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What did you do for your Gold Award project?
For my Gold Award project I, with the help of the students and parents of Black Rock Elementary, created a garden. This included removing weeds and old dirt from previous attempts to set up this sort of project. I had to get in contact with the Grounds Lead for the school district to have them remove the weeds and dirt because it was too big of a job for the team I had. I also had to go and get plants and other material donated from stores like Home Depot and Lowe’s to fill the garden. Finally, I recruited students and parents to come and help with most of the planting.
How did you measure the impact your Gold Award project made on your target audience?
I measured the impact of my garden with how many students and parents I was able to get involved. I am also measuring in how available the garden is to students. The garden will be taken care of in part by students, along with a parent group, and will be available for classes to use.
How is your project sustainable? How will your project continue to impact after your involvement?
My project will be sustained through two groups, one of students who will be part of a class that will be learning about plants and gardening. The other is the Black Rock PTO, who has agreed to maintain funding for materials.
What is your project’s global and/or national connection?
My global/national connection for my project is a website I created which can be reached here: Black Rock Children’s Garden. This will allow people to have access to what I did and advice on creating a garden for schools and communities for themselves.
What did you learn about yourself?
I developed confidence in talking to people and being in a position of authority. As I went through the process of gathering materials and help I became more confident and it became easier to communicate with people.
How will earning your Gold Award impact you in the future?
It will help me to be able to afford a higher education, which will increase opportunity in the future. This project has also helped me develop skills that will help in the future with jobs and being in leadership jobs.
Why do you feel the Gold Award was an important part of your Girl Scout experience?
This was an important part of my Girl Scout experience because it was a big commitment that I had to follow through with and allowed me to use the skills previously developed through my Bronze and Silver Awards, skills such as perseverance, communication and dedication. These will help me to be able to navigate complicated situations as an adult.
**IMPORTANT NOTE: This blog represents only a small fraction of the hard work, dedication and requirements that go into earning a Girl Scout Gold Award. It is simply a brief summary, which is meant to inspire Girl Scouts to Go Gold in the future. For more information on earning your Gold Award, please email highestawards@gscolorado.org