Gold Award Girl Scout Designs, Installs LGBTQ+ Affirming Mural
WICHITA, Kan. — Girl Scouts of Kansas Heartland congratulates Lillian M. for becoming a Gold Award Girl Scout, a designation she earned by designing and installing an LGBTQ+ affirming mural with a QR Code leading to necessary resources for teens that identify as LGBTQ+.
The Gold Award is the mark of the truly remarkable — earned by a high school Girl Scout who works to address an issue she’s passionate about in a way that produces meaningful and lasting change. Whether it’s on a local, national, or global level, Gold Award Girl Scouts provide innovative solutions to significant challenges.
“Gold Award Girl Scouts don’t just change the world for the better, they change it for good — and Lillian embodies everything this achievement stands for," said Rolinda Sample, chief executive officer of Girl Scouts of Kansas Heartland. “Lillian addressed an issue that’s important to her — helping fellow teens find resources relating to the LGBTQ+ community.”
As an advocate for the LGBTQ+ community, Lillian knew she wanted her Gold Award project to focus on helping her peers that identify as LGBTQ+. Researching how she can serve her community, Lillian learned through The Trevor Project that LGBTQ+ teens are four times more likely to consider, plan and die by suicide than non-LGBTQ+ teens. She also learned that 48 percent of LGBTQ+ youth reported wanting counseling from a mental health professional, but were unable to receive it.
This knowledge led Lillian to create the mural “You are Not Alone” on the side of Hao Auto Repair near Wichita East High School. Lillian’s mural was created with the help of more than 80 volunteers, ages 5-85 years old. In the mural, there is a QR Code that viewers can scan which leads them to a webpage housed by Reverie Roasters that has resources for LGBTQ+ teens including mental health crisis information, local organizations, medical information and more.
“I hope this brightly colored mural will make a bright difference in many LGBTQ+ teens in need,” Lillian said. “Ideally, it helps connect them to resources they may not have access to elsewhere and they can get the help they are needing or wanting.”
