Tag Archives: Take Action

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Gold and Silver Award changes from GSUSA

Effective October 1, 2018, Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA) has decided girls may do Silver and Gold Award projects for the benefit of the Girl Scout community.

In order to make sure that this change doesn’t dilute the prestige, leadership efforts, or impact of each girl’s project, Silver and Gold Awards must still meet the requirements that are key to taking sustainable action, the project must:

  • Make a lasting difference in the local community, region, or beyond
  • Put the Girl Scout Promise and Law into action
  • Include provisions to ensure sustainability
  • Identify national and/global links to the selected issue
  • Inspire others

For Girl Scouts of Colorado, our focus will continue to be on the interests of girls when choosing a highest awards project. This means if a girl identifies a need within the GSCO community and feels passionately about it, she will be allowed to pursue that project by working directly with GSCO’s highest awards manger.

In addition to this policy, the GSCO Outdoor Program team will still not allow projects to be done on camp properties.

If you or your troop is interested in a Highest Awards project that you believe will now be allowed under this new policy, please reach out to highest awards manager Kaitie LoDolce at  highestawards@gscolorado.org prior to starting your project.

 

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Gold Award Girl Scout: Emma Lilly, Longmont, “Loco for LoCo”

What did you do for your Gold Award project?

I did a research project about the Longmont Sugar Beet Factory. I started by interviewing people who had worked at the Longmont Sugar Beet Factory or had connections to it. These interviews were then turned into a podcast style format and posted on my website (https://lillyemma24.wixsite.com/loco4loco/podcasts).

The next step of my project was to write a children’s book, The Magic Beet, which is the story of three children as they travel back in time and learn about the sugar factory. A copy of each book went to each elementary school in the St. Vrain School District and is still available for purchase on my website. I also had several book readings at the Longmont Public Library and I presented to several different organizations, including the Longmont Kiwanis and Longmont City Council, about my project.

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

The book I wrote, The Magic Sugar Beet, is still currently for sale online and my interviews have all been kept on my live website. Additionally, a copy of my book was placed in the libraries of every elementary school in our district, and eight teachers have given me confirmation that this book will become a part of their curriculum. Currently, the third grade history curriculum is focused on local history, but some of the teachers I have talked to have said that not much time is spent talking about the Longmont Sugar Beet Factory (an important part of Longmont’s beginning), so when teachers read the book to their classes and listen to the podcasts, the work I did for my Gold Award is able to be sustained for years to come.

What is your project’s global and/or national connection? / How did you measure the impact your Gold Award project made on your target audience?

I published a survey on my website that was available to Girl Scouts and anyone around the world to fill out. This survey asked people questions about whether or not they planned on learning about their local history, and it also had a challenge of learning one fact about their local history that they did not already know. This part of my project, encouraged learning about local history for all ages, and results showed that over 71% planned on continuing to learn about their town’s local history. More about this project can be found at (https://lillyemma24.wixsite.com/loco4loco/local-history-project).

What did you learn about yourself?

At the beginning of this project, I was nervous to reach out and talk to people I did not know, but through my Gold Award project I learned that I am capable of planning a project and leading a team. Even though I was often worried throughout the process that people would find me incompetent, I stuck with it and learned that most people were very eager to help me with my project even if I wasn’t an expert on the material. Through this project, I learned I was able to talk to important people in the community whether it was our city council when I shared my project with them, or people who worked for the St. Vrain Historical Society.

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

My Girl Scout Gold Award has given me the skills to run a project and the confidence to do it. I gained many team leading skills that can still help me in the future. I had four artistic friends who had agreed to illustrate the book for me. Even with a small team, delegating tasks was more difficult than I expected. They took about a month longer than the deadline to submit their art to me, and it was sometimes difficult to get them to respond to emails. Going into college and later my career with the experience of leading a team will help me greatly in being a better leader.

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

Getting my Gold Award was a very important part of my Girl Scout experience because it gave me the chance to put many of the leadership skills I learned throughout Girl Scouts (such as badges or summer camp), into action. The Gold Award was something I had really wanted to go after since I was a younger Girl Scout, and so it was rewarding to accomplish it and hopefully inspire other Girl Scouts to Go Gold!

How did earning your Gold Award help you become a G.I.R.L. (go-getter, innovator, risk-taker, leader)?

My Gold Award helped me become a better innovator. I got to discover a lot about a place and history of the Longmont Sugar Beet Factory something I knew virtually nothing about at the start of the project, so I had to do a fair amount of research. In school, we always get a very broad sense of history, so to delve deeply into one tiny aspect of history was really fascinating to me. Since my project was not strictly partnered with a particular organization or group, I had to take initiative and carve a path for this project that did not yet exist, and that required a fair amount of creativity. I had to problem solve when it came to finding people to interview or ways in which I could promote my project. I got used to changing and revising my project as time went on, and I think this aspect as well as learning about my history outside of class work helped shape me into someone who was able to more adapt easily to whatever tasks were thrown at me.

**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. 

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Gold Award Girl Scout: Bailey Stokes, Buena Vista, “Teaching in the Outdoors”

What did you do for your Gold Award project?

In order to earn my Gold Award and make a difference in my community, I decided to make outdoor-based lesson plans for the use of teachers in schools across the state. I achieved this by making boxes that had lesson plans for eight to ten outdoor lessons, along with all the materials a teacher would need to complete them. The boxes also included a small tri-fold presentation board on the subject for student reference. I made two sets of three boxes covering three different subjects: investigations, habitat, and adaptations. The boxes are designed to meet the education standards for fourth grade science, but they can be adapted to be used with any age group. The goal of my project was to provide teachers with an easy and convenient way to bring outdoor education into their classrooms, because outdoor education provides students with many physical and mental benefits.

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

The first step of my project was to go spend a day at my local elementary school teaching a couple of my lessons to a fourth grade class in order to determine what worked with students and what did not. In the day that I spent at the elementary school, I impacted 70 students. When the school year starts, I expect to impact around 500 students a year through the constant use of my project.

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

My project will be sustained by Colorado Parks and Wildlife. There are two sets of my boxes and they are being kept at the Colorado Parks and Wildlife offices in Pueblo and Salida. The people at the offices will help ensure that my boxes are staying in good condition throughout their use. They will also help ensure that the boxes are going out into classrooms year after year.

Another way that my project will continue to impact the community after my involvement is through the help of the teachers that use my boxes. They will hopefully continue to use my boxes year after year, and they will also help spread the word about my project through the teaching community. I have also had teachers tell me that they want to recreate my boxes for their own communities.

What is your projects global and/or national connection?

Instead of finding a way to make it so that teachers across the country could use my boxes, I decided to focus on encouraging other people to take action like I did. I wrote an informational paper about the importance of outdoor education and why it should be incorporated into schools. I did this in hopes that I would inspire other people to take action. There are also two sets of my boxes that are being stored in two separate locations so that they can be accessible for more teachers across the state.

What did you learn about yourself?

I learned that I can accomplish anything that I put my mind to, and I learned that I am capable of making a difference. I also learned that I have what it takes to be a teacher one day, and I grew an even bigger passion for education. During this project, I also gained a lot of confidence in myself and my abilities.

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

My Gold Award gave me hands-on experience in the field that I am wanting to enter. I am currently studying to be a teacher at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, and this project gave me valuable classroom experience. What I learned through this project will help me as I continue to pursue my dream of becoming a teacher.

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

I have been a Girl Scout since I was in the first grade. In that time, I have been actively involved in many different Girl Scout activities, however, earning my Gold Award was the most valuable part of my Girl Scout experience. Not only did I have the opportunity to make a difference in my community, I also gained a lot of confidence and career experience. Earning my Gold Award was a life changing experience that showed me that I am able to accomplish anything I put my mind to. It was a lot of work, but in the end it was definitely a valuable part of my Girl Scout experience and I am extremely glad that I did it.

How did earning your Gold Award help you become a G.I.R.L (go-getter, innovator, risk-taker, leader)?

During this project, my leadership skills greatly improved. I stepped out of my comfort zone by leading people who weren’t my peers. My project may have impacted the community, but it also helped me become a stronger leader which is a trait I will need for the rest of my life. This project also helped me become a go-getter. I took action and I accomplished an amazing achievement that I am extremely proud of.

**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. 

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Helping the hungry and homeless

Submitted by Kristin Hurley

Metro Denver

Northglenn

Hello from Girl Scout Troop 61358! For our Silver Award project, we created a Care Cabinet in Northglenn to help the homeless and hungry. We are hoping for community participation in keeping it filled, and hoping that we can spread the word to people who need help.

From their leader/project advisor: These two Girl Scouts have worked so hard this summer to secure a location for their Care Cabinet so they can help the hungry and homeless, working with the cities of Thornton and Northglenn and the Rotary Clubs of those cities.

If you would be interested in making a donation, please contact GSCO public relations director AnneMarie Harper at annemarie.harper@gscolorado.org and she will connect you with the troop leader.

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

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Juliette’s Journey through Wonderland

Submitted by Jen Rotar

Northern & Northeastern CO

Berthoud

Cadette Troop 70700 in Berthoud is hosting a magical Journey in a Day for Brownies. Join us on Saturday, November 3, 2018 from noon to 4 p.m. to complete the  “World of Girls” Journey.

This Journey is based on Juliette’s travels through Wonderland. Make new friends, write your adventure story, design a Mad Hatter hat, enter a caterpillar race, chase the white rabbit, and celebrate your unbirthday! This is a high-energy event with lots of fun activities Brownies will love. Its all about making positive choices!

“This is an enthusiastic day that allows the imagination to run wild! The older girls that lead this Journey spark creativity and team-building throughout the activities. This is a very well-organized day of fun where the girls learn and grow together. Highly recommended!” ~ Michelle, Leader of Brownie Troop 75895

Cost $10 per girl and includes a tea party snack and your Take Action project. You can find more details and RSVP on the GSCO event calendar: https://www.girlscoutsofcolorado.org/en/events-repository/2018/juliette_s_journey_t.html

Troop 70700 is a diverse group of Cadettes who love all the adventures Girl Scouts has to offer. This year’s troop focus is leadership experience, using their PA skills, and working on their Silver Award. Our troop is high energy and outdoorsy, and has enjoyed summer adventures including camping, whitewater rafting, and horseback riding.

This money-earning activity will help send Troop 70700 on their first big trip next summer.

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

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Little Lending Library in Monument

Submitted by Melissa Hinton

Pikes Peak

Monument

We are Hannah B. and Chloe W. from Cadette Troop 43107 in Monument.

Our Silver Award project was creating a Lending Library to bring more reading into the community. Our goal was to share our love of reading with others and hopefully get others to enjoy reading as well. Our steps were to get permission to build the library, plan a structure, ask for donations, build the structure, and supply it with books. Overall, our project went pretty well; however, we did have some problems along the way.

While doing the project, many things worked well in the process. Our steps that went really well were getting permission to build the library, planning the structure, and of course being able to finish the project on time. We were able to quickly set up a meeting with Tom Tharnish and Sadie Ernst, who work for the town of Monument. They promptly gave us to permission to build the Lending Library in Lavalette Park. When planning the structure, we used the Free Little Lending Library website, which had dozens of easily accessible plans we could have chosen from to build our library. We ended up combining two of their plans into one structure and making it our own. Having the opportunity to work in a woodshop at Mountain Ridge Middle School really helped us be able to have an easier experience building the library. We were also very lucky to have finished the project on time and for it to have turned out so well.

Although our project had many things that went well, it was not without things that didn’t go as planned. When we were looking for donations and building the structure, things didn’t go as we would have thought. It took us more time than expected to get donations; we ended up having to go to three stores before receiving the majority of our donations. While building, we ended up having to put on more layers of paint than what we had thought. We also had to do a second layer of shingles because we didn’t put on the first layer correctly.

During the project, we learned many lessons. One of the lessons that we learned was to ask for donations from a store, and to also host a money-earning activity to earn more money for the project. We also learned a couple of lessons about building and woodworking such as: how to cut big pieces of plywood and how to install plexiglass. We also learned to take our time on painting and do more than one layer. We learned to plan proper placements for shingles before nailing them onto the roof of the Lending Library.

Overall, we immensely enjoyed doing our Silver Award project and although not everything went as planned, we still took away many lessons. We learned not only how to build a Lending Library, but huge life lessons that we can use in future experiences that come our way. In the end, we accomplished our goal to bring more reading into our community.

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

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Gold Award Girl Scout: Grace Matsey, Highlands Ranch, “Got Music?”

What did you do for your Gold Award project?

I created a music tutoring program for elementary and middle school musicians run by members of my high school’s Music Honor Society to help emphasize and educate about the importance of music and music education.

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

I compared the enrollment numbers from the orchestra classes in 2017-18 school year and the 2018-19 school year.

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

My project is sustainable because it is run by the members of my high school’s Music National Honor Society. The president of next year will be in charge, and so on and so forth. It will continue to help increase the participation in music programs, as well as helping to educate the importance of music and music education.

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

I communicated with the Program Coordinator for the head of the National Music Honor Society, and they were able to obtain information about my project to post it on their websites and have workshops on how to effectively teach music. This enables it to now be a national music tutoring program.

What did you learn about yourself?

I learned that I can communicate with large groups of people. I spoke in front of an audience of 300 people, and it was really inspiring to see how you can connect with so many people at once, and how you know that they can all feel your passion for a project.

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

Earning my Gold Award will help me step forward with confidence in the future. I know that I can do anything, if I set a plan and work towards it.

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

I think that if I had not completed the Gold Award, Girl Scouts would not have been such an important part of my life. This project helped me spread the awareness of something that I am passionate about, while working with amazing people and creating connections.

How did earning your Gold Award help you become a G.I.R.L. (go-getter, innovator, risk-taker, leader)?

It helped me become a go-getter because I set a very aggressive timeline, while also working with lots of people. I completed the majority of my project in one semester, and was still able to see results.

**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. 

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Girl Scout Junior helps bunnies to earn Bronze Award

Submitted by Ana Martin Del Campo

Metro Denver

Thornton

Alison E., a Girl Scout Junior, has been in Troop 62816 only this Girl Scout year. When she joined this new troop, she realized all the Girl Scouts had already earned their Bronze Award and she wanted to earn hers as well!

Alison read all the requirements to earn the Bronze Award. Then, she saw a lot examples about what other Girl Scouts had done to become Bronze Award Girl Scouts.  We started the adventure with a visit to animal shelters. Alison visited dog shelters, cat shelters, bunny shelters, etc. all while looking for a problem that she could help solve.

During a visit to the Colorado House Rabbit Society, she noticed they have a lot of bunnies! She came up with an idea for how to help the organization by hosting a class to educate the community about adopting bunnies as pets. After that she told me, “This is it mom! I want to do my Bronze Award project to help bunnies to find a  home!”

This summer, she spent more than 35 hours preparing for this event. She talked with the president of Colorado House Rabbit Society, Nancy LaRoche, who authorized the project. The Colorado House Rabbit Society is in Broomfield. Then, she talked with people at the Anythink York Library in Thornton. She worked as a team with Michele Hawking from the library to make a flyer for the class and upload it on the library’s web-site.

Next, Alison took a four-hour class at the shelter and studied and read many articles to learn about bunnies. She visited the bunny shelter several times to have meetings with LaRoche so everything would be fine with the Colorado House Rabbit Society.

She also made a PowerPoint presentation for her class, and chose and prepared all the materials to do a craft bunny toy for the class. People could decide to keep the toy or donate it to the Colorado House Rabbit Society! She also convinced LaRoche to bring bunnies from the Colorado House Rabbit Society to the class, so people could meet and pet them.

On Saturday, September 1, 2018, Girl Scout Junior Alison earned her Bronze Award by hosting a class to educate the community about how to adopt bunnies from the Colorado House Rabbit Society. It was amazing  and she received a lot of compliments. The Colorado House Rabbit Society even donated stuffed animal bunnies as a gift for children who attended the class. It was a surprise for everybody!

Alison wanted to share her story to show other Girls Scouts that you can earn your Bronze Award as a team in your troop or by yourself. You can do it sometimes in one or two years or sometimes in few months over the summer. And most importantly, if you love your idea about what you want to do as a Bronze Award project, go for it! You can do it! If you work hard and are determined to do it, you will earn your Bronze Award!

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

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Gold Award Girl Scout: Brittany Argo, Aurora, “St. Michael’s the Archangel/Philippines Prayer Garden-Prayers Across the Sea”

What did you do for your Gold Award project?

For my Gold Award project, I decided to build a prayer garden at St. Michael’s the Archangel in Aurora, Colorado, which included remembrance bricks that were engraved with a loved one’s name. I also wanted to help make a difference in another country, so I chose a church in the Philippines that I donated $5,000 to help build a prayer garden there as well. Both of these churches were given two pamphlets that I made that will be handed out for years to come. The St. Michael’s the Archangel/Philippines Prayer Garden-Prayers Across the Sea addressed three main issues: the loss of a loved one through grief; there is no peaceful and quiet place outside the church for prayer; and there is no place in the church to remember a loved one with a personal sentiment.

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

The project directly benefited St. Michael’s the Archangel, and helped them to have a space for prayer and solitude. My project focused on teaching the community about grief and how to deal with the loss of a loved one in a healthy way. There are currently more than 3,000 families registered at St. Michael’s the Archangel, and the prayer garden is open to all parishioners. The prayer garden in the Philippines is located beside the Chapel of the Forgiving Lord, in the Tuloy sa Don Bosco Street Children Village. There are 780 students in the Tuloy Foundation that visit the garden throughout the week as well as, daily masses attended by 200-300 people, and a total of about 400 on Sundays.

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

St. Michael’s the Archangel Prayer Garden is a project that is designed to continue for many years, so that the garden can grow with the new generations. The flowers and bricks will help to continue the garden to grow, and give the church an area where they can come together as a community for a greater cause. They will be able to keep this garden going as a place of prayer and worship. The preschool has promised to continue planting flowers in the garden in each year and the church will continue to sell the bricks and the youth will be able to give back to their parish by helping to install the bricks. I have also handed out two pamphlets, one on “How To Deal With Grief” and the other one on “How To Build A Prayer Garden,” which well be available at both churches for years to come.

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

My global connection was helping to build a prayer garden in the Philippines. I was able to help a church in need and give $5,000 to help build a prayer garden. I am so excited and overjoyed that I was able to help another community with such an amazing project. The fact that I was able to donate $5,000 to help another church community build a prayer garden where they can deal with their loss and grief in their own type away is incredible. The Tuloy Foundation, which is a non-profit organization helps underprivileged children, who don’t have a home, food or family. The prayer garden will be able to help them have a place to go to pray.

What did you learn about yourself?

After spending so much time and energy organizing and coordinating my project, I learned that it really takes an entire army of people to make a difference. I wasn’t able to do this project on my own. I needed the help of my volunteers, and the help of my family to complete this project. I have always loved to help others and help my community for the greater good. I have been on three church work camp trips, and even though building my prayer garden might not of been a service trip, I still felt the feeling of gratitude and happiness.

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

Earning my Gold Award will impact me in the future because it has allowed me to develop many leadership skills. I have developed a strong sense of communication, organization, delegation, and time management skills. This project has taught me that I can make a difference in my community and globally, I have gained so much confidence which will help me to take on more projects in the future that will hopefully reach even more people.

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

I feel the Gold Award was an important part of my Girl Scout experience because my project has been so personal and meaningful to me. I will be able to look back at my Girl Scout experience and remember my Gold Award as a project that made such a big difference on my community as well as on me. My Gold Award is the last step of my Girl Scout journey and reflects everything that I have learned during my girl scout experience as well as giving me an appreciation for how much work goes into getting the Gold Award.

How did earning your Gold Award help you become a G.I.R.L. (go-getter, innovator, risk-taker, leader)? 

My Gold Award helped me become a “G.I.R.L.”  The “G” stands for go-getter.  I learned by building my project I was not able to give up and learned to go after whatever I needed to in order for my project to be completed.  I knew I could achieve whatever I set out to do.  I was ambitious and wasn’t afraid to pursue what I needed to in order to complete my project but also to earn the highest award a girl can earn which is the 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. 

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Gold Award Girl Scout Bailey Stokes awarded Johanna Farrar Girl Scout Memorial Scholarship

Gold Award Girl Scout Bailey Stokes of Buena Vista is the 2018 recipient of the Johanna Farrar Girl Scout Memorial Scholarship. She earned her Gold Award, the highest honor in Girl Scouts, earlier this summer for creating a nature program that will be sustained by teachers in her community.

Johanna Farrar’s husband and children started this scholarship in 2015 to celebrate all of her accomplishments, particularly those within the Girl Scout community. Born in London, England and raised in a small village on the south coast of England, Johanna was a Girl Guide in her childhood. She was also the youngest ever to have achieved the Queen’s Guide Award at that time, the English equivalent of the Girl Scout Gold Award. After earning a software engineering degree from Loughborough University, Johanna moved to New Jersey to work for Bell Labs. In 1985, she accepted a position with FedEx in Colorado Springs, where she met and married Gene Farrar in 1990. Johanna and Gene lived and worked in the Colorado Springs area, moving to Monument in 1992 when their oldest daughter, Hannah, was born. In 1995, after their second daughter, Rachel, was born, Johanna retired from a successful career as a Technical Advisor at FedEx for an even more successful and rewarding career as a dedicated full-time mother.

Johanna introduced her daughters to Girl Scouts at the first opportunity and became a local leader in Monument, then again after relocating to Buena Vista. When Johanna first arrived in Buena Vista, she learned Girl Scouts had all but disappeared in Chaffee County. Johanna believed so strongly in the values and skills that Girl Scouts develops, it became a passion to reestablish Girl Scouts for girls in the high Rockies. Known to many of her friends as the “Engergizer Bunny” because of her seemingly never-ending energy and indomitable spirit, Johanna provided the leadership and drive to rejuvenate Girl Scouts in the valley. Now, for the first time, there are troops for all ages.  Additionally, Johanna loved the outdoors, including skiing, hiking, biking, mountain climbing, and especially gardening – passions she loved to share and instill in young women.