Gold Award
The Girl Scout Gold Award is the highest achievement a Girl Scout 14 to 18 can earn. It represents the work and dedication a girl has shown to Girl Scouting and her community as well as her commitment towards making the world a better place. Earning the Gold Award requires hard work and a willingness to take on significant responsibility. It will involve decision making and the ability to follow a plan set by each girl. Someone once described the Girl Scout Gold Award as being "what you really want to be remembered for" in Girl Scouting. For many, the leadership skills, organizational skills, and sense of community and commitment that come from "going for the Gold" set the foundation for a lifetime of active citizenship.
There are new Girl Scout Gold Award requirements - these must be used by girls who will be submitting a Girl Scout Gold Award Proposal after September 30, 2011.
All Girl Scout Gold Award projects need approval prior to beginning the project.
Girl Scout Gold Award paperwork will be reviewed by the Girl Scout Gold Award Committee of volunteers on a quarterly basis. All project proposals and final reports are due by February 1, May 1, August 1, and November 1. The Gold Award Committee will meet to review the paperwork, and then call to schedule an informal phone or face-to-face interview. There are times the committee will email you regarding concerns or questions.
For questions in regards to the Girl Scout Gold Award please contact Carrie Andringa or call 888.747.6945 x5513.
View Girl Scouts of the USA page on The Girl Scout Gold Award
New Requirements
New requirements must be used by girls who will not be submitting a Girl Scout Gold Award Proposal prior to September 30, 2011. There will be a two-year transition to the new requirements. Girls have until September 30th, 2011 to submit a Girl Scout Gold Award proposal under the old requirements.
The Girl Scout Gold Award is the highest and most prestigious award that Girl Scout Seniors (grades 9-10) and Girl Scout Ambassadors (grades 11-12) can earn. Fulfilling the requirements for the Girl Scout Gold Award starts with completing two Girl Scout Senior or Ambassador Journeys, or having earned the Silver Award and completing one Senior or Ambassador journey. Each Journey you complete gives you the skills you need to plan and implement your Take Action project.
After you have fulfilled the Journey(s) requirement, 80 hours is the suggested minimum hours for the steps: identifying an issue, investigating it thoroughly, getting help and building a team, creating a plan, presenting your plan, gathering feedback, taking action, and educating and inspiring others. The suggested minimum hours are not a rule; they are a guide for you to plan your time in achieving your goal.
All documents should be submitted to Carrie Andringa.
Age Requirements:
- Girl Scout Seniors (grades 9-10) or Girl Scout Ambassadors (grades 11-12)
- All paperwork must be completed and submitted by the end of your last membership year of Ambassador, by September 30th following your high school graduation
Steps to earning the Girl Scout Gold Award:
- Complete two Girl Scout Senior or Ambassador Journeys or Complete Girl Scout Silver Award and one Girl Scout Senior or Ambassador Journey
- Compete the Standards of Excellence Tracking Sheet
- Choose an issue
- Investigate
- Get Help
- Create a Plan
- Present your plan and get feedback
- Fill out a Girl Scout Gold Award Proposal and submit to Carrie Andringa, Girl Scouts of the Northwestern Great Lakes, 4222 Oakwood Hills Parkway, Eau Claire, WI 54701.
- Take Action
- Educate and inspire
- Complete Girl Scout Gold Award Final Report and submit to Carrie Andringa, Girl Scouts of the Northwestern Great Lakes, 4222 Oakwood Hills Parkway, Eau Claire, WI 54701. Keeping a journal or scrapbook, or taking digital pictures and putting them on a CD, are examples of ways to share projects with Council staff and the GSGA Committee.
- Celebrate earning the Girl Scout Gold Award.
- Your Service Area may hold a ceremony for you at their end-of-year banquet. You will also be recognized for your accomplishments at GSNWGL’s Annual Meeting. To be recognized for these events all final reports need to mailed to GSNWGL by February 1.
Old Requirements
The Gold Award has seven steps that must be done in order. The steps require organization, leadership, networking, exploration, creativity, follow through and reflection. Each step builds upon the previous step and leads to discovering problems in the community that need to be solved. Each girl will use her experiences, talents and skills to develop her proposal to solve a community problem. She must put in at least 65 hours into the project.
Earning the Girl Scout Gold Award under the old requirements
- Build A Framework – Organize
- Lead – Earn the Gold Leadership Award
- Network – Earn the Gold Career Award
- Explore – Become, Belong, Believe, and Build
- Create – Plan It, Know More About It, Choose It, Budget It & Map It
- Submit Project Proposal to GSNWGL
- Act – Put your plan into action
- Reflect and Evaluate
- Submit Final Report to GSNWGL
Information about earning the Girl Scout Gold Award and the old requirements can be found in the Girl Scout Gold Award STUDIO 2B Go for It Focus Insert.
No matter which set of requirements are used, the Gold Award Project Proposal and Final Reports must be submitted to GSNWGL and be approved by the Girl Scout Gold Award Committee. It is extremely important to keep accurate records, document all of the work and keep a time log of the hours put into the project.
All documents should be submitted to Carrie Andringa, Girl Scouts of the Northwestern Great Lakes, 4222 Oakwood Hills Parkway, Eau Claire, WI 54701.
