Silver Award Girl Scouts

Why must girls complete Journeys before earning Girl Scout Bronze, Silver, and Gold Awards?

Earning one of Girl Scouts’ highest awards challenges girls to be their best. By first completing a “regular” Journey, girls learn what it takes to successfully complete a Take Action project—so they’re better prepared to develop, plan, and implement the more involved Take Action project for their Bronze, Silver, or Gold Award.

What do you mean when you say a girl’s Journey is "completed"?

We say a Journey is “completed” when a girl has earned the Journey awards, which include creating and carrying out a Take Action project.

Are the guidelines for the highest awards the same as those for Journeys?

As you might expect, there are some differences. Take Action projects for a Journey have predetermined themes. To earn a Bronze, Silver, or Gold Award, girls are required to come up with their own Take Action project theme.

How many hours should it take to earn each of the highest awards?

No two projects are alike, so the time to plan, share, and complete a project will vary depending on the scope of the project, team, and community support. The quality of the project should be emphasized over the quantityof hours necessary to complete it. However, after fulfilling the required Journey, the suggested minimum number of hours is: 

• Bronze Award: 20 hours
• Silver Award: 50 hours
• Gold Award: 80 hours

Can girls, or even an entire troop, work together on an award?

Girls working toward their Silver Award may work individually or in small groups of four (4) or less.

Can girls get a head-start and begin working on their award projects right after they bridge (transition) to the next level?                               

Absolutely. Once a girl bridges to the next level, she can begin working on her award; this includes the summer months.

What happens when a girl moves to a new city, state, or country while she’s in the middle of her award project? Can she still earn her award?

Yes, but she may need to seek special permission. We advise a girl in this situation to work with her new council and/or Overseas Committee to complete the project. And we encourage councils and Overseas Committees to be flexible and serve girls’ best interests.

Are adult guides just for council staff and volunteers? Or can parents use them too?

Even though the guides are designed for volunteers working directly with girls achieving their awards, any adult is welcome to use them.

What about girls with disabilities? Is there a different set of requirements for them?

No. Because Bronze, Silver, and Gold Award work is to be done to the best of a girl’s ability, there really is no need for special requirements for girls with disabilities. We encourage advisors to be flexible and to work with the girl individually as she earns her award.

How do you define “sustainable” when it comes to the highest awards?                 

Simply put, a sustainable project lives on in the community after a girl’s involvement ends.

How do girls achieve that?

They might focus on education and raising awareness. Or they might develop workshops and hands-on learning sessions that inspire others to keep the project going. Working with local government, community groups, nonprofit agencies, civic associations, and/or religious organizations can also help ensure the project lasts beyond the girl’s involvement.

Does “sustainability” mean something different for different grade levels?

It’s more the degree of sustainability that differs from level to level. We give girls tools to help them explore issues they may want to address so that they can develop sustainable projects, as well as measure impact on their community, target audience, and themselves.

Like many aspects of earning the highest awards, it becomes more challenging as girls progress to the higher levels. Girl Scout Juniors working on their Bronze Awards might think about how their projects could become ongoing. But Cadettes working on their awards actually plan for sustainability. Seniors and Ambassadors are required to make sustainability an essential component of their projects in order to meet Gold Award standards of excellence.

Do you have any advice on how to generate higher-quality projects?

A good first step is to make sure girls and their advisors understand the difference between a one-time community service project and a highest award Take Action project that serves an entire community for an extended period of time. The troop/group volunteer, council staff member, or Gold Award committee (for Gold Award only) should also work closely with girls to ensure that every project meets the quality requirements of the award.

How can we accurately measure the impact of a highest award project?

Check the award guidelines. We provide tools to help girls identify project goals for their community, target audience, and themselves using a “success indicator” matrix.

Why is the proposal required for the Silver Award and not the Bronze Award? 

The awards are a progression of leadership skills foe the girls to learn. Going through the process of creating a proposal and waiting for an approval will help prepare the girls for the upcoming Gold Award Process.