Bill requests free access to Indiana state parks to help foster children engage in play to work through trauma
Four Fishers Girl Scouts have proposed legislation for the Indiana General Assembly to provide free Indiana state park access for foster children and families (Senate Bill 151).
Girl Scout troop 1937 is working alongside State Senator Kyle Walker (R-Lawrence) to introduce the bill as part of earning their Girl Scout Silver Award, the highest honor Girl Scout Cadettes can earn (girls in grades 6 to 8).
The troop has done extensive and original research to understand the importance of recreation for foster children who often need multiple brief periods of recreation to heal from traumatic life experiences. Interviews with foster parents in Indiana indicated that time in nature, hands-on and pretend play, and exercise are all therapeutic for children.
“The impressive young leaders of Girl Scout Troop 1937 turned their passion into action by presenting a well-researched proposal that we’ve turned into legislation to improve the lives of Indiana’s foster youth,” Sen. Walker said. “I look forward to continuing our work together as Senate Bill 151 is considered through the legislative process.”
Because some children prefer to play and exercise indoors, the Girl Scout troop is also taking steps to help simplify the process for foster children and families to have reduced fee access to museums across the state. Almost 60 percent of foster parents surveyed had not tried to use the museum Access Pass program because either they didn’t know about it, or the application process was considered cumbersome.
“Access to community resources, like our state parks, is one small way we can support families and youth impacted by foster care,” said Foster Success President and CEO Maggie Stevens. “It has been wonderful to see this group of young women identify a need in our community, conduct research to better understand that situation, and thoughtfully work with community leaders and partners to identify solutions and move them forward.”
The troop was inspired to advocate for foster children through their volunteer work at Turn Away No Longer, an organization that provides needed items to foster children. If you are or know of a foster care family in Indiana, additional resources are listed on the Indiana Department of Child Services website.
I think this is a great idea and foster kids and the foster families should have special access to services like this. I’ve worked for DCS in the past and supporting agencies, and these kids came up with a really good plan. I hope the legislature listens to them, along with the agencies like parks, zoo, etc will go along with it also.
Wonderful! It’s well-deserved, and I hope it passes quickly without issue.