Travel to England, Ireland and Wales in 2016

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Submitted by LeEllen Condry

Travel gives you opportunities to learn about new cultures and meet new people. It is the mission of Global Girl Scouts of Colorado to provide unique opportunities for you to travel with your sister Girl Scouts to amazing destinations.

In 2016, you will be transported back in time and experience the old-world wonders of England, Ireland and Wales, where you can “Kiss the Blarney Stone” in Killarney,  marvel at the Gothic spires of St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin, and explore the bustling streets of London. From 16th-century Shakespearean works to the modern-day Harry Potter saga, it’s no wonder this corner of the world is rich in literary tradition.

Below is more information on how you can put your cookie funds to use this season and get started on an amazing adventure! Lead chaperone of Global Girl Scouts is LeEllen Condry. Please contact her with any questions on travel at: nemoursLM@yahoo.com

Pricing and Itinerary Information: (valid through March 31st)

2016 Tours:

*Additional $200 discount through March 31st!

England, Ireland, and Wales – Enrollment, Current Pricing, and Tour Website

England, Ireland, and Wales Itinerary

*Please note: Lunches (as noted on the itinerary) and a suggested tipping amount for the Tour Director, local guides, and bus drivers are not included.

Every EF tour includes airfare, ground transportation, comfortable hotel accommodations, breakfast and dinner daily, a full-time tour director and local guides, and the most extensive safety and security regulations in the industry. EF also offers the lowest prices, guaranteed, as well as unparalleled support for Girl Scout Leaders, girls, and their parents, making it easy, safe, and affordable for your girls to experience the very best historic, cultural and natural sights in the world.

How to Enroll:

You can enroll online using the tour websites linked above. Each tour website has a pink button saying “Enroll On this Tour”. Click to start the online enrollment with EF now! Enrollment is $95 per person and locks in your total price.

Payment:

Travelers have the option to enroll with the manual payment plan or to sign-up for EF’s Automatic Payment Plan. This is a great way for families to make the trip more affordable!  I would recommend that your entire group enrolls on the Monthly Payment Plan – it is much easier to manage!

Automatic Payment Plan

-$95 Enrollment Fee

-Automatic Monthly or bi-weekly Withdrawals until a month prior to departure

-Can be supplemented with Fundraised Money to adjust Monthly Payment Amount

 

OR

 

Manual Payment Plan

-$95 Initial Deposit

-$50 maintenance fees

-$150 due 60 days later

-$150 20 months prior (fall 2014 for a 2016 summer tour)

-$300 14 months prior (late spring 2015 for a 2016 summer tour)

-$300 due 9 months prior (fall 2015 for a 2016 summer tour)

-tour balance due 110 days prior to departure

Money Earning:

We also know that money-earning is a large part of planning a trip! From learning about goal-setting and budgeting to team-building and event-planning, girls can learn life skills while preparing for their tour. We have gathered many fundraising ideas and resources from our years of working with Group Leaders and Girl Scouts and we invite you to take a look: www.eftours.com/gsfundraising.

 

 

 

GIRL SCOUT GOLD AWARD PROJECT: Lyndsay Ruane, Colorado Springs, “Emergency Preparedness Fair”

Lyndsay Ruane pic

What did you do for your Gold Award project?

My Gold Award project addressed the issue of emergency preparedness. I wanted people to be prepared for any emergency that may happen. I organized and executed an Emergency Preparedness Fair for elementary aged children.

Why did you pursue this Gold Award project?

I pursued this Gold Award project because I have seen natural disasters rip apart my community and the world within the last few years. For example, the Waldo Canyon Fire and Black Forest Fire directly impacted my neighbors and I. If people were more prepared for these emergencies, the disasters would have a less catastrophic impact.

How did your Gold Award project make a difference?

My Gold Award project made a difference on many young people in my community. I passed emergency preparedness information to families so they can be ready to face any situation. The young participants of my fair and their families gained skills and knowledge to enable them to react swiftly and properly in an emergency situation.

What skills did you gain through earning your Gold Award?

One of the skills I gained through earning my Gold Award is that I learned how to successfully create a large scale event. This includes things like recruiting volunteers, planning time frames, receiving donations, and organizing information in an accessible format. I learned that I do have the skills and capability to lead a large scale project on my own. I gained practical life skills because as I completed my research, I also learned a lot of new things about emergency preparedness that I did not know before. I also was able to resolve conflicts. I had to convince a large amount of young children to stay still and pay attention.

How did you make your project sustainable?

My Gold Award project is sustainable because my information was passed on through families. My information for the fair was also passed on to Cheyenne Mountain Boy Scouts, who have already succeeded in executing their own fair based on my outline. My information and plan were also given to Monument Boy Scouts, who have used it as well. The project was given to Boy Scouts and published in their newsletter to be available for all local Boy Scout packs. The curriculum was given to Prairie Hills Elementary, and it will be used with the annual Heath Jam. Lastly, I passed the project to Academy District 20, to be available for use in all elementary schools in the district.

What was your connection to the national or global community?

I found that the national and even global link to my issue is that emergency preparedness is lacking all over the world. There are always going to be people caught unprepared in an emergency. The people I directly gave my information to have already informed me that they have passed the information to even more organizations. By presenting my project to more and more people, we can reduce people’s stress accompanying an emergency through preparation.

What will you most remember about your Gold Award project?

What I will remember most about my Gold Award project is that I successfully created and ran a large scale event with minimum problems. I have received a lot of positive feedback about my fair, and I have also been told that my information is spreading beyond me. My project inspired people to prepare themselves and others in case of an emergency. I was able to make an impact on my community!

How will earning your Gold Award help you in your future?

Earning my Gold Award proved to me that I am capable of making a tangible difference in my community, and I will use this confidence to lead others in many more future projects.

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

I gained practical life skills because as I completed my research, I also learned a lot of new things about emergency preparedness that I did not previously know. I also worked within the leadership key Connect. One way I did this was when I resolved conflicts. I had to convince a large amount of young children to stay still and pay attention. Also, I was able to Take Action. I educated and inspired others to act. I have received a lot of positive feedback about my fair, and I have also been told that my information was spreading beyond me. My project inspired people to prepare themselves and others in case of an emergency.

***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

GIRL SCOUT GOLD AWARD PROJECT: Elise Melhado, Colorado Springs, “Reading Revival”

Elise Melhado  pic

What did you do for your Gold Award project?

For my project, I created a reading-friendly environment in the Partner’s in Housing Colorado House. I redesigned a room to better suit the space for a children’s reading space, in addition to initiating a regular reading days with the children.

Why did you pursue this Gold Award project?

Children’s illiteracy is something I am extremely passionate about. Literacy is a basic skill that is not adequately fostered by parents, especially in impoverished homes.

How did your Gold Award project make a difference?

My Gold Award project continues to bring access to appropriate literature to the children of Partner’s in Housing, as well as, a fun space to enjoy reading in.

What skills did you gain through earning your Gold Award?

Through my Gold Award, I learned how to advocate for myself and others. I was forced to make phone calls to strangers and sell my idea to people. Also, I learned how to recruit helpers of all backgrounds.

How did you make your project sustainable?

Aside from the room itself being sustainable, I ensured that the organization continued hosting literacy days for the resident children.

What was your connection to the national or global community?

I created a guide about how to complete a service project, using my own as an example. The blog post can be found at anotherquest.blogspot.com (Press the Start Button). The blog post also contains pictures of my project.

What will you most remember about your Gold Award project?

I remember the long hours I put into designing and executing my plans in the room. Although spending ten hours each day bending over a paint can is painful, seeing the transformation I created was inexplicably rewarding.

How will earning your Gold Award help you in your future?

I will now attack my future with the tenacity with which I attack my Gold Award. I know that I am capable of doing a project so large and truly making a different in my community, and I will carry that knowledge forever.

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

The Gold Award allowed me to use all of the skills I collected over the years from completing my various patches. It forced me to utilize and exhibit every line of the Girl Scout Law, and was an amazing apex to my scouting career.

***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

Girl Cookie Rewards Boosted

We recognize how hard the girls and volunteers in Colorado have worked to achieve their cookie goals this year, despite the inventory challenges. As a council we will end this sale having sold 3.5 million packages of cookies. Early indications showed that our girls were poised to sell as much as 4 million packages of cookies. It won’t happen because of a supply problem from the bakery, but we want to reward our girls as we would have if they had sold at unprecedented levels and reached 4 million packages. In a situation that was largely beyond our control, we want to do what we can to make it right for the heart of Girl Scouting – our girls. We have adjusted the rewards levels past the 210 mark by lowering the number of packages to reach the next incentive level by approximately 12 percent. Below is the structure which will be automatically adjusted for the girls in eBudde by Tuesday, March 17.

Revised Levels Item
12 “2015” Year Patch
40 Theme Patch
75 Wristband & Zipper Pull
100 Magnet & Sunglasses
125 Summer Fun Bandana & Bandana Hanger OR $15 Cookie Credits
175 Cool Cat Fashion Tee & Samoa Tee Ties OR $15 Cookie Credits
210 Cheetah Plush & Hat OR $15 Cookies Credits
240 Beach Towel-in-a-bag & Water Bottle OR $20 Cookie Credits
315 Cookie Journal, Sweet Notes Cupcake & Crate OR $25 Cookie Credits
425 Build A Bear Experience OR $35 Cookie Credits
440 Camp Discount 5%
530 Cookie Clipboard & Wristlet Wallet OR $40 Cookie Credits
750 750+ Event & Medallion OR $50 Cookie Credits & Medallion
880 Barnes & Noble Experience OR $60 Cookie Credits
880 10% Camp Discount
1100 Large & Small duffle, Pillow, Blanket OR $70 Cookie Credits
1320 American Girl Doll Experience OR $125 Cookie Credits
1320 15% Camp Discount
1760 Beats Headphones OR $225 Cookie Credits
1760 20% Camp Discount
2200 Nike Design Shoes OR $300 Cookie Credits
3080 GoPro Action Camera OR Laptop OR $400 Cookie Credits
4000 Cookie Credit Bonus of $600
4500 For every 500 packages sold beyond 4000, girls earn an additional $50 in Cookie Credits

 

FAQ:

Can the girls keep selling to reach a new revised level?
While this structure is offered to offset inventory challenges, not an incentive to sell more, as long as there are cookies, girls can keep selling through March 27. We understand it’s not as easy without chocolates, and this is partly why the levels are lower. Remember, you also have Hometown Heroes and Digital Cookie as sales options that don’t impact your inventory.

Why are you offering a one-size-fits-all solution when circumstances were different for different girls?
We understand that some girls were not affected by the inventory issue and others were affected more. Unfortunately, there is no way to truly measure what individual goals were and how many cookies girls would have realistically sold under different circumstances. The most generous and equitable thing we can do as a council is to make an adjustment that helps all girls get to a collective level that would have been a real stretch as a council.

Why are the lower levels not adjusted?
This adjustment was designed for girls who had higher goals and weren’t quite able to get there because of inventory issues. Girls who sold under the council average were less likely to have been affected.

Why is the 750 level unadjusted?
The 750 level is not an item, but an event with a limited capacity; so we don’t have the same flexibility. It’s also a well-recognized level of distinction that could make girls who surpass it feel undervalued to have girls who didn’t sell to that level added.

What about troop proceeds?
We were able to make an adjustment for troops or girls, and impact on the girl level was the greatest, so that’s where the council offered the help. If troops are not financially able to fund goals they set to fund with troop cookie money, they can apply for an opportunity grant to partially offset those costs.

GIRL SCOUT GOLD AWARD PROJECT: Kelly Winn, Sedalia, “The Sedalia Book Caboose”

Kelly Winn pic

What did you do for your Gold Award project?

For my Gold Award project, I built and installed a miniature library at the Sedalia Museum and Gardens for community members and visitors to exchange all of their favorite books, articles, and magazines. The structure looks like a caboose, themed after all of the trains that pass through the town each day.

Why did you pursue this Gold Award project?

I live in a very rural area, where the nearest library or book store is at least a half hour away. When I was younger, I did not read many books. Because of that I don’t have much of an interest in reading now, which frustrates me. I think that reading is an incredible skill to have and a great way to learn and pass time, so I would like to make books more easily accessible for younger children in my town so that they can find an interest in reading while they are young like I never did. There are also a lot of working people and elderly folks in my community, who have a hard time getting into the next town whenever they want to check out books or other resources, so my Gold Award project will make books and other reading materials easily accessible for everyone in town. People visiting the Book Caboose will also be able to share any reading materials they want with their friends or other community members through the Book Caboose, and visitors to it will be able to meet new friends who also love exchanging books there. The Book Caboose also brings a lot of attention to the Museum which runs off of the support of the community and volunteers.

How did your Gold Award project make a difference?

My Gold Award project provided a great opportunity for our town to not only share books and magazines with everyone in the community, but also to share friendships with others who visit the Book Caboose and love reading and exchanging books.

What skills did you gain through earning your Gold Award?

During the construction phase of the project, I had a lot of challenges to overcome and critical thinking to do, which helped me to grow as a carpenter and as a person. I also learned a lot about the importance of planning and budgeting time and money to reach the desired goals and outcomes. Building relationships with my team and focusing a lot on effective communication and collaboration was vital to completing my project the way I wanted to and I will make sure to apply these important ideas to future projects. I was also able to connect more with my community and the people within it which made me feel good to be a part of something bigger.

How did you make your project sustainable?

The Sedalia Book Caboose is located in front of the Sedalia Museum and Gardens, which is completely run by volunteers. All of the volunteers are still very excited about my project and have offered to check on it during their shifts at the museum to restock books or make repairs if needed.

What was your connection to the national or global community?

The Museum has a visitor log for people to sign in to and tell where they are from. We encourage people who use the Book Caboose to sign in as well, and so far we have seen that visitors from all around the state and even some from around the country have come to visit and have exchanged books, helping to spread reading materials and culture all around. I also became friends with a Slovakian exchange student this year at school, and told him all about my Gold Award project. He was very intrigued by the idea and intends to take it back to his home country.

What will you most remember about your Gold Award project?

I will always remember the good feeling of helping my community and becoming a more involved part of it, which I hope to do in my school community and 4-H community in the future, because it feels great to help others.

How will earning your Gold Award help you in your future?

I will be able to apply my newly learned or tuned skills from working with people, making plans, keeping records, and building my project to future challenges and projects in life to help me advance in whatever I am doing, even if it is just helping others or myself.

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

To me earning the Gold Award represents the summit of a mountain of experiences I have had in Girl Scouts:  earning my first badge; selling my first box of cookies; going to my first camp; earning my Bronze and Silver Awards; and now receiving my Gold Award.

***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

Girl Scouts launches inaugural badge series chosen by girls

Guest Post from Vicki Wright, GSUSA Outdoor Initiative Lead, Lifetime Girl Scout, Former CEO of multiple Girl Scout Councils

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This year, on its 103rd Anniversary, Girl Scouts is celebrating our commitment to providing fun and beneficial outdoor experiences for girls with the launch of a new series of outdoor badges, chosen by Girl Scouts themselves.

Outdoor experiences are an integral part of Girl Scouts and are woven into Girl Scout program in such a way that girls feel comfortable trying new things and testing their limits, and gain confidence and acquire new skills in a safe and supportive all-girl environment. From a relaxed nature hike through the forests to teaming up on a wildlife conservation project to high-adventure rock-climbing, Girl Scouts offers girls a variety of opportunities to learn and grow inside and out.

My first experience with Girl Scouts was in an outdoor setting where I learned to become comfortable in the outdoors and with myself.  I did not understand at the time all that I was learning while having so much fun.  I can honestly say that my love for the outdoors came from those experiences and truly molded the person I became.

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In the month of November, GSUSA began the polling process for the Girls’ Choice Outdoor Badges by inviting girls to vote on a diverse option of outdoor badge themes. Outdoor Explorer emerged as the overall theme, with five age specific Badge offerings: Outdoor Adventurer, Horseback Riding, Archery, Paddling and Ultimate Recreation Challenge.

But why is this so important to us?

According to our research (Girl Scout Research Institute’s study, More Than S’mores), girls benefit immensely from time outdoors. Girls who spend time outdoors eclipse their peers in environmental stewardship, more readily seek challenges, and are better problem solvers, all of which are traits needed for 21st century leadership.

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Outdoor experiences through Girl Scouting, such as camp, are beneficial to girl leadership development across ethnicities. Latina (38 percent) and African American (40 percent) girls are more likely than their peers (28 percent) to say they overcame a fear of the outdoors through Girl Scouting; seventy-nine percent of Latina girls say they first tried an outdoor activity in Girl Scouts, and an overwhelming 59 percent of Latina girls say Girl Scouts has offered them outdoor activities they would not have otherwise had access to.

Simply put, this is important to us because it is important to girls. Once exposed to the outdoors, girls love it.  And, now more than ever, research shows us that getting outdoors is so important to the physical, social and psychological development of our girls and the health of our planet.

We want to get more girls outdoors, more often and in varied ways. Please join us in this effort.

New troop camping at Magic Sky and more!

MSR cabins

Girl Scouts of Colorado has more places to stay than ever with extended seasons to give your troop lots of reasons to camp at a Girl Scout property. We’re also making it easier to book your trip!

New Reservation System!

Check out the easy, new properties reservation system! We’ve also got a guide to the new property training info.

  • No passwords required
  • You can make reservations up to one year in advance- properties are getting lots of use, so be sure to plan early and book in advance

Book your troop or service unit at Magic Sky Ranch!

With no resident camp at Magic Sky Ranch this summer, the beautiful cabins and other facilities are open for troop camp and other groups. Yes, the property is up for sale, but this could take years, and until it sells, it’s yours to use! You can do your own thing for programming and food; using the kitchen in the lodge or the dining hall. We will have at least three month’s notice when the property sells, so renters should have time to book another location for their needs. If a reservation is booked past the closing date, we will either refund fees paid or move the reservation to another property, if available.

Extended Summer Season for Property Rental!

We have increased our summer season at many properties! Groups can now rent through September 30 rather than September 15 at:

  • Meadow Mountain Ranch
  • Magic Sky Ranch (newer developed part of the property)
  • Lazy Acres
  • Sky High Ranch

The extended summer season is weather dependent. Individual areas of properties may be subject to closure due to early freezing temperatures at the discretion of the property manager.

Year-Round Options at Property Lodges (think Winter Camp!)

Camping is not just for summer! Think of all the awesome outdoor experiences we have for girls in Colorado. We have lodges open year-round now at Meadow Mountain Ranch (near Allenspark) and Sky High Ranch (near Woodland Park). In addition at Sky High, two units with heat are also available year-round and the Homestead House is available for limited dates. Visit our property page to learn more and book now!

 

Hear ye Hear ye, City Council in Pueblo County Proclaims Girl Scout week!

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Submitted by Carmen Valdez

Pueblo

Pueblo and Southeastern Colorado

A Daisy and Brownie girl from troop 31613, got a taste of Civic Engagement at Monday’s Pueblo City Council meeting, where Girl Scout Week March 9th-through the March 13th was proclaimed. The seal of the City and County of Pueblo was affixed the proclamation was signed by city councilman at large, Stephen G. Nawrocki and Chair of County Commissioners, Liane Buffie Myfadyen. The girls were smiling and showing interest as the proclamation was read. The proclamation will find a home in the Pueblo Regional Office, 3595 Spaulding Ave., Suite B in Pueblo. All Girl Scouts are welcome to come view this most prestigious honor. What a way to kick off Girl Scout Week? What is your troop doing this week? Please share your stories so we can brag!!

This story was submitted using the Share Your Stories form. You can share your Girl Scout moments too.

GIRL SCOUT GOLD AWARD PROJECT: Vani Topkar, Lafayette, “Project Ghungroo”

Vani Topkar pic

What did you do for your Gold Award project?

For my Gold Award project, I addressed an issue in my community that was very important to me. As a proud Indian girl, it is saddening to see a lack of knowledge on Indian heritage and culture, and more specifically, it is saddening to see a lack of knowledge on Indian classical dance. I have been learning Indian classical dance (Bharatanatyam) for the past ten years and have come to realize that it is important for people to have an understanding of the art form in order to both be culturally diverse. The reason I think that many people in my community do not know about Bharatanatyam is because there is a lack of resources and opportunities to learn about it. To address these problems, I arranged for two mini projects that went towards the same goal. First, and more prominently, I created an online dance resource (www.ghungroo.info) with information on dance theory, background, and even steps. This part of my project is the more sustainable part of my Gold Award because it will persist even after my involvement. In addition, this part of my project can reach a multitude of people not limited to my direct community. Secondly, I held a community dance night in my local public library where I talked about dance, went over my website, and taught a few basic steps.

Why did you pursue this Gold Award project?

The reason I pursued this as my Gold Award project was to address an underlying problem I observed in my community: lack of cultural knowledge. I am a professional Indian classical Bharatanatyam dancer and over the past ten years, I have noticed that not many people in my community know about this form of dance. Because of that, I wanted to create a project for my Gold Award that could take steps towards solving this problem on both a more local level and on a more global scale as well.

How did your Gold Award project make a difference?

Due to the nature of my project, it is difficult to effectively evaluate the impact of my project in a quantitative manner. Therefore, feedback is what I have using to determine the difference my project has made. More specifically, I got many positive comments back after my community dance night. Even beyond that though, everyone who attended that event learned something whether that be about dance, Girl Scouts, or even myself. For the website though, I hope that people use the resource as much as possible. I have been advertising my website quite a bit, and I would like it to be used for a long period of time.

What skills did you gain through earning your Gold Award?

I gained many skills through earning my Gold Award. From creating my website for dance, I learned a lot about website development and design. This was a subject that I have always been interested in, but it was not until the Gold Award that I pursued learning more. Also, I learned about myself and my time management skills. It was difficult at times to work on such a large project, but by establishing goals after shorter periods of time, I was able to consistently work on my website. Through my community dance night, I was challenged because I had to create a lesson that would appeal to a large variety of people. This pushed me to be creative and find ways to establish activities that everybody would enjoy. Additionally, I gained more confidence to speak publicly and address a large group of individuals. From both of my projects, I learned about advertisement. Both of my projects required me to contact many people to make certain arrangements and publicize my event and project. This was certainly a challenge for me, but luckily I gained a new skill out of it.

How did you make your project sustainable?

The main way my project will be sustainable is through the online dance resource I created. This website will continue to exist for years to come for anybody who is interested, and I hope to continue adding features to it as well.

What was your connection to the national or global community?

Because my online dance resource exists online, it is available to people across the globe. This means that I can potentially reach an audience on a much larger scale. In addition, the whole purpose of my project was to connect my community in the United States with my cultural heritage of India, and I certainly hope that I have done so.

What will you most remember about your Gold Award project?

There is not one particular part of my Gold Award project that I will remember over anything else. I will, however, remember my entire positive experience. I truly enjoyed both parts of my project because they were both so new to me. The community dance night was a lot of fun because I had the chance to physically interact with people who were genuinely interested in dance. The website was a great experience because I was forced to consider my project on a more extensive timeline. Simply put, I had a wonderful time informing people about something I am passionate about and learned a lot in the process.

How will earning your Gold Award help you in your future?

I hope that all of the skills and information I have learned throughout the process of my Gold Award will help me in the future. I want to keep working on my project in the future as much as possible so that my website can continue to grow and I can continue to learn more about website development and design. Time management is another skill that I have improved upon through this project and I hope to use that skill in my future endeavors. Also, being able to arrange events, effectively advertise, and speak to a large group of people of different varieties will definitely be helpful. Moreover, this project has reaffirmed my passion for dance and I hope to take this love and translate it to my dance career.

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

The Gold Award is a milestone in the Girl Scout experience. As someone who has been a Girl Scout for 13 years, I think it is important to establish certain goals that can be achieved. The Girl Scout can choose for herself what part of the experience she wants to pursue depending on what she wants out of the experience. For me, the Gold Award was important because it was the ultimate final step in my Girl Scout career. This is not my last interaction with Girl Scouts, of course, because if anything, the Gold Award has helped me learn that once you are a Girl Scout, you continue to take the core message of helping your community and bettering yourself for the rest of your life. I am so excited and proud to have completed my Gold Award because I feel that it means that I have achieved my potential and have realized my purpose in the world as a Girl Scout.

***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

Girl Scouts of Colorado