WOOSAH! PAINT AND DANCE – My Gold Award Project

As a teen, I really don't like talking about my feelings. But I will share them with you. During the shutdown caused by the global pandemic, I was depressed and filled with anxiety. The feelings of being isolated and experiencing the loss of my grandmother became unbearable. I can recall sitting in my room crying uncontrollably while listening to Rod Wave singing "Pray 4 Love" and "Heart on Ice" among other heart wrenching songs.  

After this, I started mental health therapy and learned life changing ways to deal with stress, feelings of isolation and depression.  

My therapist introduced me to a form of therapy where I used art to manage my feelings. Yes, this type of therapy, also known as art therapy, really helped me. I enjoyed the benefits so much that I shared them with others as my Girl Scout Gold Award Project called Woosah! Paint and Dance. 

Woosah! Paint and Dance was a global interactive experience using art as a way to manage stress plus feelings of isolation and depression. Participants in my project ranged in age from 5 to 72. It was amazing to see and hear how many participants learned skills by dancing to the beat of the Caribbean music, creating art through drawing Mental Art or painting MastHERpieces, and meeting with licensed professional counselors. Several participants told me how painting and dancing was so relaxing for them. 

I encourage you to check out my Youtube channel( tofindyourway), Woosah Paint Dance on Facebook, or my website tofindyourway.com to learn more about my project.