Parents' Time and Support

I had coffee with a friend a while ago, and she told me about a Linked-in web discussion she participated in about the Gold Award Project.  She said that quite a few of the women were saying that they (the Moms) didn't have enough time to get the Gold Award Project done.

Wow, I was pretty surprised!  "The Moms didn't want to take the time?"  I would have thought that by the time the girl was in Seniors/Ambassadors, the Moms would have already seen the value of the program. They would know how influential the Gold Award is on college applications and future job applications, and what a GREAT accomplishment it would be for their girl to achieve.  They would make the time.... 


Then I thought, do they know it?  Have we (council, trainers, SUM, staff, troop leaders, etc.) told them?  Have we instilled in the girl AND the parent that a Gold Award Project is a worthy thing to take on?  That the benefit to the girl and her community is IMMENSE?  I think that we need to keep telling our parents and the community at large, so that when the time comes for their girls to start the project, the Moms are on board!


Truly, if a girl wanted to do a Gold Award Project without parent support, it would be tough.  We advisors count on the parents being there to support the girl, drive her around, help with funding, cheerlead, etc.  It would take a very determined and self-motivated girl to get it done without her parents' support.  


I think it's also a matter of choices of how to spend the time.  And goodness knows, there's plenty of things to pull a girls in a million different directions.  Her parents too!  The Gold Award Project does take up a chunk of time, and it is difficult, and it takes effort to make the time to do it.  That doesn't mean lowering of the bar to create easier projects, but it does mean making the Gold a priority.  And if the parent doesn't want to, chances are the girl won't either, and that's very sad.