Inspirational Projects
In their own words...
The Girl Scout Leadership Experience as described by Gold Award Girl Scouts
One of the best perks of being a Gold Award Interviewer is the opportunity to read the final reflection after they complete their Gold Award. I think what they have to say sums up the program better than anything I could say.
Describe what you learned from this project, including leadership skills you developed. What did you learn about yourself?
Excerpt from the Gold Award final report reflection of Alexis Ton, Gold Award Girl Scout
From this project, I learned that persistence is key. I had to adapt to a business-like mindset when speaking to my project advisor and other important adult figures during this project. Although tough, I learned that many people are extremely busy and even though my project was a priority to me, I needed to stay persistent with my emails and follow-ups in order to make significant progress. From this hardship, I learned one of the most important lessons of my life: In order for you to achieve your goals, you need to inspire others to take it seriously as well. As a leader, I needed to possess a certain charisma and assertiveness. I needed to be a fastidious problem solver and needed to continuously do and redo flyers which solidified the persistence and determination lesson. Procrastination could not be a factor in my project if I wanted to get it done, which I learned quickly. In the beginning, I took the project slowly and waited for others to answer my emails and queries but learned that even though I was making progress, slow progress is still procrastination. I made excuses to not work on my project at first, telling myself that "I emailed first, it's not my fault that I am not getting a response" but soon I had to be honest with myself and accept that it is my fault if others don't answer. I possessed a new sense of assertiveness and learned that I needed to continuously demand other's attention if it was not handed to me.
I learned that I am extremely strong-willed and industrious. I learned what it takes to be pro-active. I learned how to fight for the things that I believed in. I learned that I could make a change as long as I kept working at it and continued in the face of adversity.
From this project, I learned that persistence is key. I had to adapt to a business-like mindset when speaking to my project advisor and other important adult figures during this project. Although tough, I learned that many people are extremely busy and even though my project was a priority to me, I needed to stay persistent with my emails and follow-ups in order to make significant progress. From this hardship, I learned one of the most important lessons of my life: In order for you to achieve your goals, you need to inspire others to take it seriously as well. As a leader, I needed to possess a certain charisma and assertiveness. I needed to be a fastidious problem solver and needed to continuously do and redo flyers which solidified the persistence and determination lesson. Procrastination could not be a factor in my project if I wanted to get it done, which I learned quickly. In the beginning, I took the project slowly and waited for others to answer my emails and queries but learned that even though I was making progress, slow progress is still procrastination. I made excuses to not work on my project at first, telling myself that "I emailed first, it's not my fault that I am not getting a response" but soon I had to be honest with myself and accept that it is my fault if others don't answer. I possessed a new sense of assertiveness and learned that I needed to continuously demand other's attention if it was not handed to me.
I learned that I am extremely strong-willed and industrious. I learned what it takes to be pro-active. I learned how to fight for the things that I believed in. I learned that I could make a change as long as I kept working at it and continued in the face of adversity.
How do you think your leadership skills will grow in the future because of this project?
Excerpt from the Gold Award final report reflection of Lauren Dyke, Gold Award Girl Scout
Apart from the usual ways in which I grow through doing anything of this sort (organization, communication, efficiency, the devil’s in the details, etc.), I think I have truly come to understand how daunting leadership roles are and the type of people needed to fill them. Because with leadership comes responsibility, and in my case, responsibility of 94 families whom I don’t know but who will be benefiting from my project in the coming year. I do worry sometimes if all my efforts will be wasted, if perhaps Home for Refugees won’t sustain the project, but then I realize that I am not the only one who cares deeply for these families, and I know that Home for Refugees won’t let them down any more than I would. I am learning what it means to be a leader on and off the clock; what it means to put others before yourself, how to collect people whom you trust and know will do the right thing, and, above all, how to lead from the back of the crowd, not from the front. Because every train needs a caboose for the stragglers to jump on somehow. I am learning that being a leader means being that caboose, seeing the stragglers, and then slowing the train down, regardless of schedule, and saying to those stragglers, “Please. Come aboard. Welcome home.”
Apart from the usual ways in which I grow through doing anything of this sort (organization, communication, efficiency, the devil’s in the details, etc.), I think I have truly come to understand how daunting leadership roles are and the type of people needed to fill them. Because with leadership comes responsibility, and in my case, responsibility of 94 families whom I don’t know but who will be benefiting from my project in the coming year. I do worry sometimes if all my efforts will be wasted, if perhaps Home for Refugees won’t sustain the project, but then I realize that I am not the only one who cares deeply for these families, and I know that Home for Refugees won’t let them down any more than I would. I am learning what it means to be a leader on and off the clock; what it means to put others before yourself, how to collect people whom you trust and know will do the right thing, and, above all, how to lead from the back of the crowd, not from the front. Because every train needs a caboose for the stragglers to jump on somehow. I am learning that being a leader means being that caboose, seeing the stragglers, and then slowing the train down, regardless of schedule, and saying to those stragglers, “Please. Come aboard. Welcome home.”
What was the most important Skill you learned?
Comment by Anna Z Gold Award Girl Scout
The most important skill I learned and put into practice was trusting my team. By trusting the skills each of them brought, I not only was afforded more time to focus on logistics, I also helped my team members become more confident in their own skills and in the team as a whole. The other important skill I gained was trusting myself; this meant trusting my vision and persisting even if challenges were presented. This created confidence in my work, allowing me to become an effective leader others could trust. I realized through this experience that I am capable of so much more than I thought and my passions could be fueled into projects that yielded results far larger than just myself. Before, my activism and love for politics felt isolating as many of my peers seemed to not relate, but through this project, not only did I find people who share my passions, but I also was able to encourage more people to become passionate about the issues important to me. An individual's influence should never be understated; I learned how to properly wield and increase my influence to provide results that genuinely benefitted my broader community.
The most important skill I learned and put into practice was trusting my team. By trusting the skills each of them brought, I not only was afforded more time to focus on logistics, I also helped my team members become more confident in their own skills and in the team as a whole. The other important skill I gained was trusting myself; this meant trusting my vision and persisting even if challenges were presented. This created confidence in my work, allowing me to become an effective leader others could trust. I realized through this experience that I am capable of so much more than I thought and my passions could be fueled into projects that yielded results far larger than just myself. Before, my activism and love for politics felt isolating as many of my peers seemed to not relate, but through this project, not only did I find people who share my passions, but I also was able to encourage more people to become passionate about the issues important to me. An individual's influence should never be understated; I learned how to properly wield and increase my influence to provide results that genuinely benefitted my broader community.
Girl Scouts of Orange County has nationally recognized Gold Award Girl Scouts
MEGAN: Proved Girls + Robotics = A Perfect Match
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ISABELLA: Raising Voices to Fight Violence Against Native American Women
Watch Isabella's powerful speech to the UN
Fast forward to 55 minutes
Watch Isabella's powerful speech to the UN
Fast forward to 55 minutes
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th parents who were immigrants from Vietnam, I was always taught that my heritage should be cherished and respected. However, growing up, I saw that due to the lack of cultural awareness, there were many conflicts and misunderstandings among my peers. Therefore, I chose spreading cultural awareness to children as my project objective, so that they would be able to foster positive relationships with people of different cultural backgrounds. This issue is extremely prevalent in the United States, as our own society is a culmination of immigrants from around the world. Enriching them with this education at a
younger age would allow for deeper understanding of the different cultures of others, as well as foster appreciation for their own heritage. Hence, I chose to build upon this cause through creating an ongoing Children’s Cultural Awareness Program. |
Addressing Student Voter Apathy
For her Gold Award Project Anna wanted to decrease voter apathy, especially among her peers by showing them the steps to become registered voters. This Video was made when she first started. She earned her Gold and worked with the California Secretary of State to develop and outreach campaign for high schools across the state.
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Think you are too young to make a difference? If you are 16 you can pre-register to vote in future elections. Make your voice and your vote count.
Under 16? Write letters to your senators or representatives. |
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Blythe‘s research showed that the overuse of technology is a global issue affecting both children’s and adult’s ability to communicate, problem solve and think critically in face-to-face interactions. She launched a Tech-Check Night program at a local elementary school and challenged participants to take a tech reduction pledge. Her fun filled events encouraged families to enjoy board games, puzzles, crafts, and other technology-free activities. Both her participants and her team of volunteers reduced their tech use. Her program was so popular that the school staff is excited to carry it on for years to come.
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Gold Award Project - Crafts for Senior Citizens - A Two Year Long, Ready to Use Program
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Several years ago, I discovered that my local senior center had been forced to end its craft program due to budget cuts. Upon hearing this, a group of girls from my Girl Scout troop and I took action. Earning our Girl Scout Silver Award, we created crafts and taught them regularly at the senior center for over a year. When our award was finished we continued teaching crafts; but I realized that once we left high school the seniors would again lose their craft program. And so, for my Girl Scout Gold Award, I decided to create a sustainable craft program for my local senior center as well as write a craft program that could be implemented at other centers. I connected several youth volunteer groups with my local senior center & trained them to continue to run the program. In addition, I created this craft book as a part of my Gold Award in the hopes that it will be used for many years to come. It is available as a free download on my website.
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Tustin Girl Scout turns bullying into teaching experience.
Natalie Salvatierra, 13, second from left, organized a religious tolerance event at her Temple Beth Sholom in Santa Ana on Sunday, November 12, 2017, for her Girl Scout Silver Award. Stations offered glimpses into different religious customs. This group learns about a shofar, an ancient musical horn used for Jewish ceremonies.(Photo by Mindy Schauer, Orange County Register/SCNG)
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Silver Award Project - Anti Bullying Awareness Campaign
Awareness is key in overcoming bullying
Most Orange County schoolchildren can't wait for the recess bell to ring. But when Rebeca was 10, she would sprint to the bathroom to hide instead of joining in a game of soccer or playing with friends. The verbal assaults she experienced daily from classmates far surpassed the “mean girl” drama we've come to regard as an unfortunate part of growing up. Instead, Rebeca endured what the National School Safety Center identifies as a bullying epidemic affecting 2.7 million school-age victims.
“They wanted me to know that I was bullied,” remembers Rebeca, now 13.
Most Orange County schoolchildren can't wait for the recess bell to ring. But when Rebeca was 10, she would sprint to the bathroom to hide instead of joining in a game of soccer or playing with friends. The verbal assaults she experienced daily from classmates far surpassed the “mean girl” drama we've come to regard as an unfortunate part of growing up. Instead, Rebeca endured what the National School Safety Center identifies as a bullying epidemic affecting 2.7 million school-age victims.
“They wanted me to know that I was bullied,” remembers Rebeca, now 13.
Click here for more great Silver Award inspiration
Girl, 9, creates campaign to combat hate,
shares ‘I AM’ project with Garden Grove PD
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Click here for more Bronze Award inspiration
11 year old starts non-profit to help kids relate to Alzhiemer's patients
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http://www.kidcaregivers.com/
My name is Hailey, I am 11.5 years old, and have been a caregiver for my grandma (who has Alzheimer's disease) since I was 4 years old. There are 1.8 million kids in the United States who are acting as caregivers. I want other kids to know that they are not alone; there are many of us out there! I believe that kids need to be recognized as caregivers. I also want to benefit the lives of Alzheimer's patients, with intergenerational programs (Puzzle Time and Creative Arts). My goal is to pair youth with the dementia community to enhance lives. |
