Explore History Through Geocaching!

ALEXANDRA S.

When the Covid-19 pandemic struck halfway into my freshman year of high school, I had all of quarantine to think about what, exactly, I wanted to do for my Gold Award. After thoughtful consideration, I came to the conclusion that I wanted to help younger children in my community—specifically elementary-aged children. With schools closed due to the pandemic, younger kids lacked the same learning opportunities compared to in-person learning. This resulted in many falling behind and suffering a learning gap. After hearing about multiple parents’ concerns with online learning, I designed an outdoor, recreational project that would not only maximize quality family time and minimize one-on-one contact with others but also allow children and their parents to discover about the rich history of Bucks County.

I picked 21 historical sites scattered throughout New Hope and Doylestown where I planted geocaches shaped like rocks so that they could blend into their surrounding environment. These geocaches contained a QR code that would take users to my website where they could learn about the historical significance

Although the pandemic was a challenging time for many of us, it served as a catalyst that pushed me to reflect on my love of learning and to think long and hard about causes I was passionate about, one of them being growing knowledge in young children. During my project I also had the opportunity to explore sides of myself that I never knew existed, such as my love for speaking and presenting in front of an audience. If I have taken away one thing from all of this, it is that I’m no longer afraid of the unknown, but instead excited for whatever opportunities come my way. Girl Scouts has elevated my confidence, given me a platform to share my ideas and assist my community, and helped shape me in ways I could have never imagined, and for that I am forever grateful.