Old Gold Requirements - maybe

Girl Scout Nikki Demarchos created welcome packets for new residents at Grace Care Center of Cypress, a rehabilitation and nursing center, to earn the Gold Award, the highest award a Girl Scout can receive. 

“I learned that when scheduling workshops, I need to schedule ahead and that I need to be considerate of others schedules,” said Nikki, senior this year at Langham Creek High School. “I also learned completing a project takes much leadership and responsibility that can only come from experience and that doing something for other people is rewarding.”


For her project, Nikki led a team of volunteers in creating and assembling the packets for new residents. In addition to compiling welcome materials, Nikki and held several workshops where she led volunteers in making blankets that were included in the welcome packets. from GSUSA blog

Well, this project, as written, sure doesn't add up to the Gold Award standard of a Take Action Project.  But might it fit with the old Go For It requirements?  Ummm, maybe.

What it appears to be, on the face of it, is a nice service project:  providing packets and blankets to residents at the Care Center.  She "gave a man a fish and he ate for the day."  Sure, there was some leadership, as she taught/assembled a team to make blankets.  And she had to use some organizational skills to get it done.  

But did she "teach a man to fish, so he could heat for a lifetime?"  No, it was a one shot drop off event.  As I said before, a nice service project. But how could it have been more?  

What's the issue Nikki was addressing? Was it lack of supplies to the Care Center?  How is that a Take Action Project issue?  What issue was it all about?

And what was her root cause?  Budget cuts?  Lack of funding?  Lack of family support to relatives in the Care Center?   And how did her project cause a change in the community?  That's what a Take Action Project should do.

And while she could measure how many team members helped, and how many items they distributed, was she able to measure over time the effect of her Project?  

There were certainly no clues to sustainability.  It was a one shot deal.  But how could it have been sustainable?  Could Nikki have set up a club or guild at her school? senior center? Care Center?  So that they could continue to distribute her educational literature?  continued to provide blankets and supplies?  That piece would certainly have made for a more robust Take Action Project.

As I said before, I hope this was action from the old requirements, and not the new, because if this was to satisfy the new requirements, it fell woefully short.