What did you do for your Gold Award project?
For my Gold Award project, I organized, supplied and decorated a library for a low income private school called St. Elizabeth’s School, Denver. I also organized an annual book swap to give the students a chance to take home books for the summer.
Why did you pursue this Gold Award project?
I am a very avid reader and I’ve found that has a direct impact on what I understand in the world around me and what I am able to learn in school. I believe that all kids should have opportunities to read in a kid-friendly, encouraging environment and to have access to both library books and books of their own.
How did your Gold Award project make a difference?
My Gold Award project gave approximately 100 students in low income families and neighborhoods a place to read, a library to check out books from and gave them books to own.
What skills did you gain through earning your Gold Award?
I learned communication and planning from my work with volunteers and administrators at the school. I also learned how to work with adults from my work on the actual library and how to work with my peers from organizing the book swap. Additionally, I learned how to manage time and resources and how to get things done.
How did you make your project sustainable?
The book swap I organized is in conjunction with the school’s Spring Festival, which is an annual event. In addition, I talked to one of the school’s after school clubs about continuing the swap and gave them instructions on how to do it. The organization of the library and the library itself will be part of the school for years to come.
What was your connection to the national or global community?
The Spring Festival that the school hosts is a community event, in addition to a school event, which is why I combined my book swap with that event. There were kids from around the community that brought books and swapped for books to take home. I also gave the students’ parents information on reading at home and summer reading and how it helps children be successful in school in the future.
What will you most remember about your Gold Award project?
I will remember all of the wonderful kids I met. There were some really great kids that were in the library and at the festival. They even wrote me a whole bunch of thank you notes!
How will earning your Gold Award help you in your future?
My Gold Award will help me to know that I have the ability to do anything I want in the future. I will be able to apply all the skills I learned to other tasks to make sure I can get them done.
Why do you feel the Gold Award is an important part of your Girl Scout experience?
The Gold Award is really the culmination of all the skills you take away from Girl Scouts. Leadership, communication, organization and the many other skills you learn from badges and other activities really come into play when you try to put together this scale of a project. It’s crucial to see all of this come together because it gives you such a different perspective on what Girl Scouts is all about and really helps you become a better, stronger person.
***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