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MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS MONTH

Documentary earns Deer Valley High grad in Glendale highest honor in Girl Scouts

Amaya Jones makes impact on those struggling with mental health

Posted 5/4/22

With her powerful documentary on self-esteem, Glendale Girl Scout Amaya Jones encouraged self-love in her community while earning the highest honor in Girl Scouts, a Gold Award.

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MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS MONTH

Documentary earns Deer Valley High grad in Glendale highest honor in Girl Scouts

Amaya Jones makes impact on those struggling with mental health

Posted

With her powerful documentary on self-esteem, Glendale Girl Scout Amaya Jones encouraged self-love in her community while earning the highest honor in Girl Scouts, a Gold Award.

“Growing up I struggled with my self-esteem, and it overall damaged my mental health,” Jones shared. “Making this documentary and talking to people not only helped them, but it helped me too.”

For her Gold Award project, Jones created a documentary of interviews with multiple teenagers as well as a psychologist, where each individual discusses self-esteem and how social media has impacted it. The documentary also contains information on how to build your self-esteem if you are having trouble.

“I could see the impact of my project based on the feedback I received from viewers,” she said. “People informed me of how the documentary opened their eyes and helped them realize how self-esteem issues can affect us.”

Looking back on her final product, Jones recognizes how important the documentary process was for teaching her meaningful lessons.

“One thing that will stick with me is that it’s okay to ask for help. I had a whole team and support system who wanted to help and I learned that it’s okay to let them,” Jones said.

A Girl Scout of 12 years with Troop 436 in Glendale, the Gold Award is not only a culmination of Jones’ impactful project but years of hard work in the organization since she was young.

“Being a Girl Scout has truly been a blessing,” she added. “I was taught important life lessons and how to stand up for myself.”

Jones also credits the organization for teaching her skills such as money management as well as communication skills, which helped her overcome anxiety and fear growing up as a shy child.

To earn the prestigious Gold Award, Girl Scouts like Jones must help fix a problem in their community or make a lasting change in the world. Through their Gold Award projects, a Girl Scout tackles issues head-on and puts important skills to use that they learned throughout their Girl Scout experience.

In addition to earning change-maker status in their communities, award winners can stand out from the competition in the scholarship application and college admission process, and even enlist at an advanced rank in the U.S. Armed Forces.

A graduate of Deer Valley High School in Glendale, Jones currently attends the University of Arizona where she is majoring in veterinary science.

If you are a Girl Scout planning to take on a challenge in your community through your Gold Award project, Jones offers a word of advice for your journey.

“One tip that I can give to any Girl Scout is to put your all into the project and make sure you are passionate about what you are doing,” she said. “With that, you will be golden.”

If you or a loved one are struggling with mental health issues, please call 1-800-662-HELP (4357).