Gold Award
Encyclopedia
The Gold Award is the highest achievement within the Girl Scouts of the USA
. Only 5.4% of eligible Girl Scouts successfully earn the Gold Award. Awardees are honored at councilwide ceremonies.
Previously, the highest awards were:
The Silver Fish (1912–1916) was originally the highest award achievable, but this was technically a Girl Guiding award and no American girl ever earned it.
The new requirements take effect in fall of 2011. They include:
If the majority of work will be done after fall of 2011, troops and girls must use the new requirements. If most of the work will be done before that, troops and girls can choose either set of guidelines.
The old requirements updated in 2004 include:
Once these steps have been met, girls use their vision for change to complete a service project that reaches beyond the Girl Scout organization and provides lasting benefit to the girl's larger community. It requires a minimum of 65 hours of work in planning and actually completing the project. All of these hours must be completed by the Awardee, and though it is encouraged that the girl use troop members and other from the community to help her, their time spent does not count towards her 65 hour requirement. Plans must be developed with the aid of an advisor, then a project proposal must be submitted and approved by the girl's local council before starting the project, and a final report after the project's completion.
may receive advanced rank in recognition of their achievements. Some universities and colleges offer scholarships to Gold Award recipients. Yearly, GSUSA selects ten girls to be Young Women of Distinction based on their Gold Award projects.
in the Boy Scouts of America
.
Girl Scouts of the USA
The Girl Scouts of the United States of America is a youth organization for girls in the United States and American girls living abroad. It describes itself as "the world's preeminent organization dedicated solely to girls". It was founded by Juliette Gordon Low in 1912 and was organized after Low...
. Only 5.4% of eligible Girl Scouts successfully earn the Gold Award. Awardees are honored at councilwide ceremonies.
History
The Gold Award is the first award that is exclusively for Senior and Ambassador Girl Scouts.Previously, the highest awards were:
- First Class Award (1963–1980): a Cadette Girl Scout award
- Curved Bar Award (1940–1963): for Intermediate Girl Scouts who had already received their First Class Rank.
- First Class Rank (1938–1940)
- Golden Eaglet (1919–1939)
- Golden Eagle of Merit (1916–1919)
The Silver Fish (1912–1916) was originally the highest award achievable, but this was technically a Girl Guiding award and no American girl ever earned it.
Requirements
Senior Girl Scouts aged 14–18 are eligible to earn the award. The guidelines are currently in transition to include the Girl Scout Journey program.The new requirements take effect in fall of 2011. They include:
- Complete two Girl Scout Senior or Ambassador Journeys or complete one Girl Scout Senior or Ambassador journey and have earned the Silver Award.
- Plan and implement an individual "Take Action" project that reaches beyond the Girl Scout organization and provides a sustainable, lasting benefit to the girl's larger community. (Old project guidelines as described below still apply.) The suggested minimum hours to complete the steps to the Girl Scout Gold Award is now 80 hours.
If the majority of work will be done after fall of 2011, troops and girls must use the new requirements. If most of the work will be done before that, troops and girls can choose either set of guidelines.
The old requirements updated in 2004 include:
- The Girl Scout Gold Leadership Award, which requires girls to complete 65 hours of leadership work, as well as earn three Interest ProjectInterest ProjectAn Interest Project is a merit badge of the Cadette and Senior Girl Scouts of the USA. They are earned through completing skill-building activities and certain requirements. Each Interest Project comes as a patch or badge and each represent an achievement in a different area such as camping or...
s and one Focus Book relevant to their project. - The Girl Scout Gold Career Award, which requires girls to complete 40 hours of career exploration.
- The Girl Scout Gold 4Bs Challenge, which requires girls to assess their community and its needs, and develop a vision for change. Up to 15 hours work on the 4Bs challenge may be counted toward the 65 hours for the service project.
Once these steps have been met, girls use their vision for change to complete a service project that reaches beyond the Girl Scout organization and provides lasting benefit to the girl's larger community. It requires a minimum of 65 hours of work in planning and actually completing the project. All of these hours must be completed by the Awardee, and though it is encouraged that the girl use troop members and other from the community to help her, their time spent does not count towards her 65 hour requirement. Plans must be developed with the aid of an advisor, then a project proposal must be submitted and approved by the girl's local council before starting the project, and a final report after the project's completion.
Insignia
The Gold Award emblem is presented as a pin resembling an eight-pointed gold star with rays radiating from a central, polished trefoil.After earning the Gold Award
Recipients of the Gold Award who enlist in the U.S. Armed ForcesUnited States armed forces
The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. They consist of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard.The United States has a strong tradition of civilian control of the military...
may receive advanced rank in recognition of their achievements. Some universities and colleges offer scholarships to Gold Award recipients. Yearly, GSUSA selects ten girls to be Young Women of Distinction based on their Gold Award projects.
Notable recipients
- Betsy BozeBetsy BozeBetsy Vogel Boze , is the president of The College of The Bahamas]].She previously served as the CEO of Kent State University Stark and as a Senior Fellow at the American Association of State Colleges and Universities researching national higher education policies, including alternative revenue...
, Senior Fellow at American Association of State Colleges and UniversitiesAmerican Association of State Colleges and UniversitiesThe American Association of State Colleges and Universities is an organization of state-supported colleges and universities that offer degree programs leading to bachelor's, master's or doctoral degrees...
and President, Kent State University Stark - Jan HopkinsJan HopkinsJan Hopkins was the anchor of the daily CNN Financial News show "Street Sweep" from the New York Stock Exchange. Hopkins now runs her own strategic communications and marketing company....
, financial news anchor for CNNCNNCable News Network is a U.S. cable news channel founded in 1980 by Ted Turner. Upon its launch, CNN was the first channel to provide 24-hour television news coverage, and the first all-news television channel in the United States...
(earned the Curved Bar, a Girl Scout Gold Award predecessor) - Natalie D. Hardy, first African American Girl Scout to receive the Golden Eaglet award, 1935, as a member of Troop 24, New Haven, Connecticut, the first African American Girl Scout Troop in the country, founded by Laura Belle McCoy
Highest awards in other programs
The Gold Award is often compared to the Eagle ScoutEagle Scout (Boy Scouts of America)
Eagle Scout is the highest rank attainable in the Boy Scouting program of the Boy Scouts of America . A Scout who attains this rank is called an Eagle Scout or Eagle. Since its introduction in 1911, the Eagle Scout rank has been earned by more than 2 million young men...
in the Boy Scouts of America
Boy Scouts of America
The Boy Scouts of America is one of the largest youth organizations in the United States, with over 4.5 million youth members in its age-related divisions...
.
See also
- Silver Award (Girl Scouts of the USA)
- Bronze Award (Girl Scouts of the USA)
- List of Scouts
- List of awards for volunteerism and community service