Sow What! Journey Series for Seniors grades 9-10
 
Eat Right! Feel Amazing! Save the Planet!

In this 4-day virtual Sow What Journey workshop series, Girl Scout Seniors will learn how small daily choices have a big impact on the earth! In this leadership Journey, Seniors examine what they eat, how it got to them and at what cost. They will be inspired to make healthier choices for a more sustainable lifestyle.   

By the end of our Sow What series, each Senior will have a well-developed plan for her solo or group Take Action Project (to be carried out after the series ends). Your Seniors will also leave equipped with knowledge and skills that will prepare them to create strong Gold Awards. ​ 

Completing a Senior (9th-10th grade) or Ambassador (11th-12th grade) Journey is a prerequisite  for the Gold  Award because they create a project following
​ the same steps, but on a smaller scale.  
All Workshops4girls Journeys are lead by experienced Girl Scout Highest Award experts (Bronze, Silver & Gold) . We emphasize building the skills that lead directly to successful and impactful Gold Awards.

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What do Seniors who completed a Virtual Workshops4girls Sow What Journey have to say about the experience?

I learned that taking lots of little steps is way better than trying to take a few huge steps. You are able to be more consistent and be more motivated when you are able to check things off one at a time!

I realized how impactful gold awards are. Listening to the guest speakers made me realize the difference I can make in the world.

I realized that there really is no limit on my Gold Award, and I learned the steps for both the Gold and my Take Action Project. I also learned some things to look out for during Gold.

I would tell an interested friend that it was a great experience and offers lot of resources you would not have if you completed the journey on your own.

This session is very motivating, productive, and is very detailed in teaching how to plan out your project.

I learned how to properly plan a project and I realized that I am truly capable to do all the things I set out to do.

What Happens on a Sow What Virtual Journey? 

 Exploring Issues and sharing what they learned

The Seniors explore issues, share what they learned and practice their presentation skills
​ by creating short slide shows on Sow What related  topics.

​Project brainstorming. Maybe we could....

Take action to address food print by keeping things local. This means that instead of buying products from out of state, purchase ones that are grown locally from a farmers market or from your local farm. This allows us to keep things centralized and cut down on the toxic gasses that we are putting into the environment.    

Sow What? Take Action Projects

Taking Action with a purpose and a strong vision.
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From elevator speech to finished Journey Take Action Project.​

Hello my name is Addy
The issue I’ve chosen for my Journey Take Action Project is the lack of understanding and awareness in younger Girl Scouts about environmental footprint. 
The reason this issue is important to me is because I want younger girl scouts to know that they and other people could be impacting the environment by just doing their daily life activities. Furthermore, I want them to pass this information on to their friends and be able to make a change/help solve this issue. 
The target audience I will reach out to is Younger girl scouts, either Brownies or Juniors. 
The steps I will take to complete my project are: 
Research our issue
Contact environmentalists or science teachers
Start planning the website and lesson plans
Make flyers and posters to send to the troop leaders 
Start planning the zoom session for the girls 
Create the pre and post surveys for the girls 
Lead zoom sessions 
The result I hope to have is that the girls fully understand the importance of their environmental footprint and how it impacts the world. I also hope that this will motivate the younger girl scouts to do their bronze and silver award later on, in their girl scout journey.
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​Hello my name is Prerita
​The issue I’ve chosen for my Journey Take Action Project is: Plastic pollution
The reason this issue is important to me is:
Marine animals are ingesting microscopic pieces of plastic with every breath they take. Over 1 million marine animals are killed every year by plastic in the oceans. In addition, mountains of plastic sit in landfills, ruining the environment. One of the main reasons for this is the inability to correctly dispose of recyclable plastics. 
The target audience I will reach out to is:
The students and teachers at Coyote Creek Elementary School, the elementary school we went to. We might expand to more schools in our district, but we want to start here.
The steps I will take to complete my project are: 
Research which types of plastic can be recycled, and which need to be put in the trash
Research alternative options for non-recyclable plastics
Contact Coyote Creek’s principal, pitch our workshop idea, and get a time commitment
Plan out the workshop details and prepare the necessary materials/presentations
Get feedback from the students for their major takeaways, as well as ways the workshop could be made more interesting 
The result I hope to have is:
Students will know how to properly dispose of the plastics they use daily, as well as some alternatives to single-use plastics. Focusing on younger students will help them develop beneficial habits early on that will help the environment.

ISSUE: Plastic Pollution

My image is about the plastic pollution in the oceans. This issue is important to me because it is sad to think that in just 30 years our entire ocean could be filled with plastic. It is also heartbreaking to know that many different animals are dying because of choking on micro plastics. I know that we can not completely stop this issue now, but I hope that as more and more attention is brought to it, people will change their ways and help reverse what we have done before it becomes too late ​

ELEVATOR SPEECH
What are you doing for your Journey Take Action Project?
A zoom course with young Girl Scouts talking about plastic pollution 
My project focuses on these community issues:
Plastic Pollution 
My project involves this realistic plan of action:
Creating a google slide/ video
Hosting a zoom with local brownie troops 
Teaching the troops about the impact of plastic pollution 
Creating and sharing a google doc with the girls asking about what they learned
My project goals are:
Teach the girls about the importance of recycling
Get them to reduce their plastic use and recycle more 
Have the girls talk to their friends about what they learned in the Zoom 
The impact of this project will be:
Getting all of these girls to know the importance of recycling and keeping the environment clean 
This project could be sustainable if:
The girls continue to reduce their plastic use and if they recycle more.  

A video or website alone isn't a Take Action Project. It is a tool to spread your message.  Taking Action is what you do with the video. 

ISSUES: 
​Lack of fresh organic produce at food bank. Excess fruit from backyard fruit trees.

Solution
Harvest surplus citrus fruit from backyards & donate to food bank
Team - Food bank contacts, supermarket contact for donated boxes, people with fruit trees in local neighborhoods
Project
500 pounds of fresh fruit harvested & donated to OC Food bank.
Move towards sustainability  The food bank shared the project on the home page of food bank website with message encouraging others to harvest their own neighborhoods.
How to turn it GOLD - Set up club or enlist & train groups to have a permanent relationship with food bank and harvest year round.

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