2024 | Girl Scout Silver Badge Project

In January 2024, Olive Farleigh approached Friends of Brentwood Park with an idea to earn her Girl Scout Silver Badge. As a teenager, Olive saw how much time her friends spent on their phones or in front of screens; they simply weren’t as engaged with their friends. She wanted to create way to get young people outside and away from their screens, and to have somewhere to gather in face-to-face and connect over conversation. Her concept was “more green time, less screen time” and initial plans were to have round tables where people could gather face-to-face. And since it’s Brentwood Park, Olive wanted these special tables in Brentwood Blue.

Kat Correa met Olive and her mother Ashley at the park one morning, and walked around looking for appropriate locations for additional seating. With a busy park serving two neighborhoods, additional seating is always welcome, and more seating on the quieter side of the park was lacking. Many questions were answered and project guidance was given with assurances that while things take time when working with different organizations on a project, things will move forward with patience and persistence.

Olive attended Brentwood Neighborhood Association meetings in February and made her project presentation to attendees. Member support was overwhelmingly in her favor and an extremely generous donation was soon allocated to her picnic table project. Olive next needed to gain public input and feedback for the city and Austin Parks Foundation since this project was to be on city property with public stakeholders. With It’s My Park Day right around the corner, the timing was perfect for Olive to prepare a display table and presentation for IMPD volunteers. She gave a brief informational speech and gathered signatures of support, and of course neighbors were eager to support her efforts! Finally, with funding, public support, and a clear project path secured, Olive submitted her project idea to the Girl Scouts for approval. A few months later, Olive was able to officially begin her Community Activated Park Project paperwork for APF.

Five months later in September, Olive received city approval for her project, and while the round ADA compliant picnic tables were not approved, the rectangular ADA tables would still be Brentwood Blue. A site visit with Austin Parks and Recreation was held to walk the park and determine two suitable locations, and two trees were marked where the tables would be placed. The weekend before November’s IMPD, Olive and her scout troop assembled the tables themselves…and they are big and heavy! On the morning of November 2nd, 2024, Olive’s dad delivered the tables to the park one at a time and unloaded them from his truck. When all IMPD volunteers were signed in and ready to go that morning, Olive stood on a picnic table and proudly gave a brief speech to 60-ish neighbors about her project and installation that morning.

The Brentwood Blue tables were moved into position by several volunteers, one near the playground, and the other in a grove of quiet trees in the northwest corner of the park. And after 11 months of planning and preparation, Olive’s Silver Badge project was successfully completed. Well done, Olive!

Ashley Farleigh, Olive’s mom, also created a website dedicated to encouraging more green time and less screen time for children and young adults.