Brainstorming for GOLD!

"When Campbell was brainstorming ideas for her Girl Scout Gold Award project, she knew she wanted to do something to help the environment and help combat the increasing mosquito problem in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

"I have always been interested in biology and environmental science, so when I was brainstorming for my Girl Scout Gold Award, I went to talk to Jeremy Starritt, the environmental services manager for the city of Frisco, about needs that our city had," said Campbell, an alumna of Frisco High School.

After discussing different ideas with Starritt and hearing about the numerous cases of West Nile virus found in the DFW area, Campbell decided to bring bat houses to Frisco's Beavers Bend Park in hopes of reducing the number of insects that can carry diseases such as West Nile virus."

Wow, nice job!  This was in the GSUSA blog on August 15.  Campbell had a general idea about helping the environment, but didn't know how to connect it to a Gold Award Project.  Soooo....she went out to discover the need!   The need she discovered was about combating mosquitoes.  She identified the need, and then went out into the community to see what was being done.

She narrowed her research to mosquitoes and bats, found an agency with the same concerns/interest, and partnered with them to take action to address the issue.

This is the PERFECT way for our girls to start thinking about their Gold Award Projects!  Think about where their passion is/what they're interested in, and THEN go out and figure out what they can do to address the issue. How they can use their passion to gather others to help, teach them and then lead the team through a successful TAP. (Take Action Project)

What a great example of a TAP done well.

How Gold was it Really????

"In Texas, the Cypress Creek Mirror reports that Girl Scout Rebeca Gonzales has a knack for photography, and now she’s using her talent to spread cultural awareness with a photo exhibit at Barbara Bush Library from August 18 through September 15.

With her Nikon D90, Rebeca, 17, set out to capture people with diverse heritages in her small northwest Harris County community. At first, she just wanted to fulfill requirements for her Girl Scout Gold Award project, a prestigious award earned by less than 5 percent of Girl Scouts, but the project grew as she gained support in her community." GSUSA Blog 8-1-12

I guess my first question is, Old or New Requirements?  For the old Go For It requirements, Step Five says to "Identify a community problem/need. Research. Brainstorm ways to solve the problem." I guess her project fits? She saw a need to "spread cultural awareness" and she filled the need by using her photographic talents to take pictures and create a photo exhibit.

But with the new requirements, on the face of it, she did not meet the standard.  Did she create a team to work with?  Did she use her leadership to affect change in her community?  Was it measurable?  Was it sustainable? Photos can live forever, especially if they're digitized and archived...BUT the new Gold requirements say that a girl must ensure sustainability.  Did Rebeca work with the library to create a traveling exhibit that the library could manage?  Spreading the message of cultural awareness to other parts of the town? county? state? 

I like the part about "the project grew as she gained support in her community".  What a wonderful thing!  Maybe it caused people to realize who their neighbors are, and how we're all here together? Maybe just seeing the multitude of faces smiling back into the camera to put a smile on the viewers' faces, too.  Maybe people became more culturally aware and tolerant of others. Wouldn't that be a fine thing!