Elisabeth Collins
Highlands Ranch
ThunderRidge High School
Improvisation Sensation!
What did you do for your Gold Award project?
For my Gold Award project I founded and directed “Improvisation Sensation!” for five high schools in the Douglas County School District. The event consisted of an improvisation workshop, dress rehearsal, dinner and evening community performance attended by more than 100 people. I also prepared a booklet with the guidelines for improvisation and many improv games. I sent this booklet to the Girl Scout World Centers for them to use for evening programs.
Why did you pursue this Gold Award project?
This Gold Award project allowed me to provide my peers with an opportunity to overcome public speaking anxiety and to perform spontaneously in a caring and supportive environment. It also allowed the students to perform in front of a live audience.
How did your Gold Award project make a difference?
The high school teams gained more confidence, gained knowledge about how certain improv games and developed certain skills (such as continuing a dialogue between improv players, building a scene quickly, learning to trust each other and working together as a team.)
What skills did you gain through earning your Gold Award?
The two leadership skills I gained were the ability to resolve problems/conflicts quickly and providing detailed and clear communication.
What will you most remember about your Gold Award project?
The most memorable part of my Gold Award project was the evening community performance and watching the teams show what they learned. Additionally, I will remember that even the best made plans still require some “improvisation” to overcome unforeseen problems.
How will earning your Gold Award help you in your future?
The Gold Award has helped me learn the steps necessary to develop a plan and learn what it takes to carry out an event. I can now take what I have learned and apply these skills to future events. When applying to one college, I was offered a scholarship, just because I had completed the Gold Award :).
Why do you feel the Gold Award is an important part of your Girl Scout experience?
I started in Girl Scouts when I was a Daisy. Our troop learned about the Girl Scout Law and went on several field trips. As we got older, our troop earned the Bronze Award and the Silver Award. We enjoyed helping with Girl Scout Service Unit camps and learned that helping our community was an integral part of Girl Scouting. The Gold Award stretched my leadership skills, by planning and event all on my own. I learned that to accomplish everything on my plan, I needed to ask others for help and I learned that communication is essential. This project taught me that an individual can create change through a series of small actions to accomplish a larger project and goal.