Girl Scout Gold Award

The Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest honor a girl can receive in Girl Scouting, recognizes the leadership, effort and impact girls in grades 9-12 have had on their communities.

History of the Girl Scout Gold Award

The Girl Scout Gold Award evolved from a long line of special Girl Scout awards. The Girl Scout Gold Award was introduced in 1980 as the highest award a Girl Scout could earn. This replaced the Curved Bar Award established in 1940, the First Class badge (1938-1940), which replaced the Golden Eaglet Award (1918-1939). Prior to the Golden Eaglet, this award was known as the Golden Eagle (1916), established by Juliette Gordon Low based upon the Guiding Silver Fish award. This prestigious award recognizes the work of Senior Girl Scouts who have achieved outstanding accomplishments in the areas of leadership, community service, career planning, and personal development.

• In 1980, the Girl Scout Gold Award was introduced in "You Make the Difference". Council volunteers and staff received additional information on the Girl Scout Gold Award at the 1980 Program Conferences conducted around the country. This new recognition helped girls focus on four areas: skill development, leadership, service, and career exploration.
• In 1987 a new handbook was developed for Cadette and Senior Girl Scouts. Minor changes were made to the Girl Scout Gold Award, including an added service project.
• Delegates to the 1990 National Council Session approved a proposal to keep the name of the Girl Scout Gold Award in perpetuity.
• 1993 - The National Council Session approved the establishment of the Girl Scout Gold Award Alliance.
• 1995 - New resources for Cadette and Senior Girl Scouts were developed with separate handbooks for each age level. Included was clarification on record-keeping for the Girl Scout Gold Award project.2001 - Research is done on what girls 11-17 want and need, including suggestions about the Girl Scout Silver and Girl Scout Gold Awards.
• 2002 - STUDIO 2B materials, the result of the research, are introduced at the GSUSA national council session in California. The Girl Scout Gold Award is revised to allow for Girl Scout STUDIO 2B Focus books.
• 2004 - Girl Scout Gold Awards are revised to reflect girl and council suggestions and research; new materials are prepared for girls, advisors and councils.

Transition: There is a 2-year transition period. these guidelines become official in october 2011 (2011/2012 membership year). GSSNV will work under the new guidelines and pre-requisites beginning January 1, 2010.  Any flexibility for girls in mid process of earning a leadership award will be reviewed and approved by the frontier council girl leadership alliance committee and based on training completed by the girl working on the project.

Be sure to check out the new requirements handout.

The Girl Scout Gold Award Overview

A  Girl Scout Gold Award project is an individual project; not a group project.

		•  Complete two Journeys (Senior or Ambassador) or Earn the Silver Award and complete one Senior or Ambassador Journey (Journey 1 & 2 – working through the 10 sessions, each session is approximately 60-90 minutes of program development activities)
		•  Individually girl led; girl selects and recruits Project Advisor
		•  Take action on a community issue the girl cares about
		•  Leadership Award training is required. (Provided by the council) Attendance of training becomes a girl’s Intent to complete a project.
		•  Help and guidance provided by Volunteer(s)

Project Hours

In addition to these requirements, the suggested minimum hours to complete the steps to the Girl Scout Gold Award are 80 hours.

These suggested hours are a guide, not a rule. 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 award will depend on the nature of the project, the size of the support team, and the support of the community. Quality projects should be emphasized over quantity of hours.

Take Action Project

• Individual Take Action Project that makes a lasting difference in the local community, region, or beyond.
  
  
• Puts the Promise and Law into action

  Proposals- Girls must submit project proposals in person to the Leadership Alliance for approval.  Approval is required.

  Sustainable- Take Action Project includes provisions to ensure sustainability.

  Global- Girls identify national and/or global links to their selected issue.  They learn from others and develop a plan to share the results of their project beyond the local community. 

The council provides staff support, resources, learning opportunities, and promotion for girls and volunteers who are working on their Leadership Award projects.

The Gold Award packet contains the application procedure, information sheet, application form, the project report form, recipient biography sheet and tracking sheet for contributions and gifts-in-kind.  It also includes a project plan, must be submitted prior to beginning work on the project.

Gold Award Project Proposals Packet     PDF 209KB    Word 36KB

Project Hour Tracking Form       10KB 

After your proposal has been received by council you will be scheduled for a presentation with members of the GAA. This is not a standing day of the month. We schedule for the best convenience of the girls and mentors. Please do not arrive on the committee meeting night to present, we do not hear presentations on that night you will need to re schedule with Kelle Boteilho at 385-3677 ext 236, or 1-800-762-6032.

Gold Award recipients are recognized at a special council-wide award ceremony in May of every year.

Scholarships and Other Benefits

A young woman who has earned the Girl Scout Gold Award has become a community leader. Her accomplishments reflect leadership and citizenship skills that set her apart. An increasing number of colleges and universities have recognized the achievements leadership abilities of Girl Scout Gold Award recipients by establishing scholarship programs for them.

Although Girl Scouts of the USA does not award scholarships to Girl Scout Gold Award recipients, GSUSA does publish the Scholarships for Girl Scouts Directory, which lists these schools and community organizations which offer financial assistance.

Girls who have earned the Girl Scout Gold Award often enter the four branches of the United States Armed Services at an advanced level and salary, having been recognized for their level of leadership shown in earning the Girl Scout Gold Award. The achievements of Girl Scout Gold Award recipients are acknowledged by many government and non-profit organizations.

Girl Scouts of Southern Nevada Recipients

Gold Award recipients interested in continuing their education at any accredited community college or university are also eligible to apply.

Scholarships are awarded once in an academic school year. Applications are accepted no later than June 15th. Applications MUST be postmarked or date stamped by council on or before June 15th to be considered for funding. NO EXCEPTIONS!

If you are a first time applicant please download the Gold Award Scholarship application and information sheet. ( PDF  Word)

For further information, or for assistance regarding Gold Award Scholarships, contact Kelle Boteilho 385-3677, ext 236.