Girl Scouts of Western New York - PowerPoint Presentation

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Girl Scouts of Western New York

Online Girl Scout Gold Award TrainingSlide2

Please have the following ready for training

:

GSUSA

GoGold

Gold Award Guidelines packet

Gold Award Online Training Packet

GSUSA Project Proposal Packet

GSUSA Final Report PacketSlide3

The Girl Scout Gold Award is the highest and most prestigious award that Girl Scout Seniors and Ambassadors can earn. Slide4

Since 1916, Girl Scout’s highest award has stood for excellence and

leadership for girls everywhere. Soon, you will be joining the ranks of generations of young women who have made a difference in their

communities and beyond.

Around 1 million Girl Scouts have earned the Gold Award since 1916!Slide5

100 Years of Extraordinary Projects from Extraordinary Girls

As a Gold Award recipient, you're part of an elite group of women.

Starting in 1916, the best and brightest undertook projects that improved their communities—and the world. The 

Golden Eagle insignia, the highest award in Girl Scouting from 1916 to 1918, marked the beginning of a long tradition of recognizing the extraordinary efforts of extraordinary girls. In 1919 the Golden Eagle is changed to the Golden Eaglet. In 1938 First Class is introduced. From 1940 to 1963, the Curved Bar Award was the highest honor in Girl Scouting. From 1963 to 1980, the highest award was once again called First Class. And since 1980, the Gold Award has inspired girls to find the greatness inside themselves and share their ideas and passions with their communities.

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What are the benefits of earning the Gold Award?

Higher Education

Distinguish yourself among competition for college

Earn college scholarships for Gold Award Recipients

Enter the military one rank higher

Join an elite network of Gold Award recipients

Life SkillsBe a role modelEmpower yourself to leadEnhance self-worth/confidenceCommunityTackle an issue, locally or globallyLearn to provide a sustainable solution to the communityEstablish a lifetime network of peers and advisorsSlide7

Prerequisites

A

. Girls must be in 9

th

, 10

th, 11

th, 12th grade and a registered Girl Scout.B. Complete 2 Girl Scout Senior or Ambassador Journeys (level appropriate)~OR~Complete 1 Senior orAmbassador Journey &Earned the Silver Award( A Journey is completed when the award(s) within the Journey have been completed.)Slide8

Seven Steps for Girls to earn their Gold Award

Choose an issue

Investigate

Get help

Create a plan

Present your plan and get feedback

Take action (Gold Award Project)Educate and inspireSlide9

Step One:

Choose an Issue

Decision-Making Tips

What inspires you?

What skills/talents do you have to offer?

What would benefit your community immediately and long-term?

How do you want to make a difference?Slide10

Step One:

Choose an Issue

Use an issues chart to start tracking what is important to you.

Use a Community Contact list to keep track of the places you go, and the people you meet.

Is there a connection in what you care about and issues in your community.

Now that you have explored your community, and you know what issues you are passionate about, it is time to choose

an issue to work on.Slide11

Step One:

Choose an Issue

Page two of your Online packet is an Issues Chart

Page three of your Online Packet is a contact list.

You can use these as a tool to get you focused on an issue for your gold award.Slide12

Step One:

Choose an IssueSlide13

Step Two:

Investigate

Several issues are big and complicated – and hard to fix! You will need to narrow down the issue, and focus on ONE root cause, and create a project to address that specific aspect of the problem.

Mind

Mapping Tool

Mind Mapping is a great tool to break an issue down into Root Causes.

Mind Mapping can then also be used to break a root cause into a reasonable Take Action Project.Slide14

Step Two:

Investigate

Mind Mapping Activity

Here Mind Mapping is used to show Root Causes of Car Crashes.Slide15

Step Two:

Investigate

Mind Mapping Activity

Now Mind Mapping is used to show take action project ideas to address the issue of texting while driving.Slide16

Step Two:

Investigate

Mind Mapping ActivitySlide17

Step Three:

Get Help

Leadership Characteristics

What skills do you have?

What skills can you improve?

Select a team and project advisor that will help strengthen your current skills and help you achieve skills you are lacking in.

Developing Leadership skills is part of the Gold Award Process!

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Step Three:

Get Help

Seek

out and recognize the value of the skills and strengths of others.

Respect different points of view and ways of working.

Build a team and recruit a Project Advisor who will bring special skills to your

action project. Slide19

Step Three:

Get Help

Project Advisor

Your Project advisor is chosen by you to help guide you on your Take Action Project.

Your advisor should be there to provide experience and expertise as you work on your project.

You project advisor is NOT your mentor.

Your parents or Troop Leader may NOT be your advisor.Note: Always be safe when you talk to new people! Discuss safety tips with your troop/group volunteer and family, and always go with an adult.

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Step Three:

Get Help

What are your leadership Characteristics?

Use the T-Shirt on page 9 of your online packet to create a “you” shirt.

Design a t-shirt that sells you as a leader.

What traits are you as a leader able to bring to a project?

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Step Four:

Create a Plan

Set goals

Is your project realistic

Create set s

teps

to meet your goals

Develop a timeline

What insurance will you need for events

Think about money earning

/set a budget

Establish a global link

Ensure your plan is:

Sustainable

Measurable

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Step Four:

Create a Plan

Follow the

Standards of Excellence

while completing ALL steps of the Gold Award

.

Use the Project Planning Sheet in the online Packet to plan out your project. Follow all Insurance Guidelines for your Gold Awards.Follow all Financial Guidelines for your Gold Awards.

Sustainability and Measurability

– How can I do this?

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Step Four:

Create a Plan

Ensure your

plan

is

:Sustainable

– Make it last!What does it mean to have a sustainable project?To be sustainable, you must ensure that your project creates lasting change after your involvement ends. A sustainable project is not a one-time event.Measurable – How can you tell you made a difference?How does a girl measure project impact? The success of a project should be measurable based on the number of people the project helped, the number of people who were involved, a reduction in the community’s need, or other concrete numbers.  Take Action vs Community Service Slide24

Step Four:

Create a Plan

Example #1

Community Service Project:

A troop held a clothing drive to help the homeless.

What

is the problem? Homeless do not have clothing to stay warm.What is a root cause of the problem? There is not a set place for homeless to turn to for clothes and needed supplies to stay warm.What is a Take Action Project that is sustainable and creates a lasting difference? Work with the community to set up a clothing closet that they would be open all year, to help support the homeless.How can you measure the impact of the Take Action Project? You can keep track of how many individuals you are able to provide clothing to over a set period of time. (We were able to provide clothing to 250 individuals over three months.) You can keep track of how much clothing you were able to provide. (We were able to provide over 1500 items of clothing to homeless in the community over a 60 day period.) Slide25

Step Four:

Create a Plan

Example #2

Community Service Project:

A troop held an Earth Day Clean-Up event.

What is the problem?

What is a root cause of the problem? What is a Take Action Project that is sustainable and creates a lasting difference? How can you measure the impact of the Take Action Project? Example #3Community Service Project: A troop held a book drive for children who don’t have books at home.What is the problem? What is a root cause of the problem? What is a Take Action Project that is sustainable and creates a lasting difference? How can you measure the impact of the Take Action Project?

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Step Four:

Create a Plan

Example #2

Community

Service Project:

A troop held an Earth Day Clean-Up event at the park.

What is the problem? Litter/trash in the community. What is a root cause of the problem? No access to trash bins for proper disposal at the park.What is a Take Action Project that is sustainable and creates a lasting difference? Work with your local government to set up trash cans/recycling and trash pick-up at the park.How can you measure the impact of the Take Action Project? You can track how much garbage is kept out of the park. (We were able to keep 750lbs of trash from being left at the park over the last year.) Slide27

Step Four:

Create a Plan

Example #3

Community

Service Project:

A troop held a book drive for children who don’t have books at home.

What is the problem? Kids don’t have access to books at home.What is a root cause of the problem? The families do not have the funding to provide books for kids at home.What is a Take Action Project that is sustainable and creates a lasting difference? Create a semi-yearly book drive with a community based agency, which can ensure to continue the book drives yearly for children.How can you measure the impact of the Take Action Project? You can track how many books you are able to provide. (We provided children with 3500 books this year.) You can track how many children you help. (We provided 375 children with books for home.)Slide28

Step Five:

Present Your Plan & Get Feedback

Can you say yes?

If the answer to all questions is yes, than you are ready to present a plan to Council for your Gold Award Take Action Project!

• Will your project demonstrate your leadership skills?

• Have you set your project goal and identified what you would like to learn? • Have you chosen your Take Action team? Have you discussed the project with them? • Have you created a budget for the project? • Have you created a plan to raise funds, if necessary? • Have you made a timeline for your project? • Does your project address a need in the local community and have you found national and/or global links? • Can your project be sustainable? • Does your project challenge your abilities and your interests?

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Step Five:

Present Plan & Get Feedback

Project Proposal Packet – To Council

Budget Sheet – For Final Packet

There is a budget sheet in your online packet, as well as on the website.

Hours

Log – For Final Packet

There

is an Hours log sheet in your online packet, as well as on the website.

Make sure to complete both

sheets

as

you work on your Take Action Project.

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Step Five:

Present Plan & Get Feedback

1. Send a Project Proposal to your council that is concise, comprehensive, and clear.

Use the GSUSA project proposal packet. You will also need to include a budget sheet with your proposal.

2. Council will assign you a mentor at this time.

3. Work with your assigned GSWNY Mentor to schedule an interview.

4. Get Approval

for your Take Action Project

5.

Complete Your Gold Award!

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Step Five:

Present Plan & Get Feedback

At an interview with your mentor, you will be expected to:

Describe your plan including:

The Girl Scout Leadership Outcomes you want to achieve.

Your goals for personal growth and development

.The impact you plan to make on your identified community.The sustainability factor of your project.Your method to evaluate your project.

Articulate your issue clearly and explain why it matters to you.

Talk about the global links to your issues.

Accept constructive suggestions that will help refine your project.

After this meeting your mentor will approve your Take Action Project.

You

may NOT begin the project until this approval is given!

Proposal forms are on the council website – search “Gold Award”. Slide32

Girl Scout Leadership Experience Outcomes

Discover:

Develop a strong sense of self.

Develop positive values.

Gain practical life skills.

Seek challenges in the world.

Develop critical thinking.

Connect:

Develop healthy relationships.

Promote cooperation & team building.

Resolve conflicts.

Advance diversity in a multicultural world.

Feel connected to your community, locally & globally.

Take Action:

Identify community issues.

Be a resourceful problem solver.

Advocate for self and others locally & globally.

Educate and inspire others to act.

Feel empowered to make a difference in the world.Slide33

Step Six:

Take Action

Take Action to address the root cause of an issue, so your solution makes a measurable and sustainable impact.

Actively seek partnerships to achieve greater community participation and extend the impact

of

your Take Action project.

Challenge yourself to try different ways to problem

solve

.

Use resources wisely.

Speak out and act on behalf of yourself and others.

The Take Action Project is the Gold Award Project!Slide34

Step Six:

Take Action

When you are done your project you will need to turn in your

Final Report.

You will

need to include your budget and hours log.

Your final report can

be turned into council or your mentor.

Your mentor approves the final project.

Please fill out all questions clearly and with adequate information.Slide35

Step Six:

Final Interview Tips

At your final interview be prepared to:

Reflect on what you have learned. This

is in your final report packet.

Summarize the effectiveness of your project and the impact it has had on you and your community.

Explain how you shared the project beyond your local community and inspired others to take action in their own communities.

Share details of your project through photos, video, journals, scrapbooking, etc.Slide36

Step Seven:

Educate and Inspire

Tell your story and share your results!

CONGRATULATIONS!

Make sure to thank your mentor, advisor and all the other team members who helped you along the way with your Take Action Project.

You are now part of an elite group of Girl Scouts. Carry this proudly with you, and know you are making a change in your community.

Inspire others to make a change as well.Slide37

Gold Award Ceremony

All work must be completed, including your Final Report

(with approval) by

April 1,

for participation in this

year’s ceremony.Award recipients will receive an invitation about 1 month before the ceremony, in June.Award recipients will be asked to bring a display to share about their project.

If you are not done in time for the June celebration, you are automatically put into the next year’s award celebration.Slide38

Gold Award Ceremony

You will receive your pin and certificate from council at the award.

There are several outside community agencies that also send awards to celebrate your success.

Leaders / parents are not able to purchase a gold award pin.

If you are not at the banquet, your pin and awards will be available at council for you.Slide39

Points to Remember

This award is individually completed.

The award suggests a minimum of 80 hours from the start of

step one

to the end of your project.

The Take Action Project focuses on the community (outside of Girl Scouting).

The Take Action Project must have council approval.The project must be sustainable and measurable.All requirements are completed and submitted to the council by September 30 of the year that you turn 18 and/or graduate from High School. Slide40

Call Out

ExampleSlide41

Call Out

Example

QUESTIONS????Slide42

Call Out

Example

QUESTIONS?

Visit Gold Award

girlscouts.org and gswny.org

programs@gswny.orgSlide43

Girl Scouts of Western New York

Girl Scout Gold Award