Chatham Teen Uses Passion For Mental Health In Gold Award Project

CHATHAM, NJ — A Chatham Girl Scout is pursuing the Girl Scout Gold Award by raising awareness in the Chatham community about teenagers who struggle with low self-esteem and negative body image.

Rhea Agarwal, a rising senior at Chatham High School, has been working on a project to boost self-esteem and confidence and improve overall wellness in preteens and teens grappling with low self-confidence.

To assist in educating the community, Agarwal created a website that is intended to educate individuals on how to address body image issues that they or their loved ones may be experiencing.

She has also held a number of workshops at the Chatham Library to raise awareness about this pressing issue, demonstrating how social media images use filters to alter appearances.

Preteen participants in her demonstrations were given interactive self-esteem and mindfulness activities, as well as coping mechanisms.

"Additionally, I ran a similar booth at the Chatham Fishawack festival, where passersby could take a break from the bustle and have a moment of mindfulness and self-esteem," Agarwal said.

Agarwal's research and presentational materials are available on her website, www.removingthefilter.org, where anyone can explore and download any resources that they find useful.

The website also includes an anonymous testimonials blog, where community members are able to write out their feelings and experiences in a safe and shared space.

Agarwal told Patch that she hopes that other high school students will benefit from the resources that she's crafted. "I hope they can organize similar workshops in their own communities to raise awareness among preteens."

Long-term, Agarwal stated that she would find it amazing if this material could also be used to educate local teachers about body positivity and self-esteem issues.

The Gold Award is the highest achievement within the Girl Scouts of the USA, earned by Girl Scouts after meeting certain prerequisites.