Girl Scout Gold Award Project: Julie Monington, Aurora, “Milkweed for Monarchs”
- GSCO blog
- Mar 17, 2017
- 3 min read
What did you do for your Gold Award project?
In 2014, the Monarch Butterfly was on the verge of being on the endangered animals watch due to the large decrease in the population size. After doing some research, I found several articles and learned that the reason the population is struggling is because farmers and the general population were killing off milkweed. I created a butterfly garden at a horse sanctuary, and made several presentations on how to save the Monarch Butterfly to my sister’s troop and a preschool class. In addition, I made a sign and website full of information on the Monarch Butterfly based on information from Monarch Watch and why they are endangered. I registered my butterfly garden on their site as a waystation, and it provides a connection and information for others to learn.
How did you measure the impact your Gold Award project made on your target audience?
In addition to seeing an increase in butterflies due to the milkweed, I also chose to measure the impact by seeing what the students learned as well as measure their excitement to create their own garden.
How is your project sustainable? How will your project continue to impact after your involvement?
The sustainable aspect of my project relies on the owner of Friends of Horses, the rescue I made the garden, to maintain it. I have also provided the educational materials I used for my presentations to the owner so he would be able to offer the lessons at his summer camps. In addition to this, the property maintainer and volunteers will take care of the garden.
What is your project’s global and/or national connection?
The first portion for the global link was I had my sister’s troop create their own mini-milkweed gardens. The second portion is the garden was registered on the national program Monarch Watch. The third portion is the sign and website I created to pass on the ideas and information I used. The last part was teaching younger students about the garden and encouraging them to develop their own garden. The teacher at the school received a flash drive so this information can be shared annually.
What did you learn about yourself?
I learned that I am good under a time crunch. I found a way to do many things in the limited time that I had to do it. In addition to this, I learned to work with different adults and children as I tried to address this issue.
How will earning your Gold Award impact you in the future?
Earning the Gold Award will be useful to show how I had leadership capabilities at a younger age and help me be successful in college and also assist me in getting a job in the near future.
Why do you feel the Gold Award was an important part of your Girl Scout experience?
The Gold Award was an important part of my Girl Scout experience because it was the final part of my journey, and makes me feel like the whole trip led up to this big project.
**IMPORTANT NOTE: This blog represents only a small fraction of the hard work, dedication and requirements that go into earning a Girl Scout Gold Award. It is simply a brief summary, which is meant to inspire Girl Scouts to Go Gold in the future. For more information on earning your Gold Award, please email highestawards@gscolorado.org