“Through my project, I had the opportunity to transform so many people’s lives. Being stress- free is so
important in this modern-day society, so I hope my project continues to inspire people to take control of their lives and minds,” Anuhya states. For more information on DeStress 101 visit https://destress101.weebly.com/.

Images via Student Leadership Johns Creek