Build Something - Is that enough?

“I have always enjoyed spending time at Crooked Creek Horse Park in Manor. That is why I chose to do my Girl Scout Gold Award Project for them. For my project, I built a sandbox and picnic table for their new playground, restored their picnic tables, painted a pavilion, and stained their horse arena. When I completed my project, I had a grand-opening picnic for the children. It was a great success,” Bell said. From GSUSA blog

 There's something to be said for building something that can last a long, long time at an existing playground.  I hope that she had other pieces that went with this, that the article failed to mention.

Issue:  lack of play equipment for kids and lack of upkeep at the Horse Park

Root cause:  money/budget? no one was interested?  or?

Partner with a non-profit:  could be she partnered with the Crooked Creek Horse Park

Discover:  how can I address the need in my community?  In this case, the specific community was the Horse park.  I also hope it was open to the public!

Team:  Who did she gather to educate about the need? Who was the team that helped her build the picnic tables and stain/paint the arena area?  The Gold Award is about leadership, and Bell needed to have a team to lead!  Did Bell and her team plan and carry out the Grand Opening?  Did she get the local newspaper to do an article?  Local news channel to do a feature?  or????  What helped make it meaningful?

Connect:  How did she decide what to do?  How did she figure out a way to fill the need?

Take Action:  There was action!  And it was action that could be seen!

Measurable:  How could she measure success?  Count kids who come to play? or?

Sustainable:  The Gold Award says that she must ensure sustainability.  Did the Horse Park take over the responsibility for maintaining the playground equipment?  painting and staining?

Global:  How could this work in other communities?  Seems possible that there is a similar need in many communities - equestrian and not.  Could this model be followed in other places to make a similar change?

 

 

Quality Gold Award Project

Massachusetts Girl Scout Builds Free Gardens
Posted: 06 Aug 2012 12:54 PM PDT

In Massachusetts, the North Reading Patch reports that Kristen Shevlin has been building back yard vegetable gardens for residents as part of her Girl Scout Gold Award project. She is doing this free of charge, and plans to continue next year.

Shevlin has been involved with Girl Scouts since she was in kindergarten. Receiving the Gold award, the highest honor for a Girl Scout, would be a great way to "end her Girl Scout career," she said. She chose building backyard gardens for her project because she wanted to "do something to give back to our town a little bit.”

The raised gardens contain vegetable plants including tomatoes, cucumbers, squash and peppers. She realizes that a backyard garden can take up a lot of space, so also offers potted gardens.

This year, she planted around 15 or 20 gardens. Some of the residents plan to donate what they grow to the North Reading Food Pantry. She also planted some directly in the yards of residents who go to the pantry regularly.

“I had a lot of help with this, but so far it has been really successful," she said.

Right now, she is working on creating a website for the project to keep it sustainable for years to come. If she is unable to complete it when she goes off to college, she can pass it on to another girl scout. The website will have a description of the project, her contact information for future years and instructions on how to build your own garden.

She is also creating recipe cards for members of the pantry so they will have various ideas for how to cook the vegetables.

This is probably a pretty darn good Gold Award Project IF we make a couple assumptions that aren't mentioned in the article.

Her non-profit partner:  A shelter? Soup Kitchen Pantry?

The ISSUE: hungry people without resources for food who can learn to create their own food?

Root Cause:  lack of space for a food garden? lack of knowledge on how to do it? English issues? Money?

Discover: "teaching a man to fish"  or teaching a family to grow their own food is possible!

How to connect:  Gather a team to learn how to make the garden boxes.  Same team to help educate the recipients of the boxes. And help provide support during the growing seasons.  Unlike California, Massachusetts has SNOW!  Wonder if things grow in a basement?

Take Action:  Partner with the NP to identify who needs these boxes.  Teach them how to grow vegetables/food that they will be able to enjoy eating.  Provide simple recipes on how to use the vegetables in the box.  

Is it measurable?  Count the number of boxes given away?  The number of families helped?  The number of families who re-plant during the year?

Is it sustainable?  I'm not sure what "pass it on to another Girl Scout" means, but it seems to me that the NP Pantry she is partnering with is likely to support volunteers who want to help garden.  Did Shevlin work to set it up for the NP? Sure seems like a good fit.  Other Girl Scouts could certainly help, under the auspices of the NP.

What are the global implications?  Well, could she provide recipe cards to other shelters/soup kitchens/pantries that help those in need?  Truly, if the work she did for one can reach further, that's a global implication -- it takes it beyond just one shelter/pantry to help a greater number of people in her immediate community and perhaps, even county.

Here's the part that sticks in my craw: "Receiving the Gold award, the highest honor for a Girl Scout, would be a great way to "end her Girl Scout career," she said." Oh my, but she is so wrong!  There is sooo much for her to do as an Adult Girl Scout!  Let's remind OUR Gold girls. They don't have to leave Scouting, just because they graduate high school or earn a Gold. Girl Scouting can be part of their life. Forever!