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New Girl Scouts Patch Focuses on Brain Health to Spark Curiosity, Creativity and Courage

The BrainHealth Patch Program with the Girls Scouts of Northeast Texas promotes possibility thinking and social resilience.

Center for BrainHealth and Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas

Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas and Center for BrainHealth launch hands-on patch program.Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas (GSNETX) and Center for BrainHealth® at The University of Texas at Dallas have partnered to bring the BrainHealth Patch Program to Girl Scouts of all levels. With the goal of empowering girls to focus on brain health, the patch program helps them explore how the brain works and promotes possibility thinking and social resilience.
Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas and BrainHealth intern Jade Nguyen unveiling the new BrainHealth Patch.

Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas meet with BrainHealth Intern Jade Nguyen, designer of the BrainHealth patch.

“You’re never too young to learn about the importance of brain health, which is why we are excited to collaborate with Center for BrainHealth on this new initiative,” said Brittany Kelly, mental health and wellness manager at GSNETX. “At GSNETX, we aim to give girls access to experiences and resources they need to thrive in the 21st century, which is made easier through these partnerships.” The BrainHealth Patch Program is designed for Girl Scouts of all ages to spark Curiosity, Creativity and Courage. The Curious Brain activities empower each girl to explore how their brain works best as they think, feel, play, and connect; the Creative Brain activities bolster confidence and flexibility in how girls take action and make inspired decisions; and the Courageous Brain activities encourage innovation as girls navigate new experiences through a healthy brain lens.“We know that the brain changes every single day based on how we use it,” said Maria Johnson, MA, CCC-SLP, Director of Youth and Family Innovations at Center for BrainHealth. “Through activities that inspire innovation, we are also improving emotional and social well-being. With this unique patch, we are empowering Girl Scouts to become ambassadors of brain health and transform their own lives and those of others.”Caregivers and volunteers will also receive helpful resources to support each girl’s brain health.The BrainHealth patch program is the second program launched by GSNETX that is focused on mental health. The first, the Okay to Say patch, helps girls develop greater social and emotional confidence, increase their social awareness and interpersonal skills, and be more considerate and caring as they explore the impact emotions and thoughts have on their own and others’ behaviors. Okay to Say was adopted statewide by other Girl Scout councils.“Through participating in the BrainHealth Patch Program, girls can discover their own unique brain powers, connect with others creatively, and take action to inspire their family, friends and communities to lead brain-healthy lives,” Kelly said. CONTACT Stephanie Hoefken 972.883.3221 stephanie.hoefken@utdallas.eduABOUT CENTER FOR BRAINHEALTH Center for BrainHealth®, part of The University of Texas at Dallas, is a translational research institute committed to enhancing, preserving, and restoring brain health across the lifespan. Major research areas include the use of functional and structural neuroimaging techniques to better understand the neurobiology supporting cognition and emotion in health and disease. This leading-edge scientific exploration is translated quickly into practical innovations to improve how people think, work and live, empowering people of all ages to unlock their brain potential. Translational innovations build on Strategic Memory Advanced Reasoning Tactics (SMART™), a proprietary methodology developed and tested by BrainHealth researchers and other teams over three decades.Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas Molly Manes 469-831-5444 mmannes@sunwestpr.comWE ARE GIRL SCOUTS Whether they want to climb to the top of a tree or the top of their class, lace up their boots for a hike or advocate for climate justice, or make their first best friends, Girl Scouts of all backgrounds and abilities can be unapologetically themselves as they discover their strengths and rise to meet new challenges. Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas serves girls and adult volunteers across 32 counties. To change the workforce pipeline in STEM and meet the urgent need for female voices, engagement, and leadership in the fastest growing sector of the U.S. economy, Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas opened the STEM Center of Excellence in 2018. The STEM Center is a 92-acre state-of-the-art camp just outside of Dallas where girls can experience programs in astronomy, robotics, coding, computer science and more. Recently, the Girl Scouts of Northeast Texas Board of Directors was recognized with Dallas Business Journal's Outstanding Directors Award and received the Luminary Award from SMU's Annette Caldwell Simmons School of Education and Human Development. Learn more at gsnetx.org or call 972-349-2400.

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Maria Johnson, MA, CCC-SLP

Director, Youth and Family Innovations Lead Research Clinician and Trainer, Charisma Virtual Social Coaching

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