Unplug and reset, say Girl Scouts

DOVER, NH – That cell phone in your pocket sometimes feels like an irresistible force, beckoning constant attention. Three Girl Scouts decided they wanted to help people take a break from screens and created a project called Unplug and Reset, for which they earned Girl Scouting’s highest honor for girls in grades 4 and 5, the Bronze Award.

Annette Mathews, 11, Alice Quigley, 11, and Fiona Baxley, 11, were passionate about limiting screen time. They gave presentations to about 350 students at Dover Middle School and Seacoast Charter School on the effects on the body and mind of too much screen time. Participants were asked to pledge a seven-day break from screens and complete as many activities as they could to complete a bingo card. They ran the challenge June 1-7.

“The goal is to unplug and reset your mind and body, learn something new, and spend time reconnecting with yourself and others,” said Alice Quigley in a report on the project.

There were incentives for bingo card winners donated by local businesses. Activities on the cards included playing with friends instead of texting them, walking a dog instead of playing dog-themed video games, and reading a book instead of watching YouTube videos.

“We also talked to Hannah Chidekel who is a researcher at the Digital Wellness Lab at the Boston Children’s Hospital and helped us by telling us things about too much screen time and how it affects the brain,” said the report. “We also partnered up with the schools so we could give a presentation about too much screen time. At Seacoast Charter School, we partnered with the principal, Nicole Outsen, so we could plan when to explain too much screen time at SCS. At Dover Middle School we talked to the teachers and scheduled a time for when to present at DMS.”

To cover the cost of printing bingo cards and thank you notes, the Girl Scouts took advantage of a $200 Take Action Mini Grant provided by Girl Scouts of the Green and White Mountains, the council serving members in New Hampshire and Vermont.

Girl Scouts are encouraged to take action to make the world a better place. To learn more, see www.girlscoutsgwm.org.

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Girl Scouts discover who they are, tap into the power inside them, and build the confidence to let it shine. Through programs from coast to coast and overseas, girls of all backgrounds and abilities come as they are to explore their passions, meet new challenges, and develop hands-on skills. They find their strengths in science labs and on hiking trails, at cookie booths and in front of city councils. Backed by millions of alums and a network of dedicated adult volunteers and mentors, Girl Scouts drive change to make the world a better place. Along the way, they uncover the tools they need to lead with joy, on their own terms. Join us, volunteer, reconnect, or donate.

Girl Scouts of the Green and White Mountains serves girls throughout New Hampshire and Vermont through volunteer-run troops, events, and virtual programs. Visit www.girlscoutsgwm.org to learn more.