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Resources and links
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PDF Guide to the Bronze Award.
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Are your girls ready to start their BronzeAward and change the world?
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Do a good journey Take Action Project
Guide the girls to pick something that they truly care about. Make sure each girl has an active role in the project. A Junior journey Take Action project is a practice for the Bronze Award. It is the same steps on a smaller scale. Keep those steps in mind when you help them plan their Bronze Award
Understand the difference between Community Service and Take Action Projects
Community Service VS Take ACTION
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Think youunderstand?
For more info on understanding the difference including downloadable resources to use with your troop
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A community service project is a one time thing or a short term fix. Examples are collections, volunteering at an event, fixing or beautifying things, filling food boxes. Community service is wonderful, but the need will still be there next month when the donated items are gone or more food boxes need to be filled.
A Take Action Project meets need in the longer term by addressing the cause through direct action or education. When they Take Action to earn their Bronze Award, the girls find an issue or community need, figure out what they could do to "fix" it, decide who they need to reach out to or help & advocate for their issue.
For example at junior age, they love "helping the puppies or kitties".
A Take Action Project meets need in the longer term by addressing the cause through direct action or education. When they Take Action to earn their Bronze Award, the girls find an issue or community need, figure out what they could do to "fix" it, decide who they need to reach out to or help & advocate for their issue.
For example at junior age, they love "helping the puppies or kitties".
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Animal shelter Community service projects
Collect or make and donate blankets, food or catnip toys. Paint a wall .
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Animal Shelter Bronze Level Take Action -
Change the way they think about how they investigate needs at an agency. ASK THE RIGHT QUESTIONS If the girls visit a shelter ask what they "need" they will probably hand you a list of needed items to collect. If the girls visit a shelter & interview the staff to find out what problems, challenges or issues they have & how they can help, they may get a different answer. |
Possible ongoing issues
The need to educate the public about low adoption rates for adult animals,
Low adoption rates for black cats and dogs,
The public not knowing about spaying and neutering,
A shortage of volunteers,
The public not where low cost pet clinics are
People don't know what to do if you find a litter of "abandoned" kittens.
The need for volunteers to foster shelter animals.
The need to educate the public about low adoption rates for adult animals,
Low adoption rates for black cats and dogs,
The public not knowing about spaying and neutering,
A shortage of volunteers,
The public not where low cost pet clinics are
People don't know what to do if you find a litter of "abandoned" kittens.
The need for volunteers to foster shelter animals.
The above issues are great jumping off points for girls to start researching, educating and inspiring their community.
A good Bronze would be focused on education to have a longer lasting impact.
You could still do a collection as a bonus to enrich the project, but it shouldn't be the focus. If the girls decide that want to include a collection or making something to donate component, have them increase their leadership by getting others on board with them. Teach younger kids, peers or adults about the need and have them make the items at an event planned by the girls.
Bronze doesn't need to be sustainable in terms of someone taking over the project(only Gold requires full sustainability). At the Bronze Award level "sustainability" means education or adding a "pay it forward " component. With the above examples of issues, you could have the girls do educational talks in their community or team with the shelter to publicize upcoming shelter adoption days.
A good Bronze would be focused on education to have a longer lasting impact.
You could still do a collection as a bonus to enrich the project, but it shouldn't be the focus. If the girls decide that want to include a collection or making something to donate component, have them increase their leadership by getting others on board with them. Teach younger kids, peers or adults about the need and have them make the items at an event planned by the girls.
Bronze doesn't need to be sustainable in terms of someone taking over the project(only Gold requires full sustainability). At the Bronze Award level "sustainability" means education or adding a "pay it forward " component. With the above examples of issues, you could have the girls do educational talks in their community or team with the shelter to publicize upcoming shelter adoption days.
Make sure the girls know what they are doing and why
The girls should be able to answer the following questions.
Why did you pick this idea?
Why does this idea matter?
Who will this idea help?
What can we do to make a difference? How will we know that we did?
What result do we hope to have?
Why did you pick this idea?
Why does this idea matter?
Who will this idea help?
What can we do to make a difference? How will we know that we did?
What result do we hope to have?
How to identify their topic
When the girls complete their journey, they choose a topic within the scope of the subject matter. Choosing on their own for Bronze they are free to choose whatever topic they like. This can be overwhelming.
How do you help them choose?
Here are a few suggestions;
Expose the girls to topics through field trips and small service projects.
Think back on activities that you have done that the girls enjoyed.
Ask the girls - if had 25 volunteers, where would you sent them and why?
What do you see in your community that you wish someone would fix ?
Look for your subject first. Then look for the "spark" when the girls get to certain topics. When they find the one they want, the girls should be excited about it.
How do you help them choose?
Here are a few suggestions;
Expose the girls to topics through field trips and small service projects.
Think back on activities that you have done that the girls enjoyed.
Ask the girls - if had 25 volunteers, where would you sent them and why?
What do you see in your community that you wish someone would fix ?
Look for your subject first. Then look for the "spark" when the girls get to certain topics. When they find the one they want, the girls should be excited about it.
Need Bronze Award Ideas ?
Click on the Bronze Award or Pinterest icon
Click here to view our
Inspirational Projects page. See how scouts at many levels have followed their passions to make change in their community. |
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AWARD REQUIREMENTS
Pre-requisite
Girls must be in 4th or 5th grade (or equivalent) and be a registered Girl Scout Junior
AND
Complete one Junior Journey including Take Action Project.
An Overview to the Girl Scout Bronze Award Steps
1 Build your Girl Scout Junior team.
2 Explore your community.
3 Choose your Girl Scout Bronze Award project.
4 Make a plan.
5 Put your plan in motion.
6 Spread the word.
Here is a link to GSUSA info about the Bronze Award
Pre-requisite
Girls must be in 4th or 5th grade (or equivalent) and be a registered Girl Scout Junior
AND
Complete one Junior Journey including Take Action Project.
An Overview to the Girl Scout Bronze Award Steps
1 Build your Girl Scout Junior team.
2 Explore your community.
3 Choose your Girl Scout Bronze Award project.
4 Make a plan.
5 Put your plan in motion.
6 Spread the word.
Here is a link to GSUSA info about the Bronze Award
Complete overview of the progression of Take Action Projects from journey to Bronze, Silver & GOLD.
The journeys are a pre-requisite for the higher awards because each journey includes a Take Action Project (TAP). The journey TAP is a project the girls design that follows all the steps they will need to do when they tackle their Bronze Award, so that when they approach the Bronze Award, the steps will be familiar. The journey TAP has no hour requirement & it is to be done on a topic within the scope/theme of the journey. By contrast, the Bronze is 20 suggested hours and they can choose any topic. All Journey TAPs can be done outside of or within the GS community. It is the same case of the Bronze.
The journeys are a pre-requisite for the higher awards because each journey includes a Take Action Project (TAP). The journey TAP is a project the girls design that follows all the steps they will need to do when they tackle their Bronze Award, so that when they approach the Bronze Award, the steps will be familiar. The journey TAP has no hour requirement & it is to be done on a topic within the scope/theme of the journey. By contrast, the Bronze is 20 suggested hours and they can choose any topic. All Journey TAPs can be done outside of or within the GS community. It is the same case of the Bronze.