Gold Award

Girl Scout Gold Award: Go For It!
The Highest Award for Girls 14-18

Congratulations, you have taken one of the first steps toward earning the highest award in Girl Scouts! Here you will find information and resources you can use to earn the Girl Scout Gold Award.

The Girl Scout Gold Award project is the culmination of all the work you put into "going for the Gold." It is something that you are passionate about- in thought, deed and action. Your project is something that fulfills a need within your community whether local or global, creates change and is hopefully something that becomes ongoing.

If it is an event, the event should be something people will want to continue for the next year.
If it is a service, it should be something that creates change or action with long-term possibilities, empowering others besides just you.
If it is something tangible, it should come with a plan for use and maintenance within the community.

The project is more than a good service project, it encompasses organizational, leadership and networking skills. Your Girl Scout Gold Award project can make a lasting change for the better in your community.

All requirements must be completed by September 30 after the
completion of 12th grade. Young women who are developmentally delayed
may have until the age of 21 to earn their Girl Scout Gold Award. If you work
on your project as a group, each girl must be responsible for a specific part of the
project and must keep track of her specific work and hours.

Girl Scout Gold Award Requirements

The following is an overview of the seven steps in earning the Girl Scout Gold Award. You should get a copy of the STUDIO 2B Girl Scout Gold Award Go For It! focus book for a step-by-step guide and to record your Gold Award progress. Here are a few things to keep in mind:

Your Gold Award project should impact your community beyond the Girl Scout community.
To help develop your project ideas, attend a Gold Award workshop.
Your Project Advisor is an expert in your community on the subject of your project who is not your parent/guardian or your troop/group advisor.
Accomplishments prior to age 14 or prior to going into ninth grade can not be used toward your Girl Scout Gold Award.

Steps 1-4 may be accomplished in any order, whatever works best for you!
You must be age 14 or going into ninth grade to work on steps 1-3.

STEP 1: BUILD A FRAMEWORK

Read the STUDIO 2B Girl Scout Gold Award Go For It! focus book which is available for purchase at the council stores
Attend a GSWW Gold Award workshop
Meet with your Troop Leader/Advisor or Project Advisor and develop a timeline for Steps 2-4; include some thinking about where Step 5 might fit on your timeline
Create an agreement with your Project Advisor

Use your Go For It! book to keep records and journal Steps 2-6.
Good record-keeping will help you with Step 7.

STEP 2: EARN THE GIRL SCOUT GOLD LEADERSHIP AWARD

Lead: earn three Girl Scout Interest Project awards related to parts of the Girl Scout Law
Do It Yourself: set goals and earn a charm for the STUDIO 2B focus book of your choice
Put Leadership Into Action: spend 30 hours in a leadership role
Or, Fast Track it by applying your hours for Leader-In-Training, Counselor-In-Training or Program Aide

STEP 3: EARN THE GIRL SCOUT GOLD CAREER AWARD

Network: do one or a combination of the following for a total of 40 hours
Career-shadow one or more people
Get an apprenticeship or internship
Visit colleges or trade schools
Organize a career fair
Publish a newsletter or create a webpage about careers for your school
Partner with one or more Girl Scout council staff members
Or, Fast Track it with a paying job or your own business

You must be age 15 or going into tenth grade to work on steps 4-7.

STEP 4: EARN THE GIRL SCOUT GOLD 4Bs CHALLENGE

Become: assess your personal skills. Set and achieve two goals related to self-improvement
Belong: create a community profile to find out more about the community needs and assets
Believe: write a vision statement for your Girl Scout Gold Award project. Use the Studio 2B Write Now! focus book to guide you in writing your vision statement.
Build: focus on developing a network of people who might help with your project

Hours spent on the Girl Scout 4Bs Challenge can be applied to the
Girl Scout Gold Award project hours. This is a good time for you to sign an
agreement with your Gold Award Project Advisor if you have not already.

STEP 5: PLAN YOUR GIRL SCOUT GOLD AWARD

Planning and carrying out your Gold Award project must take a minimum of 65 hours.
Plan It: what challenge or issue in your community do you want to work on?
Know More about It: collect as much information as you can about the issue
Choose It: what is the best way to work on the issue?
Budget It & Map It: create a budget and timeline of the steps you need to take and list all the resources you will need

Girl Scouts of Western Washington must approve any
money-earning or gift-in-kind plans related to project.

Complete the GSWW Project Proposal and work with your Girl Scout Gold Award Project Advisor
Submit your Gold Award Project Proposal to council for approval (contact information below)
Present your Gold Award Project Proposal to the GSWW Gold Award committee, a committee mentor will be assigned to you at your presentation

Note: Previously, for some areas of our council, being assigned a committee mentor was done earlier in the application process. Currently, it is suggested you attend a Gold Award workshop, use the Go For It! focus book and a committee mentor will be assigned to you when your project proposal is presented to the Gold Award committee.

Proposals received by the first of the month will be reviewed at that month’s committee meeting. You will be notified upon receipt of your proposal to confirm the date of your presentation. Your presentation to the Gold Award committee may be done in person or by phone during the committee meeting. GSWW Gold Award committees meet the third Tuesday of each month. Do not begin your project until you have received written approval from GSWW. Allow up to six weeks for notification of approval for them time of submitting your Project Proposal. The committee evaluates each Gold Award proposal individually and considers the size, scope and cost.

Contact Information:
Girl Scouts of Western Washington
Gold Award
601 Valley Street
Seattle, WA 98109
fax: (206) 633-5600
e-mail: karenet@girlscoutsww.org

STEP 6: TAKE ACTION

Once you have received approval from council, put your plans into action! Be flexible and adjust your plans if necessary. When changes to your proposal need to be made, contact your Gold Award committee mentor and/or Karen Thornton, GSWW staff coordinator for the Gold Award, at (800) 767-6845.

Use your Go For It! book to journal about your experiences throughout your project. This will help you complete your final report.
Check in as needed with your committee mentor and Project Advisor as you work on your project

STEP 7 - REFLECT & EVALUATE

Submit your Girl Scout Gold Award Final Report to council for approval of your project (contact information below)

Submit photos, newspaper articles, fliers and other items that will help communicate the scope of your project to the committee. Final Reports received by the first of the month will be reviewed at that month’s committee meeting. GSWW Gold Award committees meet the third Tuesday of each month. Allow up to six weeks for written notification of final approval from the time of submitting your Final Report.