Tag Archives: Take Action

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Silver Award Project: Adopt a Grandparent

Submitted by Emily Sage

Northern & Northeastern CO

Loveland

Camryn and Peyton from Troop 71020 wanted to show nursing home residents some love during the COVID-19 pandemic. For their Silver Award project, they decided to adopt a nursing home in Loveland and partnered with The Courtyard of Loveland Assisted Living to develop an Adopt-A-Grandparent program. Camryn and Peyton started the program by making Thanksgiving treats for each of the residents and forming a group to sing socially-distanced, outdoor Christmas carols. To make their project sustainable, they asked Girl Scouts across Colorado to adopt a resident and send a Christmas gift and letter each month for the following year (2021). Peyton and Camryn plan to continue bringing small gifts to the residents for various holidays, such as the valentines they dropped off in February.

We want to hear how your girl is using her Girl Scout skills by taking initiative, caring for the community, and Girl Scouting at home. She can send in her story here.

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New Castle Girl Scouts Earn Bronze Award

Submitted by Cindy Adams

Western Colorado

New Castle

Troop 10239 in New Castle, Colorado has three girls, Abby, Gracie, and Sylvia, who earned their Bronze Award in 2021. The Bronze Award is the highest award the girls can earn as a Junior. Girl Scout Juniors need to complete a Junior Journey, build a Bronze Award team, explore their community, choose a theme, and design and complete a community Take Action project.  The first step to earning a Bronze Award is completing a Girl Scout JuniorJourney and Take Action project.

Last summer and fall, the Girl Scouts earned their Outdoor Journey and started their Take Action project.  On the Journey, the girls held a clean-up activity at Alder Park, created animal habitats, hiked New Castle local trails, planned a camping trip, and created maps of Alder Park and waterways. The girls decided their Journey Take Action project will be a fishing line recycling program at Alder Park Pond.  This project was born from picking up trash at Alder Park and the girls picked up a lot of old fishing line. Fishing line is a frequent source of litter in ponds and rivers, and can cause injury and death to birds, fish, turtles, and many mammals. Monofilament fishing line takes 600 years to decompose (that’s 150 years longer than a disposable diaper!), but IT IS RECYCLABLE! Berkley Fishing provides free shipping boxes to mail in used fishing line to be recycled.

The girls built two fishing line recycling bins and will install them at Alder Park.  They also received three additional bins from the Roaring Fork Valley Fly Fishing Club, which will be donated to other community groups to install and manage as part of the program.

The girls were set to install their Take Action Project in November 2020, unfortunately COVID-19 regulations stopped them in their tracks, as girls from no more than two households could meet. The girls did not lose faith in their project, they just postponed the installation of their Take Action Project until April 11, 2021 now that COVID-19 regulations have allowed for groups to meet. The troop also has a COVID-19 plan in place with the Garfield County Health to meet in person.

Abby, Gracie, and Sylvia’s Take Action Project involved researching, talking with community members including Trout Unlimited and Roaring Fork Fly Fishing Club, presenting to the New Castle town council, building monofilament recycling bins, and installing them. The girls started their project in October 2020.  The girls received a donation from the Town of New Castle to help offset the cost of the fishing line recycling bins, as well as a donation from Trout Unlimited.

Since finishing the planning and construction of their Take Action project, the girls started to brainstorm ideas for their Bronze Award project. They had come to know Alder Park Pond, a neighborhood hangout, and decided that they wanted to build permanent educational signs for the community about the importance of the animal species, the wetlands, and the human impact on Alder Pond.  The girls said if people know and love a place, they will care for it! Sylvia, Gracie, and Abby presented to the Town Council their idea for both their Take Action project and Bronze Award project in October 2020 and both were approved.

Over the winter, the girls designed and produced three educational signs about Alder Park Pond by the end of February 2021. The girls plan to install both the signs and fishing line recycling bins on April 11.  These girls have learned so much about community involvement, planning, how a project that people get excited about can expand rapidly, and about perseverance.

Cooperating Agencies for the project included: Roaring Fork Valley Fly Fishing Club, Trout Unlimited, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Roaring Fork Conservancy, Town of New Castle, Berkley Fishing and BoatUS.org.

We want to hear how your girl is using her Girl Scout skills by taking initiative, caring for the community, and Girl Scouting at home. She can send in her story here.

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Gold Award Girl Scout: Lily Goudreau, Monument, “Affirmations in Lewis Palmer Middle School”

What did you do for your Gold Award project?

For my Gold Award project I addressed the problem of bullying in schools. I painted affirmations throughout Lewis Palmer Middle School and created a monthly affirmation chalkboard that’s in the main hallway. With the constant positive affirmations around the middle schoolers, it can help to make them be more positive towards themselves and others.

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

I measured the success of my project by creating a survey. I surveyed some students in  the school. I asked if they read the affirmations, if the affirmations impacted them, and if there should be bright paintings affirmations in all schools. I received a lot of positive feedback from this survey from the students, staff, and principal!

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

My project is sustained beyond my involvement through the monthly affirmation chalkboard I started and a guidebook I created. The students part of an anti-bullying group put a new affirmation on the chalkboard every month for everyone to read. In the guidebook, I created a checklist of all the supplies I needed and the steps I took.

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

I shared my project globally through a guidebook I created. I shared a checklist, the steps I took, and pictures. I shared the guidebook with schools globally to inspire them to put up colorful affirmations in their schools.

What did you learn about yourself?

Through this project I learned to take initiative. Before this project, I didn’t have the confidence to talk to strangers to ask for help. I had to talk to a lot of people I didn’t know and I have become more capable of speaking up for myself.

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

Earning my Gold Award will impact me in my future because it has prepared me for the real world. I spent a lot of time and commitment on this project. There were difficulties with it and I was able to overcome those difficulties. Earning the Gold Award is a very rewarding experience because it’s something you invest a lot of time in.

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

The Gold Award was an important part of my Girl Scout experience because I knew it would be a very rewarding experience when I was done. I knew I would feel very accomplished because I completed my biggest project yet and I feel prepared to do bigger things now. I wanted to do the Gold Award project because I enjoyed doing my Bronze and Silver Awards, and wanted to continue to help my community.

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

Earning my Gold Award has made me become a G.I.R.L., specifically a go-getter. I have learned to speak for myself instead of having others do it for me. I really had to come out of my comfort zone to speak to people I didn’t know to get what I needed.  This project also had some difficulties and I was able to overcome those to complete my project.

**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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Celebrate Girl Scouts’ Highest Awards on Social Media

Celebrate your Highest Awards Girl Scout or your achievement of earning one of Girl Scouts’ Highest Awards on social media! Use any of the graphics at the bottom of this post to let friends and family know that you earned or are the parent/caregiver of a Bronze, Silver, or Gold Award Girl Scout. Be sure to tag us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Twitter and Instagram users should also use #GSColo, #GirlScoutsGiveBack, #gsGoldAward, #gsSilverAward, or #gsBronzeAward.

Don’t forget to join Girl Scouts of Colorado on May 16, 2021 to celebrate our 2020-2021 class of Gold, Silver, and Bronze Award Girl Scouts in Colorado!

Virtual Highest Awards Celebrations

  • 1 p.m. Bronze Award Celebration
  • 2 p.m. Silver Award Celebration
  • 3 p.m. Gold Award Celebration

These celebrations are an opportunity to recognize the outstanding Bronze, Silver, and Gold Award Girl Scouts who have earned their distinction in the last year. All troops and/or girls who have earned their Bronze, Silver, or Gold since March 2019 are invited to participate in a celebration of their choice.

You do not need to register for this event! The celebrations will premiere live on our Facebook and YouTube channels at the event start time.

We want to hear how your girl is using her Girl Scout skills by taking initiative, caring for the community, and Girl Scouting at home. She can send in her story here.

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Gold Award Girl Scout: Gayathri Budamgunta, Longmont, “Warm and Fuzzies”

 

What did you do for your Gold Award project? 

While I was in middle school, I really struggled with my self-esteem and my body image. There are so many images on the internet and on social media where people have seemingly perfect bodies or lives, but a lot of the time, these images are photoshopped or people only share the positive parts of their lives. It wasn’t until I went to high school when I realized that the uniqueness of every individual is what we should be seeking. My Girl Scout troop also conducted a selfie project many years ago in which people could go around a room and write kind notes to others based on one of their selfies, which I think really opened my eyes to the harsh realities of the internet. And, I recognize that many people eventually come to terms with themselves, but I wanted to start that process at a young age, so that adolescents aren’t struggling with their identities especially with the presence of technology. “Warm and Fuzzies” addresses the issue of low self-esteem and body image in middle school students ages 11-13 and it is a way for individuals to connect to each other through meaningful notes/letters that they write to one another while engaging in positive reinforcements. Initially, this project was going to be in a live setting such that the students could hand write each other notes, but as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, I switched to a virtual version in which students each had their own Padlet boards where they could leave messages for their peers. With this project, students were able to build meaningful relationships with their peers while understanding the importance of self-confidence and body image.

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

As a means of determining the impact of my project, I asked the students to fill out both a pre-survey and a post-survey regarding their self-esteem and body image in addition to conducting individual interviews with some of the students. Through these surveys and interviews I found that there was a 34% increase in the overall self-esteem of the students. These results were achieved through the discussion of the negative effects of social media and technology use on adolescent self-esteem. I discussed concepts such as the prevalence of Photoshop, and how oftentimes what people see on social media isn’t actually reality. Furthermore, students were able to write each other meaningful and positive notes which promoted interaction between students and also provided positive reassurances. Many times, individuals are more likely to agree with a statement presented by others rather than themselves e.g., a student does not think they are hardworking, but when a classmate tells them that they are, there is a higher chance that they will believe it.

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

In order to sustain my Gold Award, I have created a “Warm and Fuzzies How-To Guide” which I have distributed both to some of the 8th grade Altona Way students, as well as to some administrators. This how-to guide includes both the live and virtual versions of my project with logistics as well as tips and tricks on how to successfully implement the “Warm and Fuzzies.” The Altona Way students expressed their passion for helping address adolescent self-esteem and body image issues from an early stage given that many of them have or are struggling with similar issues. I conducted two workshops with some of the 8th grade Altona Way students and taught them the process that I followed in order to conduct the weekly presentations for the students to learn about various themes. They have since been working together to develop numerous lessons that they can then present to more teachers throughout Altona to spread the project not only throughout the 7th grade class, but also to the other grades.

With the help of my “Warm and Fuzzies How-To Guide,” individuals can take on the role of starting a Warm and Fuzzies program at their local schools or within their Girl Scout troops.

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

Upon creating my “Warm and Fuzzies How-To Guide,” I reached out to a few national non-profit and organizations whose missions encompass the themes of adolescent and young adult self-esteem, confidence, and mental illness. I discussed the purpose and results of my project and shared my successes with these organizations along with my “Warm and Fuzzies How-To Guide.” I reached out to three national non-profit organizations including “The Youth Mental Health Project,” “BeYOUtifully,” and “Active Minds.” “BeYOUtifully,” more specifically, is an organization that is centered on supporting middle and high school girls through their journey toward self-confidence. They recognize that with the increased pressure from social media, peers, and friends, girls are overwhelmed with negative images and stereotypes regarding their identity and appearances. They support young girls and provide them with space to truly express themselves as individuals without the external pressures that they are faced with in the world. I strongly believe in the values of this non-profit organization because they perfectly coincide with my project as well as my passion for promoting self-confidence in adolescents, and specifically, girls. I cannot wait to hear back from them and soon hope to join “BeYOUtiful Me” sessions in which I will be able to connect with other young adults and young girls that struggle with similar self-esteem issues as me and many other young individuals.

What did you learn about yourself?

Through my Gold Award, I learned that I am able to overcome the obstacles I am presented with, as long as I am committed and I have a support team. I initially had a clear plan for my project, but for a period of time, everything was up in the air and I needed to reorganize the entirety of my project because I could no longer follow through with anything in a virtual setting because of the coronavirus pandemic. However, instead of completely abandoning my project, I worked with my team to develop a virtual plan that I could still implement despite the restrictions. In addition, there were many times throughout the course of my project when I was overwhelmed with my school and personal life, however, I was committed to my project and was able to persevere through such challenges with the support and reassurances from my family, friends, and mentors. There were times when I was working on college applications, school work, extracurriculars, chores, and my Gold Award. I became overwhelmed, but with a support team, some time management, and commitment I was able to successfully manage and work through all of these items. In addition, I have learned that I love helping adolescents and young adults in many different aspects of life. For example, I was able to connect with some of the students who were participating in my project and learn about their experiences and answer any questions they may have had regarding high school or even if they simply wanted to talk. I found that being able to connect with individuals from various age groups is extremely important and I have come to value such relationships.

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

My Gold Award has taught me many valuable lessons, especially with regard to leadership. With strong communication and organizational skills that I have learned, I feel that I am equipped to take on challenges that may come my way, including other projects, though they may not look exactly like my Warm and Fuzzies project. I have also gained a lot of experience with working with others, which in my opinion is a valuable skill that I will take with me into my future endeavors.

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

Like many Girl Scouts before me, I began my journey as a Girl Scout while in Kindergarten as a Daisy. I engaged in various activities including badgework and cookie sales. As I grew older and progressed in Girl Scouts, I worked through Journey books, Take Action projects, and my Bronze and Silver Awards. Similar to my Bronze and Silver Awards, my Gold Award is a large milestone in my overall Girl Scout experience. Like other aspects of Girl Scouts, the Gold Award is centered around growing as an individual and developing life-long skills, however, it is unique because as a Girl Scout, we are expected to follow through with this project as an individual, but we are thoroughly supported along the way. I feel that the Gold Award process has helped me grow as an individual and develop important leadership skills that are important to my success as a Girl Scout.

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

With the aftereffects of the unpredictable coronavirus pandemic, I was forced to reevaluate my Gold Award and remain committed to my project. Given that my initial plans of conducting my project in person were no longer viable, I became an innovator and developed a virtual version of my project. I spent hours communicating with my team and developing a model that fit best with the virtual realm. This allowed me to think creatively and work around obstacles in order to successfully conduct my project. Furthermore, earning my Gold Award has helped me develop my skills as a leader. As mentioned before, the coronavirus pandemic led to many changes with my project, especially with regard to communication. I was unable to physically meet with anybody from my team and was forced to communicate solely in a virtual manner. However, I felt that I was able to develop my communication skills through email and other modes in order to adapt to this barrier. I also learned the importance of being flexible in order to accommodate changes beyond my control as well as to support my team throughout the implementation of my project.

**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 Gold Award Project: Golfing for a Miracle

Submitted by Makayla K., Girl Scout Gold Award candidate

Metro Denver

Arvada

When I was 10-years-old, my aunt passed away after a 13 year battle with Type 1 Diabetes. She was 26-years-old and at the time one of my closest friends. I set to work to start a non-profit and roughly two years later, One Monkey’s Miracle was registered with the IRS and State of Colorado. It was a long process. Our very first fundraiser was a virtual road race that allowed me to pay all the fees and start saving as well. Our goal is to find ways to help newly diagnosed children and ultimately help families who struggle with the high cost of diabetic supplies. We’ve held several fundraisers since 2015 and I managed to tie my Silver Award into my non-profit as well. Now, that I’m working on my Gold Award, I am again tying it into my non-profit by hosting a golf tournament where all earned funds will go to my non-profit and in turn the Barbara Davis Center in Aurora. My tournament, Golfing for a Miracle, will be held this summer at Willis Case Golf Course in Denver on June 5, 2021. We are limiting the registration for our first year to 52 people (or 2 groups of 26) to further tie it back to why I started this journey so long ago. I am constantly working to get sponsors for the tournament. One we have on lock is Dixon Golf. They will come out and set up several games/contests for registered golfers. The registration fee for the tournament is $100 per golfer and includes green fees, cart, as well as lunch (due to COVID lunch may be a grab and go, we will know more as we get closer to the event). We will have updates about sponsors and more on our Facebook group page as well as our website (https://onemonkeysmiracle.wixsite.com/onemonkeysmiracle). We welcome those of all abilities to join us in June for the first Golfing for a Miracle!

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We want to hear how your girl is using her Girl Scout skills by taking initiative, caring for the community, and Girl Scouting at home. She can send in her story here.

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Gold Award Girl Scout: Katie Wilson, Longmont, “Katie’s Bookcase”

What did you do for your Gold Award project?

I created Katie’s Bookcase. The goal was to collect books needed for the foster care visitation rooms at the  visitation center in Boulder County. The reason books are so important is that they are a great way for parents and children to connect, especially when they are in out of home placement.

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

I set an initial goal of collecting 75 new or gently used children’s books. In the end I collected more than 100, I also received monetary donations that enabled me to purchase book storage for each of the four rooms and labels for the books. The visitation supervisors will be able to send books home with children and/or parents, so that they can be used during virtual visits during this pandemic.

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

Katie’s Bookcase provides a direct link to the local Girl Scout community. Boulder County Social Services has been provided contact information so that going forward they can contact the local Girl Scout service unit when they need donations of any kind, or another service project. Girl Scouts are always looking for service projects that benefit the community. Katie’s Bookcase can be that connection for Boulder County going forward.

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

Katie’s Bookcase will be presented to the state and national foster care agencies.

What did you learn about yourself?

Because I started my project prior to the global pandemic, I had to rethink my project in its entirety. I learned that I could be very flexible and innovative. I’m normally fairly shy, but learned that when I believe in something it’s not hard to get out of my comfort zone.

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

Earning my Gold Award allowed me to exercise the leadership skills that I’ve learned in my years of Girl Scouts. It’s amazing how much you learn from all those years of selling cookies! I’m hopeful that my Gold Award will assist me in furthering my education by opening the door to scholarship possibilities.

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

I earned both Bronze (with my troop)  and Silver (independently, but with the support of my troop) Awards and those experiences motivated me to want to earn my Gold. It seemed  like the perfect way to cap off my Girl Scout career. It made it extra special that I could help the foster care community since I was a foster child.

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

Taking risks and innovating came into play when I had to redo my entire project. I had to quickly figure out new ways to work around the pandemic restrictions. I had to take risks with different ways of accomplishing my goals by stepping out of my comfort zone to reach out for assistance in both defining and accomplishing my goals.

**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: Katie Ellenberger, Colorado Springs, “Painted Pianos Project”

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What did you do for your Gold Award project?

For my Gold Award project, I wanted to create a space for the students at Timberview Middle School where they could learn how to play the piano or express themselves musically for free without having to join the band, choir, or guitar class. To do this, I, with the help of the art and music teacher at Timberview, created the Painted Pianos Club and a school wide design contest, where the students could come up with the design to paint on the pianos. We then got to work on prepping the pianos for painting, sanding them down, priming, and stenciling in the design. Additionally, I emphasized student learning with video tutorials on YouTube, piano lesson books, and note identifying stickers.

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

I measured the impact of my Gold Award by seeing how enthusiastic the students were about participating in the Painted Pianos Club. Due to COVID, the students are currently unable to access the pianos. However, in the long term, I will be sure to check back at the school to see what the students think of the pianos!

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

My Gold Award will be sustained beyond my involvement by the Painted Pianos Club run by my project advisor that is dedicated to art and music and will inspire other students to get involved as well. This club would help maintain the pianos by ensuring they get tuned once a year, making repairs, choosing new music every so often, and repainting if they choose to. This club will be provided with a sample lesson plan to ensure that if the current leader for it leaves, it can easily be picked back up by another teacher.

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

My national/global connection is a step-by-step packet on how to replicate my project sent to schools across America and international schools via connections that a team member has through other music teachers. Everyone should be granted the chance to learn to play an instrument. This specific project will be made available to music teachers around the world that participate in music based Facebook groups and Colorado Music Educators Association.

What did you learn about yourself?

From this project, I learned that communication is key when collaborating with many people and working with dependable people makes projects run smoother. My leadership skills have grown exponentially throughout this project, and I feel more confident being the executive of this project and maybe even more once I finish. I learned that I am adaptable to my circumstances (since I had to make changes to my project due to COVID) and I am more capable than I think I am at times.

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

Earning my Gold Award has impacted my leadership skills, which will continue to grow as I continue my journey through life. Additionally, it has taught me that helping a community is important to feeling accomplished. I am sure I will try to do other projects like this in the future so that I can continue helping communities.

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

The Gold Award was an important part of my Girl Scout experience because it taught me so much about leadership and being in charge of a project. It taught me that there is usually more to completing a project than you originally predict, which will help me more accurately determine how long and what I need to do to finish projects in the future. It was also important for me to connect to a community, the nation, and the world by putting something good out there.

My grandmother, Penelope (O’ Neal) Moeckel , earned what was called the Curved Bar, which was the predecessor of the Gold Award. My mother, Melissa (Moeckel) Ellenberger, earned the Gold Award as well. This is another reason why earning the Gold Award was an important part of my Girl Scout experience, to become a third generation earner of it is an honor.

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

Earning my Gold Award helped me become a leader by being in charge of the students in the Painted Pianos Club and having to organize all of the aspects of the project. It also helped me become a go-getter, since this was a very high goal to accomplish! This will encourage me to achieve more and reach higher in the future.

**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: Catherine Pederson, Colorado Springs, Women in STEM Careers “Breaking down the Einstein Model”

What did you do for your Gold Award project?

For my Gold Award project, I created a website  with multiple STEM resources and biographies of model female scientists with the goal of addressing the local and national issue of a gender gap in STEM. I would like to exhibit to aspiring young female scientists that their desire for science can be filled in a myriad of ways, all of which can greatly impact the community and our world. In society, young girls are often not given enough role models and mentors whom they can look up to and use for guidance in STEM fields. If we only think of a scientist as someone who looks like Einstein, then that is limiting to anyone else interested in science.

My website (https://womeninstemcareers.wixsite.com/femalestemcareers) includes scientists and activities within different areas of study in STEM, such as computer science, physics, and environmental science. I also found it to be significant to add different sections that had activities such as chemistry experiments, books, and other projects that young girls could access from home during the COVID-19 pandemic. I added categories of broad interests such as art, sports, and the outdoors, and I provided many examples of diverse women scientists whose careers fulfill their passions in those areas. Highlighting these women signifies to young girls that if they have a passion for art or sports, they can pursue a STEM career to follow their passions.

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

To measure the impact of my Gold Award, I set goals for the number of interactions on the STEM career website, as well as the interaction of an Instagram page I created. In addition to positive feedback from both platforms, meeting these quantitative goals allowed me to numerically measure the impact on my target audience.

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

My project is being sustained by a local fifth grade science teacher who will introduce her students to the website every year in conjunction with their unit about female scientist Rachel Carson. The STEM Career Website is on a free website platform, and the Instagram page is also free, so no monetary upkeep is needed for the project. The link to this website resource can be accessed by many people for the foreseeable future through the Instagram page, @womeninstemcareers.

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

This issue of a gender gap in STEM is prevalent all over the world in various degrees, and there are many organizations that work to create community and mentorship in STEM fields. I reached out to the National Girls Collaborative Project and Scientista with the goal of further continuing the discussion of exposing young girls to female scientists and scientific resources.

What did you learn about yourself?

This project has been a truly remarkable and eye-opening journey. Throughout this project, I gained leadership skills, communication skills, and strengthened my time management skills. More memorably, I had the opportunity to connect with strong females in STEM across our community and learn about their experiences. I also gained knowledge about women in STEM careers all over the globe. Learning about the importance of mentorship in engaging more girls in STEM was extraordinary, so I made sure to base a large part of my project around showing young girls a variety of diverse women scientists following their passions in STEM, and to emphasize that this diversity is key to success. I will cherish the experiences from my Gold Award for the rest of my life.

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

Through earning my Gold Award, I have learned more about the implications of STEM in the community and in the real world through discussions with my project advisor and outside resources. I learned about organizations that create communities of women in STEM, such as 500 Women Scientists and Scientista. This exposure further encourages me to pursue a STEM career myself and to seek out communities of women who have similar passions in the future. I hope to study biochemistry or biomedical science in college and to use my leadership and experiences in STEM to someday mentor young girls pursuing STEM.

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

I feel as though the Gold Award was a perfect capstone to my time in Girl Scouts because it allowed me to accumulate the leadership and skills I have gained to produce a project that speaks to my experiences for years to come. I have witnessed peers in their Girl Scout pursuits creating incredible projects that continually impact the community, and this inspired me to create a useful and accessible resource that can be enjoyed by many people, especially my target audience.

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

This project helped me become a G.I.R.L. by encouraging me to be an innovator. In this project, I built a website, which is something that I have never done, so this required working toward technological skill building and innovation. Additionally, I had to innovate a way to connect in my community during the COVID-19 pandemic and to ensure that my resources would always be available to students, online or in-person. I also feel that I grew as a go-getter, risk-taker, and leader, but I believe that my growth in innovation was the most significant. I am sincerely grateful for the support I received on creating this platform to inspire other girls to reach toward their goals and passions in STEM, and I look forward to utilizing the skills I learned in this project in the future. It’s a great day to be a G.I.R.L.!

**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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Silver Award Girl Scouts Fight to End “Period Poverty”

Silver Award Girl Scouts Lauren C. and Annaliese A. of Troop 64626 in Aurora are fighting “period poverty” in their community by securing a donation of more than 75,000 sanitary pads. Always delivered the pads to Liberty Middle School in Aurora on Friday, March 5, 2021. The Girl Scouts also provided pad-only dispensers for every girls’ restroom in the school. The girls earned $1,200 to purchase six dispensers, one for each restroom. After purchasing the dispensers, the girls realized they wanted to make an even bigger impact and contacted Always. The company agreed to donate more than 75,000 pads for the dispensers! “We noticed that many students didn’t have access to period products and were too embarrassed to ask the nurse for a pad (which nobody should be embarrassed about, but there has been a generational stigma surrounding menstruation),” wrote Lauren.

Through this project which Lauren and Annaliese completed last year, they earned the Girl Scout Silver Award, the highest honor for Girl Scouts in middle school. The girls are now students at Grandview High School. To continue to spread the word about the fight to end period poverty, the girls have also partnered with Period Kits. The nonprofit organization in Denver provides period supplies to those experiencing homelessness.

Thank you to CBS4/KCNC-TV in Denver for sharing this story. Watch it here.

We want to hear how your girl is using her Girl Scout skills by taking initiative, caring for the community, and Girl Scouting at home. She can send in her story here.