What did you do for your Gold Award project? 

My project addressed the issue of human trafficking recruitment and how to prevent it. According to the Trafficking Resource Center, “human trafficking is a form of modern day slavery in which traffickers use force, fraud, or coercion to control victims for the purpose of engaging in commercial sex acts or labor services against his/her will.” (traffickingresourcecernter.org) Initially I did a presentation in my US government class about human trafficking in general where I came to the conclusion that there is such a big vulnerability for teens to be targeted, and many of my fellow peers didn’t realize that there was this vulnerability that put them at risk. I hoped to make the student population of Rocky Mountain High School aware of the recruiting tactics of Human Traffickers and gave them the signs to watch for in case they encounter a trafficking victim or a trafficker themselves.

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

I measured the impact of my project by asking the students a series of questions before and after the presentation. Also I had a student exclaim “Oh my god this is happening to me” which we immediately got him the necessary help he needed to deal with this issue; this is another way I measured the impact of my project,  observing student’s immediate reactions.

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

My project is sustainable because the school administration will continue to present my project to further generations of students. Kids will have the tools they will need to protect themselves as well as the information needed to identify a trafficking situation; and they will be given resources that they can utilize if needed.

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

Since human trafficking is a global issue and no one realizes that it happens here at home in Colorado, I decided to focus my attention on the recruitment aspect of human trafficking here and what makes teens and young adults such prime targets. With my project I’m hoping to draw more attention to the global issue of human trafficking in hoping to prevent further recruitment into this growing epidemic.

What did you learn about yourself?

What I learned about myself was that I have a deep passion for trying to keep my peers and others safe while educating them on a topic that’s not often talked about.

I also learned that I have the capacity to deal with stressful situations and the capacity to take on such a stressful project and get it up off the ground from start to finish. The most stressful part of this project I would say was contacting people and getting things put into place and making sure I met deadlines. The leadership skill I developed is project management and better written communication skills.

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

Earning my Gold Award will impact me in the future because it can help open doors for me as well as showing people that I care about what I do and the amount of effort and work I put into making something happen.

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

I feel that the Gold Award was an important part of my Girl Scout experience because it pushed me to think out of the box and make something a reality; I feel that doing the Gold Award helped me bring awareness to my community and bring about change and education about the issue of human trafficking.

**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