WVHS senior Elizabeth Verboys has been a Girl Scout since she was in first grade and is currently working on her Gold Award project. She calls her project Wisdom Wings, and her goal is to raise awareness around child sexual abuse and advocate for victims. The centerpiece of the project is a book that Elizabeth is writing.
“It’s a children’s book about consent and boundaries because I think it’s really important to educate kids at a young age,” she said. “It’s aimed more at younger elementary school kids and intended as a conversation starter for kids and their parents.”
Elizabeth wrote the entire story and has another boy scout illustrate it. She said she is wrapping up the book now and plans to release it in the spring.
“I’m in the publishing process right now, which is all new to me,” she added. “It’s all been a learning experience!”
Elizabeth already works closely with the Orange County Mental Health Association to schedule public readings of her book. She also has a meeting scheduled with Senator Skoufis to discuss loopholes in the NYS law related to sexual assault cases. She posts everything that happens with her Gold Award on her Instagram, www.instagram.com/wisdomwings.gold.
“I also create care packs for victims who report their cases as a way to help them through the process and give them information they need,” said Elizabeth. “I’ve dropped off packages at Port Jervis and Wallkill police stations, and this week I’m taking bags to Warwick.”
Elizabeth is also participating in the WVHS Senior Project this year and her goal in that program is to learn American Sign Language (ASL). She already works closely with a mentor and plans to link her knowledge to her project with Scouts.
“Children with disabilities are often the victims,” says Elizabeth. “So I think it’s really important to be able to read the book to them, teach them ASL, and be able to read it to kids with a hearing impairment.”
Prior to her Gold Award project, the old Scout also completed the organization’s Silver and Bronze Award projects.
“Bronze you work on in fifth and sixth grade, and I sewed cat beds for the local animal shelter and collected dog food to donate,” Elizabeth recalled. “For my Silver Award, I grew spider plants and put a plant in every classroom in high school.”
Elizabeth said she looks forward to completing her two big projects and seeing them come together. Of course she thinks about graduating and studying. She has applied to a handful of schools, including the University at Buffalo and a few city schools. She’s rooting for Buffalo, where they offer a strong criminology program, and her brother goes there. She said it was her interest in forensic psychology that first drew her to the field, and she was inspired by her uncle, who is a researcher himself.
“I’ve had such positive experiences with the various officers and detectives here in Warwick, working with them through Girl Scouts. They’ve just all been a really good influence on me,” said Elizabeth.
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