GSHNJ Partners with NJ Bike & Walk on AARP-Funded Mobility Project in Newark
Girl Scouts Heart of New Jersey (GSHNJ) is proud to partner with the New Jersey Bike & Walk Coalition—a 2025 AARP Community Challenge Grant recipient—on a new initiative aimed at fostering intergenerational engagement and amplifying community voices in shaping equitable mobility solutions. Working in conjunction with our Girl Scout Leadership Center in Newark, this partnership will bring together Girl Scouts and older Newark residents through a series of storytelling-based activities that honor lived experiences, spotlight transportation challenges, and build connections across generations.
Through this collaboration, Girl Scouts from across the council will help co-lead interviews and listening sessions with Newark’s older residents. Participants will share how they’ve navigated the city’s transportation systems over the years, reflecting on the changes they’ve seen and their perspectives on emerging mobility options. These stories—preserved through audio and video recordings—will serve as an important record of Newark’s evolving landscape and inform conversations around accessible transportation planning.
Girl Scouts will be directly involved in these sessions, which will take place across all five wards of Newark, offering a unique opportunity for youth leadership in civic engagement. By listening with empathy and curiosity, our members will help preserve Newark’s history while advocating for a more inclusive future that meets the needs of all residents.
As an organization committed to building girls of courage, confidence, and character who make the world a better place, GSHNJ sees this partnership as a meaningful extension of our mission. Participating Girl Scouts will not only gain insight into their community’s past, but also develop real-world leadership skills and a deeper understanding of equity, public service, and social responsibility.
We are proud to collaborate with the New Jersey Bike & Walk Coalition on this important initiative, and we look forward to seeing how these intergenerational conversations spark connection, understanding, and lasting change throughout Newark.
June 20, 2025
