What does a GREAT Gold Award TAP look like?

I get asked all the time, "What does a great Gold Award Project really look like?" The GSUSA blog (which I hope you all get!, but if you don't, sign up here <blogsubscription@girlscouts.org>)   
just published the names of the 2013 National Young Women of Distinction. They also published a paragraph about each girl and what she did.

Truly, these all sound like well deserving young women.  Here's the first one I liked:

Nationally, one in three women experiences relationship abuse, an issue Nicole wanted to address, particularly as it relates to middle and high school students. First, she ran a program in her local middle school educating them on dating abuse and violence in the media. Nicole was so impassioned that she then championed legislation that requires safe dating education be provided to middle and high school students as part of their health curriculum. After the law passed, she created a school club called MASK Theater, which takes the spirit of the new law and joins that with an innovative creative program for students in her HS.  Among other performances and events, MASK has created PSAs, an informational DVD for other schools and has even run a Girl Scout Workshop on healthy relationships and the media. 

We have a number of girls who are interested in Domestic Violence issues. Many have done volunteer work at Laura's House admin. office or for their events.  But due to California law, the girls are prohibited from working with the actual women and their children at the shelter.  So a common question is, "how can a Sr/A girl connect with the issue?"  

Nicole, above, found a way to do it!  And she figured out a way to reach a large number of people about the issue, measure success, and successfully hand it off to another entity to continue her good work. This is a ROCKSTAR formula for success!  I'm sure there was more to it, including budget, timelines, solicting help from advisors and adults, etc. than was talked about in the article.

How else could your girls connect to the issue of Domestic Violence and/or relationship abuse?  As high schoolers, what is age appropriate and can affect change in the local community? That's the discussion to have with your girls, as they run with the issue, and try to make a Take Action Plan.