What did you do for your Gold Award project?

I had noticed a generation gap between teenagers and the elderly, and wished to bring these two age groups closer together by diffusing stereotypes each group held of the other. In order to do this, I started a music program at a local retirement community, Cheyenne Place, in which high school musicians performed monthly for and visited with the residents.

How did you measure the impact your Gold Award project made on your target audience?

I measured the impact of my project through the responses I received from both the residents and musicians, and through surveys the musicians completed at the end of the final concert. For my project, I focused on the amount of impact I could have on the moderately-sized group I worked with. The responses were overwhelming; both age groups greatly enjoyed the experience, and both felt that they had been brought closer to the other generation. In fact, the project was such a success that teenagers and residents asked for the project to continue throughout the school year.

How is your project sustainable? How will your project continue to impact after your involvement?

While my band director and the activities director of the retirement community have agreed to continue my project in Colorado Springs, I have also created a program manual. I am currently in the process of sending this manual to band programs, Girl Scout troops/councils, and retirement communities that I have worked with and been a part of throughout my relocations as a military child. This is a fairly flexible and easy-to-maintain project, so I am optimistic that other communities will be able to continue the program and help to bridge the generation gap in other parts of the nation.

What is your project’s global and/or national connection?

This program truly does affect the students involved for the rest of their lives, as it helps to create teenagers – future adults – with a greater respect and appreciation for the elderly. This decreases the national generation gap between teenagers and the elderly. The flexibility of this program also plays a part in the national connection. I wrote the project manual with every type of community I could think of in mind, in order to increase the number of areas it can affect. Almost every part of the country has some type of music program, be it choral, instrumental, etc., and there are retirement communities all over as well. Combining the two is something anyone with a passion for music and a desire to help can do.

What did you learn about yourself?

I learned a lot about my limits in communication and assertiveness. I am very much an introvert and a people-pleaser, and I had not anticipated the amount of pushing it would take to get this project rolling. Once it became more of an established program, it was easier to get people involved. When people don’t really know what they are getting into, however, advertising is extremely important. I made numerous announcements in school, contacted people, and talked to them personally. Pushing involvement in a new, unknown program was a very exhausting task for me, but I was able to minimize the trepidation I had of convincing people to try something new. Once they tried it, they realized how rewarding the experience could be and kept coming back. I believe I grew greatly in confidence and communication, along with assertiveness in promoting the program. I have even noticed improvement in other areas of my life as these key qualities of leadership grew in me.

How will earning your Gold Award impact you in the future?

Earning my Gold Award greatly increased my confidence in myself and my abilities to lead. Knowing that I can create, organize, and run a program like this is very empowering. While I’m involved in many different extracurricular activities, none of them offered me as strong a leadership experience as the Gold Award. I feel more capable and confident in many areas of my life as a result of this: in school, in relationships, in volunteer activities, and in other community projects.

Why do you feel the Gold Award was an important part of your Girl Scout experience?

In many ways, the Gold Award was a culmination of all of my years in Girl Scouts. After 12 years, it was a fitting way to say goodbye and use all of the skills I learned through Girl Scouts. It forced me to grow, and enabled me to explore my abilities in a way I hadn’t before. It was definitely the most rewarding aspect of my Girl Scout experience.

**IMPORTANT NOTE: This blog represents only a small fraction of the hard work, dedication and requirements that go into earning a Girl Scout Gold Award. It is simply a brief summary, which is meant to inspire Girl Scouts to Go Gold in the future. For more information on earning your Gold Award, please email highestawards@gscolorado.org