What did you do for your Gold Award project?
I promoted the game of Ringer within my community and with tourists. I built a kiosk by the Gunnison Marble Rings explaining the game of Ringer and its history in Gunnison. The game of Ringer is a traditional game played with marbles and a 10-foot ring. It focuses on the importance of sportsmanship. I also hosted marbles workshops, placed bags of marbles with in-depth rules at the Jorgensen Park Ice Rink and Gunnison Tourism Office for people to borrow, and helped the City Council write a resolution naming the Gunnison Marble Rings the Jerry Piquette Marble Rings.
How did you measure the impact your Gold Award project made on your target audience?
I handed out surveys at my workshops. The surveys showed how much people’s knowledge increased on a scale of five (average increase of 2.4) and whether or not they enjoyed the workshop, found it informative, and would like to play marbles again. The results were all positive and showed that promoting marbles is important.
How is your project sustainable? How will your project continue to impact after your involvement?
The kiosk will be maintained by the Gunnison Parks and Recreation Department, so it will continue to stand for tourists and locals to come and learn from. The Gunnison Marbles Club will replenish the bags of marbles and instructions in case they get stolen, and they will host the workshops in early summer. These groups will help to continue promoting marbles around my community and make my project sustainable.
What is your project’s global and/or national connection?
I sent pictures and the concept for the kiosk to the National Marbles Committee’s Facebook page for them to share with the rest of the marbles community. This was the method that they asked me to share my project with them through. We hope that Marble Clubs around the nation will follow my example to promote marbles and its sportsmanship.
What did you learn about yourself?
I learned that I am good at public speaking. That is an activity that I don’t enjoy, but was required of me throughout this project. It was good to learn that I can do it without seeming uncomfortable.
How will earning your Gold Award impact you in the future?
The leadership skills I learned while earning my Gold Award will stay with me through the rest of my life. I will be able to lead groups in school and my future career by understanding how to work with lots of different groups and set and enforce deadlines. Knowing that I can lead will also help me be more confident in general. This will allow me to do my best work in all future endeavors.
Why do you feel the Gold Award was an important part of your Girl Scout experience?
The Gold Award was the finish line for my Girl Scout experience. I had known that I wanted to earn it since I was a Brownie. Earning my Gold Award was a big part of my overall Girl Scout experience. I was able to focus and pursue my Silver Award and a Journey knowing that they led to the Gold Award. I always tried hard when selling cookies because I knew that some of the money would go towards my Gold Award. More than having been my goal, doing my Gold Award project has been a big part. I’ve been able to see the skills I’ve learned from Girl Scouts come together to help me in this project. I’ve also been able to develop as a leader, which is a great thing to start at a younger age. These have helped me understand the importance of getting my Gold Award and why it tied my Girl Scout experience together,
How did earning your Gold Award help you become a G.I.R.L. (go-getter, innovator, risk-taker, leader)?
Getting my Gold Award helped me become a go-getter. My project was nontraditional and focused on promoting a small, but important activity. Marbles is an inclusive activity that promotes sportsmanship above all else. I hope to have portrayed those values through my time as a Girl Scout. By pursuing this project, I believe that I set a stage that Gold Awards should be different and unique projects specific to your community. I was also one of the few girls on the Western Slope to earn her Gold Award this year. I hope that my achievement encourages other girls to complete their project as well.
**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.