A group of Marblehead Girl Scouts spent the spring encouraging Brown School students to put down their screens, head outside and simply play.
Now that they are freshmen at the high school, they hope to keep the Play Club going — and eventually expand it to other Marblehead schools.
Girl Scout Troop 7031 launched the Play Club at Brown School as part of its work toward the Girl Scout Silver Award.
“Play Club focused on allowing the students at Brown School to engage in free, unstructured play, allowing them to build critical thinking and interpersonal skills,” said 14-year-old Lily Laskowski.
Laura Tufts, the troop’s adviser, said the girls were tasked with identifying a community issue and developing a solution that could create sustainable change. They discovered Let Grow Play Clubs (a national nonprofit focused on restoring childhood independence), and decided to focus on giving children more opportunities for unstructured, screen-free play.
From the beginning, Tufts said, Brown School Principal Mary Maxfield supported the idea. Maxfield helped secure the playground, recruit teacher chaperones and publicize the program to families.
Each Friday, children gathered on the school playground, where they were given a variety of toys and sports equipment — and the freedom to decide for themselves what they wanted to do.
The Play Club became the troop’s Silver Award project.
“The Silver Award project is a really huge accomplishment and represents 50 hours of work from each of the girls,” Tufts said.
Troop members Scarlett Barry, Lily Laskowski, Addy Tufts and Maeve Weibust have each been involved in Girl Scouts since elementary school.
For the project, the girls divided up responsibilities. Barry focused on supplies, while Laskowski handled materials. Addy Tufts created surveys to collect feedback and Weibust worked on communications and community contacts.
Barry, 14, said Play Club was one of the biggest projects she has worked on.
“It was a project that helped kids learn independence through unstructured playtime after school,” Barry said. “It was interesting to see these kids play and think so freely.”
Addy Tufts, 14, called the project a success, with children forming new friendships while enjoying a screen-free environment.
“I am proud that our group was able to help children in Marblehead get off their screens and build better relationships with their friends,” she said.
The younger students weren’t the only ones who benefited. Laskowski said the experience helped the Girl Scouts develop their own leadership skills.
And they don’t want the project to end.
The girls hope to establish Play Club as a high school student organization. Taking inspiration from a similar student-run STEM club at Brown School, Addy Tufts said they believe that model could provide a way for Play Club to continue.
There are still several steps to make that happen. The girls need to get approved by the school board, find a high school adviser, speak with school administrators and recruit new members.
Laura Tufts said establishing the program at the high school could allow Play Club to continue even after the original Girl Scouts graduate — and potentially expand to Glover or Village schools.
For Maeve Weibust, age 14, the Silver Award project is about more than earning one of Girl Scouts’ highest honors.
“I want Play Club to continue because of the tremendous impact it had on the children,” Weibust said.
