Transcript Highest Awards and Take Action

Highest Awards and Take
Action
(Highest
Awards 101)
Agenda
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Scouting for a New Century
Girl Scout Leadership Experience
Taking Action
Highest Awards
Scouting for a New Century
Challenges
• Losing membership since
2004
• Tradition bound, risk
adverse and internally
focused
• Perceived as old
fashioned
• Internally funded
• Intense competition
• Inefficient systems
Changes
• Focus on what we do
differently and better
• Create high capacity
councils to deliver Girl
Scout Leadership
Experience
• Develop measurable
outcomes to help secure
external funding
• Help girls make a
difference
• Revitalize the image of
Girl Scouts as the
premier leadership
organization for girls
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Girl Scout Leadership
Experience
Take Action Outcomes
• Girls identify community needs
o root cause
• Girls are resourceful problem solvers
o with guidance and encouragement
• Girls advocate for themselves and others
o locally and globally
• Girls educate and inspire others to act
o positive effect on community
• Girls feel empowered to make a difference
in the world
The Importance of Taking
Action
• Girls learn by doing
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and gain critical
leadership tools
Increase the relevance
and visibility of Girl
Scouts in our
communities
Helps make long-term
changes
Raises the bar
(outcomes, measurable
and sustainable)
Service Projects vs.
Take Action Projects
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Service Projects
Take Action Projects
Limited impact
Symptom-centric
Temporary solution
FOR the community
• Measurable/sustainabl
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• Root cause
• Continues to answer
need
• WITH the community
Take
Action?
Scenario A
• Issue: an uninsured family’s home is
destroyed by fire.
• Solution: clothes, household goods and food
is collected for the family.
Scenario B
• Issue: community has racial and cultural
tensions.
• Solution: sponsor a Diversity Day
celebration
History of Highest Awards
• Golden Eagle of Merit,
1916-1919
• Golden Eaglet, 1919-1939
• First Class Rank, 19381940
• Curved Bar, 1940-1963
• First Class Award, 19631980
• Present Day Highest
Awards
• Gold Award (1980),
Silver Award (1980),
Highest Awards Today
• Benefit larger
community
• Sustainable
• Girl identified
issue
• Work in teams
• Journey-not
destination
• Project- not
prerequisites
• www.gstakeaction.
org
Adult Assistance
• Troop/Group Award Volunteer
•Project/Community Advisor
o Required for Gold
o Optional for Bronze & Silver
•Gold Award Committee Member
•Staff advisor
Highest Awards Progression
Project
Focus
Troop/Team
Bronze
Focus on an issue within
the Girl Scout or local
community.
2-4 girls
Silver
Focus on an issue within
the local neighborhood
or community.
Individual
Gold
Focus on making a
lasting difference locally
or beyond.
Sustainability
Global
Connection
After project completion,
girls talk together about
how solutions can be
lasting.
Girls talk together about
how others in the world
might experience the same
issue as their project.
Girls demonstrate an
understanding of
sustainability in the project
plan and implementation.
Girls connect with others
outside the immediate
community to determine
similar problems and
solutions.
Project includes provisions
to ensure sustainability.
Girls identify
national/global links to their
issue, learning and sharing
with others.
Journeys
JOURNEY PROGRAM
PROGRAM LEVEL/
AWARD LEVEL
IT’S YOUR WORLDCHANGE IT!
IT’S YOUR PLANETLOVE IT!
IT’S YOUR STORY-TELL
IT!
Junior/Bronze
Agent of Change
Get Moving
aMUSE
Cadette/Silver
Amaze!
Breathe!
MEdia
Senior /Gold
Girltopia
Sow What!
Mission Sisterhood
Ambassador/Gold
Your Voice
Justice!
BLISS: Love it! Give It!
GSCO Award Guidelines
• No approval function for Bronze or
Silver awards
• Reports are required for all awards
• Volunteer Essentials
• Forms available for download:
www.girlscoutsofcolorado.org
• Log all awards projects on the Take
Action website
www.gstakeaction.org
Bronze Award
Bronze Award Basics
• Registered Girl Scout Junior
• Complete a Junior journey
• Work with a team to take action on a
root cause of an issue
• Group Take Action project in the Girl
Scout or local community
• Understanding of the wider world
• Understanding of sustainability
• Suggested minimum 20 hours
Adult Role - Bronze Award
• Encourages girls to take on leadership
roles
• Guides girls in actively engaging their
community
• Communicates with the local council to
adhere to Bronze Award process
• May advise Juliettes who form a team
to work on project
Silver Award
Silver Award Basics
• Registered Girl Scout Cadette
• Complete a Cadette journey
• Work independently or with 2-4 girls to
take action on a root cause of an issue
• Take Action Project that makes the local
neighborhood or community better
• Make global connections related to issue
and incorporate lessons learned from
others into the project plan
• Demonstrate sustainability in project
plan and implementation
• Suggested minimum 50 hours
Adult Role - Silver Award
• Monitors girls’ decisions to delegate
responsibilities among themselves
• Coaches girls as they actively engage
their community
• Prepares girls on how to communicate
with the local council to adhere to the
Silver Award process
Gold Award
Gold Award Basics
• Registered Girl Scout Senior or
Ambassador
• Journey(s) requirement
• Independently lead a team to take
action on a root cause of an issue that
she cares about
• Project makes a lasting difference in
the local community, region or beyond
• Includes provisions to ensure
sustainability
• Girl indentifies national and/or global
links, shares results of the project
beyond local community
Adult Role - Gold Award
oYour role changes
here
oSupport,
encouragement,
sounding
board,
resource
Resources
• Guidelines for girls and adults at all
levels
• Girl’s Guide to Girl Scouting
• Safety Activity Checkpoints
• Trainings
• Forums
• Internet Safety Pledge
• www.girlscoutsofcolorado.org
• [email protected]
Questions?