Why are journeys prerequisites to earn the Girl Scout Bronze,
Silver, and Gold Awards?
The journeys give girls a full
experience of what they will do as they work to earn the highest
awards. The skills girls gain while working on the journeys will help
them develop, plan and implement their award Take Action project.
How do girls know when a journey is
"completed?"
A journey is completed when a girl
has earned the journey awards, which include creating and carrying out
a Take Action project
What makes the awards' guidelines different from the
journeys?
In contrast to journey Take Action projects,
which give girls themes on which to base their journey Take Action
project, the Girl Scout Award Take Action projects have no
pre-designed theme. Girls select their own theme, design, and execute
their Take Action project.
What are the suggested hours for earning each of the
awards?
Not all projects will require the same length of
time to complete from planning to sharing and celebration. The time it
takes to earn the awards will depend on the nature of the project, the
size of the team, and the support of the community. Quality projects
should be emphasized over quantity of hours. After the journey(s)
requirement is fulfilled, the suggested minimum number of hours to use
as a guide is:
The Bronze Award -- suggested minimum 20 hours
The Silver
Award -- suggested minimum 50 hours
The Gold Award -- suggested
minimum 80 hours
Can a troop work on an Award together?
Each award level
brings a new progression of leadership development and each award
level has different group guidelines. At the Bronze level girls must
work together in a team setting. When girls work on their Silver Award
they have the option to work individually or in a small group
setting.
The Gold Award represents the highest achievement in
Girl Scouting and girls must earn the Gold Award as an individual.
Can girls begin working on their awards the summer after they
bridge (transition) from one Girl Scout level to the next?
Yes. Girls can begin to earn the awards over the summer.
Can Take Action Projects for the Girl Scout Bronze, Silver and Gold
Awards focus on Girl Scouting?
Final Take Action Projects
for the Girl Scout Bronze Award may focus on service in support of the
Girl Scout movement, while Take Action Projects for the Girl Scout
Silver Award and Gold Award are expected to reach beyond Girl Scouting
to "make the world a better place." The award progression is
planned to offer our younger girls the opportunity to develop their
planning and leadership skills within the comfort and familiarity of
Girl Scouting if they so choose. As they mature within Girl Scouting,
our Cadettes, Seniors and Ambassadors are ready to move beyond the
Girl Scout family to share their leadership skills with the wider
community. It is in fully exploring their communities that our older
girls exemplify the Girl Scout mission to "Build girls of
courage, confidence and character who make the world a better place."
If a girl starts working on her Take Action project and moves; can
she still earn her award?
Councils and Overseas Committees
are encouraged to be flexible to work and serve the girls’ best
interests. If a girl moves, she should work with her council and/or
Overseas Committees to complete the project.
Who are the adult guides for – council staff, parents, or
volunteers?
Any adult is welcome to use the adult guides.
The guides were designed for volunteers working directly with girls on
achieving their awards.
Do we need a different set of requirements for girls with
disabilities to earn the Girl Scout Bronze, Silver, and Gold
Awards?
No. The Girl Scout Bronze, Silver, and Gold Awards
are done to the best of a girl’s ability. There is no need to have
special requirements for girls with disabilities — encourage
flexibility and the recruitment of advisors that can work with the
girl individually.
Is sustainability differentiated at each grade level?
The
guidelines give girls tools to examine the underlying root cause of
issues, develop a sustainable project plan and measure the impact of
their project on their community, the target audience and themselves.
There is progression. While Girl Scout Juniors working on their Girl
Scout Bronze Award will reflect on how the project could be kept
going, Girl Scout Cadettes plan for sustainability. Seniors and
Ambassadors work to ensure the sustainability of their project in
order to meet the Gold Award standards of excellence.
While Juniors explore an issue that affects their Girl Scout community, Cadettes create a community map of their neighborhood or school. Meanwhile Seniors and Ambassadors earning the Gold Award assess an issue and its effect more broadly by interviewing community leaders, research using a variety of sources and investigate other community’s solutions to a similar problem.
How can we make sure that Girl Scout Awards represent quality
projects?
The best way to make sure that a girl is doing
the best of her ability is to ensure that both she and her project
advisor receive orientation about the award and understand the
difference between a one time community service opportunity or event
and a Girl Scout Bronze, Silver, and Gold Award Take Action project.
It’s the responsibility of the troop/group volunteer, council staff
member or Gold Award committee (for Gold Award only) to work with the
girl to ensure that she meets the quality requirements of the award.
What does it mean to have a sustainable project?
A
sustainable project is one that lasts after the girl’s involvement
ends. A focus on education and raising awareness is one way to make
sure a project is carried on. Workshops and hands-on learning sessions
can inspire others to keep the project going. Another way to create a
sustainable project is by collaborating with community groups, civic
associations, non-profit agencies, local government, and/or religious
organizations to ensure the project lasts beyond the girl’s involvement.
How does a girl measure project impact?
Girls identify
their project goals for their community, target audience and
themselves by developing success indicators using a matrix provided in
the guidelines
What if a girl is 18 and graduating? Can she complete her project
when she is in college?
A girl has until she turns 18 or
until the end of the Girl Scout membership year (September 30th) when
she is a senior in high school.
What if a girl graduates and is 18 and doesn’t have her project
completed?
In this case the girl would have until
September 30 of the year she graduates.
What if a girl’s project is not completed by the council ceremony
time?
This is up to the girl. She might be recognized for
her work in progress at the Girl Scout Gold Award Ceremony for her
peers, or she can be honored in a separate ceremony or come back for
the council-wide ceremony the next year. If the council has a set time
for honoring Girl Scout Gold Awardees, this should be part of the
orientation to girls planning their Girl Scout Gold Award. Girls and
their project advisors are encouraged to work within the council
timeline; however, the ceremony time should not dictate whether or not
a girl is able to earn her Girl Scout Gold Award.
