What did you do for your Gold Award project? My project helps provide computers to families in need. My project works directly with Family Promise of Greater Denver. Family Promise of Greater Denver is an organization that is dedicated to serving families experiencing homelessness. I chose to work with Family Promise of Greater Denver to help provide them with computers for high school students enrolled in their program. My project then grew to getting computers for the entire family. I learned about Family Promise of Greater Denver through my church. Our church hosts families four times a year. I volunteer for them by making meals and by providing babysitting when the families are at our church. I have met several homeless teens going to school without a computer. I couldn’t imagine not having a computer for school. This is what has helped me identify the need for my project. In my search for computers, I found another non-profit, Denver Tech for All.  Denver Tech for All has agreed to provide the computers to Family Promise of Greater Denver families in need. Currently, more than 100 computers have been distributed since January 2018. I wanted to help Denver Tech for All by hosting a computer equipment collection. This allowed my project to help other individuals that needed a computer that are not part of Family Promise of Greater Denver. How did you measure the impact your Gold Award project made on your target audience? One long-term impact for my target audience is learning computer skills that will serve them over their lifetime. Family Promise of Greater Denver shared this success story. “A single mom and her two teenage daughters all got laptops.  Because of that, the mom (who had been unemployed) was able to search for jobs and apply online, and she got hired and is now employed full-time!  And her daughters are able to do their schoolwork at home now – and one of them made the honor roll and won an award for ‘most improved 9th grader’.” How is your project sustainable? How will your project continue to impact after your involvement? Denver Tech for All has agreed to provide computers to five families every week through Family Promise of Greater Denver.  These computers are free and the individual can come back to Denver Tech for All for technical support at any time.  Additionally, six companies have agreed to provide Denver Tech for All any computer equipment they no longer need. What is your project’s global and/or national connection? I have shared the success of my project with Family Promise headquarters in New Jersey.  There is an article published on their website about this project (https://familypromise.org/category/the-latest/) and it was shared on social media.  Additionally, my project success has been shared with over 200 Family Promise affiliates around the United States. What did you learn about yourself? I learned I am a hard worker and I really enjoy helping in the community. I learned how to communicate with people and get my point across. At the computer equipment drive, I learned I had great leadership skills. I helped organize the collection of the computer equipment and trained my volunteers. How will earning your Gold Award impact you in the future? Earning the Gold Award has prepared me not to give up, even if I receive rejection or run into obstacles. During my project, I had times when it became difficult, but I pushed past the obstacles and completed strong.  Knowing I can do this will be invaluable in my 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 I identified a need in my community and I found a solution. I have my troop to thank. The years leading up to my Gold Award, we did several projects and I learned a lot about completing projects. I was lucky to belong to a great troop full of love, friends, and support. How did earning your Gold Award help you become a G.I.R.L. (go-getter, innovator, risk-taker, leader)? Earning the Gold Award helped me become a go-getter.  All of the goals that I set; I have surpassed. I wanted two tons of computer equipment for Denver Tech for All to be donated and so far, they have received 2.5 tons; I wanted all teens enrolled in Family Promise of Greater Denver to receive computers (about 20-30 teens) which they did plus computers have been given to all family members over the age of five enrolled in Family Promise of Greater Denver. I wanted to get five companies to continue donating computer equipment to Denver Tech for All and I have six companies. **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. #GoldAward #HighestAwards #DenverTechforAll #arapahoehighschool #FamilyPromiseofGreaterDenver #Centennial #FamilyPromise #MetroDenver #TakeAction

Every three years, Girl Scouts from across our Movement come together to make the most important decisions about Girl Scouting, and for a weekend of life-changing leadership experiences and fun! Girl Scouts’ 55th National Council Session and G.I.R.L. 2020 will take place in October 2020 in Orlando, Florida. Through inspiring activities and influential speakers, this event will provide thousands of Girl Scouts with the tools to empower themselves and to lead change in their communities. G.I.R.L. 2020 will be planned by a team of 25 Girl Scouts called the G-TEAM. Members of this team will guide the overall direction of G.I.R.L. 2020 and have the opportunity to participate in field-specific internships in areas such as marketing, event production, governance, logistics, and more. The G-TEAM will spend two years planning for G. I.R.L. 2020, including in-person planning sessions in Orlando, Florida and New York City (all expenses paid by Girl Scouts). At the event in Orlando, the G-TEAM will be both the behind-the-scenes and on-the-stage leaders for this major event. All Girl Scouts who are currently in grades 8–10 are eligible to apply. The application opens October 19, 2018 and closes November 19 at midnight eastern time. Spread the word to Girl Scout Cadettes and Seniors for this national internship opportunity! Apply Now #GirlScoutsoftheUSA #Cadette #GirlScoutCadette #seniors #GSUSA #oldergirls #GirlScoutSeniors #Cadettes #GirlScoutSenior #GTEAM #GirlScoutCadettes #senior #GIRL2020

What did you do for your Gold Award project? For my Girl Scout Gold Award Project, I led a team of Mountain View High School students in creating and compiling the Northern Colorado Student Mental Health Resource Guide. This guide is an electronic compilation of some of the best youth mental health resources across Northern Colorado, listing organizations from therapy groups to trainings on how to talk to people in your life about suicide. The organizations listed in the guide had been selected based on participation in another event I planned and hosted last year, Mountain View’s first-ever “Spread The Health,” a mental health awareness night, and each group had proven themselves to care deeply about youth mental health. My team created this guide to ensure that, whether or not students had attended this event, any student could all have access to the mental health resources many in our country, state, county, and school district need. How did you measure the impact your Gold Award project made on your target audience? The impact of the guide was measured through surveys my team and I designed and distributed in various classrooms around Mountain View. We asked students questions about the current state of their mental health and whether the resources in the guide would be helpful to them in the future. We found the majority of students said that they will most likely utilize one of the organizations in the future the most prevalent being safeTALK, a suicide awareness training that 31 out of 50 kids said they are likely to utilize. How is your project sustainable? How will your project continue to impact after your involvement? This project was designed to be sustained without my involvement. By creating an electronic resource, training a youth team with students of various grade levels, working with the MVHS Advisor Board (a team of teachers who gave approval for the publication of this guide), and working without a budget, I have ensured my project is sustainable. An electronic resource ensures that even as I step away from this project, others are always able to continue its development and publication. My team is well-rounded and large enough that, even if one person doesn’t continue, there will be someone able to sustain the project for years to come. Choosing to initiate this project without a budget not only made the process less stressful for me, but also ensured the school district’s continued interest as they do not have much money to spend. Additionally, Mr. Smith, one of Mountain View’s counselors, has passed the guide on to other local high schools which secures the guide’s future as a resource in the Thompson School District. What is your project’s global and/or national connection? The complex task of working to improve mental health, provide resources, and deal with the stigma of getting help is a problem facing our entire country and world today. Mental Health America states that, “56% of American adults with mental illnesses do not receive treatment.” And according to stats from Our World In Data, “15% of all the world’s population has mental disorder of some kind.” The same process used for this project at Mountain View High School in Loveland, Colorado, could be used to help students in schools all around the country and the world facing so many of the same things. What did you learn about yourself? Through my Gold Award, I learned that we can always keep growing. I have taken on huge leadership projects and commitments in the past, but nothing like the Gold Award. Working on a project, creating something important, is a very different phenomenon when you’re working alone. However, the Gold Award committee challenged me and pushed me to broaden my leadership skills, expand my team, and release the reins of control that I often hold so tightly. I learned a lot about myself as a leader when I had to lead so many people and have as much faith in their skills as I do my own. How will earning your Gold Award impact you in the future? My future is dedicated to the cause of mental health and the Gold Award was another step towards that. I have the joy now of knowing that I have reached the highest level I can in an organization of leaders while educating others on a topic I am passionate about.  I am walking away from Gold Award with stronger leadership skills such as communication, time-management, and delegation and with a deeper understanding of mental health and how to share my message. Why do you feel the Gold Award was an important part of your Girl Scout experience? I have been a Girl Scout for ten years and earned my Bronze and Silver awards. It felt natural and even necessary to earn the Gold. My Gold Award was the compilation of every skill Girl Scouts has ever taught me from being a leader to being a friend, being creative to begin assertive. The Gold Award was an important part of my Girl Scout experience because it gave me the chance to show everything I had learned through this organization and that has been the most amazing opportunity I could ever have had. How did earning your Gold Award help you become a G.I.R.L. (go-getter, innovator, risk-taker, leader)? Go-Getter: I saw the mental health problem prevalent in my community and my life and began to consider the factors that contributed. The lack of awareness students seemed to have about the resources there to help them stood out and I knew I needed to find a way to share those with all students. Innovator: The idea of a compiled resource guide was one that very few people had ever seen and being able to do a Girl Scout Gold Award electronically and for no cost at all was an unusual method of action. Risk-taker: It was a huge step outside of my comfort zone to work with a large team of youth and wonder if they’d be able to deliver all the things I needed, but ultimately, working with them made the guide so much better than it would have been without them. Leader: I was able to utilize all the best skills I have learned from ten years of being a Girl Scout to lead a team to create the best possible project for our community. Gold Award helped me become the best G.I.R.L. I could be. **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. #GoldAward #HighestAwards #Loveland #ThompsonSchoolDistrict #mentalhealth #NorthernampNortheasternCO #TakeAction #MountainViewHighSchool

Most children are uninterested in reading, so they lack the understanding of why reading is important. They do not like reading because they lack support and encouragement to read. Because of this, I created a program at the Boys and Girls Club that is a five-session literacy program to promote a positive reading environment by teaching books with good values and morals and then teaching the children about different authors and poets to show new ways to express themselves. I brought in several volunteers to create a small volunteer to child ratio, so children could get the attention they need to work on their reading skills. I also noticed that they do not like to read because it lacks physical activity, so I made hands-on activities to keep the children engaged and active. Afterwards, I created reading tool boxes that consist of 15 to 20 books and reusable activities that can be used alongside them. Through a book drive, I was able to collect more than 400 books that allowed me to make 22 tool boxes that were passed out to organizations that serve at risk children around Colorado. By encouraging a positive reading environment at an early age, children will develop a lifelong love for learning which will cause a positive impact in their future. How did you measure the impact your Gold Award project made on your target audience? I created a survey the children filled out before and after the five-session program to get a sense of how they feel about reading. Overall, there was a 45% increase for the statement “Reading is Important” and an 18% increase for the question “Do I learn new things in my books?” Also, I interviewed the teachers from the Boys and Girls Club and they were very happy on how the program turned out. At that moment was when I felt like my project was coming together. I knew I had made a difference in a child’s life and that they learned ideas that will help them in the future. Seeing these results gave me motivation to write a program manual with all the activities so other children can be impacted as well. How is your project sustainable? How will your project continue to impact after your involvement? The children of Godsman Elementary School brought home several projects that are reminders for the children to embrace themselves and show their best selves and to motivate them to read and write more. My school’s National Honor Society will continue my program using my step by step instruction manual in my school district so over one hundred children each year can experience this program. I created 22 tool boxes that had 15 to 20 books inside of them with several comprehension activities from my five-session program to understand books better and gain excitement from them. They allow children who were unable to experience my five-session program to be able to try my activities and be inspired by them. My five-session program and book tool boxes can be accessed on my website: www.thelittlechildrenwhocould.weebly.com What is your project’s global and/or national connection? Reading affects children everywhere. There are several reasons why children do not take reading seriously, which is why it is important to look at each reason and find a solution to fix it. I shared my project to several national organizations such as Reach Out and Read, National Honor Society, and the Boys and Girls Club. They can do my program anywhere and affect children around the nation. I put all of the materials and templates on a website that organizations could easily access to make the program successful and efficient. What did you learn about yourself? I learned to embrace my creativity. Before my project, I was afraid to share my ideas because I believed no one would like them. However, having free reins on this project let me create whatever I wanted to promote reading literacy and I became very open with promoting ideas. I enjoyed bouncing off ideas with other people and receiving constructive criticism because it helped my ideas be more successful. I gained critical thinking skills that allowed me to create new and innovative ideas that made my project more appealing. How will earning your Gold Award impact you in the future? Working on this project helped increase my self-confidence. While working on this project, I began to branch out more in my community. As a result of this increase, I decided to apply for more leadership positions at my school. I became a board member for National Honor Society and Big Sisters and through these organizations, I am able to promote the values of this project to a bigger audience.  My Gold Award will always remind me that I take action and am able to create a better community. Why do you feel the Gold Award was an important part of your Girl Scout experience? The Gold Award was a perfect way to show my abilities and strengths that I developed through my years in Girl Scouts. Through Girl Scouts, I was able to create a stronger version of myself that pushed me to make my voice heard. Girls in a safe space gain confidence in themselves and they allow others to see their personalities and their abilities and I think that the Gold Award is a perfect way to challenge a girl in that way.  I gained knowledge and skills that will help me accomplish with any of my future endeavors. How did earning your Gold Award help you become a G.I.R.L. (go-getter, innovator, risk-taker, leader)? Earning my Gold Award helped me become an innovator. I had to come up with new ways to keep children engaged and involved while reading and writing.  I talked to several literacy aides and teachers to learn more how children focus and with their help I was able to create an interactive project. I enjoyed bouncing off ideas with other people and receiving constructive criticism because it helped my ideas be more successful.  I gained critical thinking skills that allowed me to create new and innovative ideas that made my project more appealing. **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. #GoldAward #HighestAwards #CherryCreekHighSchool #literacy #BoysandGirlsClub #MetroDenver #TakeAction #englewood

Submitted by Fran Taffer Metro Denver Morrison Looking for real science and outdoor fun for your girl over school breaks? Dinosaur Ridge is offering winter break and spring break camps for kids ages 6-10. Each camp offers exploration of the Dinosaur Ridge fossil sites, hands-on science projects, as well as expert guest presenters in the fields of paleontology, geology, art, earth science, survival skills, and local plants and animals. Winter Break- January 2, 3, and 4, 2019 (W/Th/F) 9 a.m. – 3 p.m January 2 —Creative in the Cretaceous January 3 —Earth Science: From Crystals to Quakes January 4 —Nature in Your Backyard Spring Break- March 26, 27, and 28 (T/W/Th) 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. March 26—Creative in the Cretaceous March 27—Earth Science: From Crystals to Quakes March 28—Nature in Your Backyard Sign up for one day for $70 or register for multiple days for $60 per day. Registration opens on November 15 at http://www.dinoridge.org/ Contact Fran at fran@dinoridge.org with any questions. 40963104_dinoridgecamps This story was submitted using the Share Your Stories form. You can share your Girl Scout moments, too. #DinosaurRidge #GSCOevents #STEM #Communitypartnerships #communitypartners #Morrison #MetroDenver

Submitted by Theresa Szczurek Northern & Northeastern CO Boulder Girl Scout Troop 70007 (Senior / Ambassador troop from Boulder) needs your help to get FIVE more registration commitments to join in the June 2 – June 10, 2019  ‘Acapulco Adventure II’ at the WAGGGS World Center Our Cabana. ALSO, there is a special ‘two for one’ all-inclusive price offer for relatives for those who commit in 2018 — bring mother / daughter, father / daughter, two sisters, two adults, etc. and the $1400 program fee covers two of you. Registrants must be at least 13-years-old. We need a commitment soon or the program will be cancelled. More info: https://www.wagggs.org/en/events/acapulco-adventure-ii-at-our-cabana-2019/. If you are interested or have questions, email girlscouttroop70007@gmail.com. This is a girl-led troop and a girl-led trip. Grace F., Girl Scout Ambassador who is a Senior at Boulder High School, is the trip coordinator and go-getter. She has researched and organized the trip plan, including the budget. Grace, girl troop leader of Troop 70007, is taking the initiative to make this experience happen. Why? She wants to visit the WAGGGS World Center Our Cabana, meet other Girl Scouts from around the world, and do the sea turtle service project at Acapulco. This story was submitted using the Share Your Stories form. You can share your Girl Scout moments, too. #GSCOevents #WAGGGS #NorthernampNortheasternCO #travel #boulder #OurCabana

Submitted by Tiffany Stone Metro Denver Denver Join the Urban Trails Service Unit and Troop 66711 for the second Denver Girl Scout Craft Fair on Saturday, November 10, 2018 from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. More information is in the flyer below. All vendors are Denver Girl Scout troops and all crafts are handmade by girls. This event is open to the public. Bring your girls and your family to get some inspiration, meet other Girls Scouts, AND start your holiday shopping, all while SUPPORTING local Girl Scouts!! Note: Registration to be a vendor is closed for this year. 40963104_craft_fair_flyer_ This story was submitted using the Share Your Stories form. You can share your Girl Scout moments, too. #Denver #GirlScoutCraftFair #GSCOevents #MetroDenver

Submitted by Linda Graves Metro Denver Parker Troop 1332 earned their Bronze Award by partnering with Senior Friends League to visit nursing homes where seniors do not receive many visitors. When the girls set out to earn their Bronze Award, they knew they wanted to help seniors, but they weren’t sure how to go about doing it. After learning that more than half of seniors in nursing homes are forgotten, they decided visiting with these seniors was how they wanted to use their time to make a difference. The troop found a local volunteer ministry that does organized visits to two particular nursing homes per month where the need for visitors is the greatest. Each month, the girls would get together and make a craft that could be given to the seniors at the next monthly visit. They made paper flowers, jewelry, cards, and cookies, which was a way the girls could start conversations with the seniors and interact with them. The girls played simple games with the seniors, such as hitting a balloon back and forth, beanbag toss, and singing Girl Scout Camp songs to them! The seniors really enjoyed the songs! The girls started this project with the goal of giving to a population that needed their time and friendship the most, but ended up gaining as much as they gave. During their visits, they spoke with seniors who were also Girl Scouts and they shared their favorite things about being a Girl Scout. The girls learned about different cultures and, most of all, they learned how rewarding it is to bring joy to others by simply giving your time and listening! The girls completed their required hours, but they are eager to continue visits with these seniors! They’re already planning another craft and additional visits for the upcoming holidays. Troop 1332 wants to spread the word about the organization we worked with to earn our Bronze Award, Senior Friends League. This is a great organization that makes a difference in the lives of seniors and brings joy and happiness to the world. Our girls learned so much about having empathy and serving others through this project and the efforts of the league. This story was submitted using the Share Your Stories form. You can share your Girl Scout moments, too. #Parker #HighestAwards #BronzeAward #SeniorFriendsLeague #MetroDenver #TakeAction

Take the lead on February 22 to celebrate 2019 World Thinking Day with Girl Scouts and Girl Guides from 150 countries! (That’s one big celebration!) Girls also celebrate World Thinking Day throughout the spring. Promoted by the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS for short) along with Girl Scouts of the USA, World Thinking Day originated in 1926. That’s when delegates from around the globe met at Camp Edith Macy—now called Edith Macy Conference Center—in New York and agreed February 22 would henceforth be known as a special day for Girl Guides and Girl Scouts worldwide. Every year since, World Thinking Day has called for Girl Scouts and Girl Guides to join together and take part in activities that promote changing the world for the better. The theme for World Thinking Day in 2019 is leadership! Check out our activity guides below to explore many different ways girls can be leaders and create the change they want to see in the world—and celebrate being part of the global sisterhood that is Girl Scouts and Girl Guides! Activity Guide for Girl Scout Daisies, Brownies, and Juniors: https://www.girlscouts.org/content/dam/girlscouts-gsusa/forms-and-documents/For-Girls/think-global/GSUSA_World-Thinking-Day_18_Activities%20DBJ-B.pdf Activity Guide for Girl Scout Cadettes, Seniors, and Ambassadors: https://www.girlscouts.org/content/dam/girlscouts-gsusa/forms-and-documents/For-Girls/think-global/GSUSA_World-Thinking-Day_18_Activities%20CSA-B.pdf Check out the Global Action Toolkit for more information on celebrating global action days throughout the year: https://www.girlscoutsofcolorado.org/content/dam/girlscoutsofcolorado/documents/globalactiondaystoolkit_final_aug2018.pdf #2019WorldThinkingDay #GlobalGirlScouts #GSCOevents #WorldThinkingDay

AT&T, a world leader in communications, media, and entertainment and technology, has invested in the success of Colorado girls.  Two programs, one in Colorado Springs and one in Grand Junction, invite middle and high school girls for a day of fast-paced career exploration. Support from AT&T provides girls with grants to cover the program fee, activity supplies, and refreshments and transportation. Secrets to Success, powered by Girl Scouts of Colorado, was held at the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs on October 20, 2018.  As a first-time program in the Pikes Peak region, the event drew more than 70 girls to learn about an array of fascinating careers and connect with professional women.  Keynote Speaker Carissa Gump, a 2008 Olympic athlete, encouraged attendees to see “I’m possible” instead of “impossible” and dream big.  18 women hosted conversation stations to share information about their careers – from mining to law enforcement and culinary arts to healthcare.  Six breakout sessions enabled girls to ask more questions on topics of interest and a lunch networking session allowed everyone to network. The fourth annual Secrets to Success will be held in Grand Junction on January 26, 2019. The program will feature 20 conversation stations and a keynote speaker. Any girl curious about career options won’t want to miss this! Grants for activity fees and travel are available during registration. Transportation from some areas may be provided. Primary funding for Secrets to Success is provided by AT&T. For more information about additional sponsors, visit https://www.girlscoutsofcolorado.org/en/support-us/fundraising-events/secrets-to-success-pikes-peak.html #GSCOevents #ColoradoSprings #ATampT #GrandJunction #Communitypartnerships #SecretstoSuccess #funddevelopment #communitypartners #WesternColorado #PikesPeak

‘The Nutcracker’ performed by State Street Ballet of Santa Barbara is performing on Sunday, December 7-9, 2018 at 2 p.m. at Community Concert Hall at FLC (1000 Rim Drive) in Durango. Girl Scouts receive a 15% discount on Sunday, December 9 for the 2 p.m. performance. To purchase tickets and receive the group rate, contact the box office at (970) 247 – 7657. Let them know you are with Girl Scouts of Colorado to receive the 20+ group discount. #Durango #GSCOevents #ballet #Communitypartnerships #SouthwesternCO #StateStreetBalletofSantaBarbara #communitypartners #TheNutcracker

What did you do for your Gold Award project? For my Gold Award project, I built buddy benches for my local K-12 public school. Each level of the K-12 school (high school, middle school, and elementary school) received their own decorated Buddy Bench, but also got to participate in an age-appropriate lesson about buddy benches and what they can do to be better friends to other students. As part of the high school lesson plan, the high school student council helped to decorate a Buddy Bench that was donated to the Air Force Academy Youth Center for them to use with their kids! How did you measure the impact your Gold Award project made on your target audience? I measured the impact of my project by having students take surveys after they went through the lesson I had made. I asked questions about what they learned and how they thought they would be able to use their new knowledge in the future. I also received a lot of feedback about my project from teachers, students, and families that I took into account when looking at the overall impact of the project. How is your project sustainable? How will your project continue to impact after your involvement? My project is sustainable because the Discovery Canyon High School Student Council decided to continue my project. They will be working with the counselors at Discovery Canyon to continue the friendship lessons for all the campuses and maintain the benches! Kids will continue to learn about friendship and have the tool of buddy benches years to come. What is your project’s global and/or national connection? I compiled all of my lesson plans, bench designs, and materials into one large document and sent it out to schools in Colorado, across the country, and internationally. I thought that these plans would work great all over the world because kids everywhere deal with loneliness and can use the tools and learn new skills on how to be a good friend. What did you learn about yourself? The biggest thing I learned is that I can complete a project this big! It was hard to work on something for so long and not see the end, but every little bit of effort gets you closer to your goal! Now, I know I can accomplish projects like this (or even bigger) in the future! How will earning your Gold Award impact you in the future? My Gold Award will impact me in the future because it gives me an experience that I can rely on as a foundation when I take on bigger projects. It will give me the motivation that I can do great things in the future because I know I have accomplished something so big before. 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 an achievement to show off all the time and effort I had spent in the Girl Scout program over the last 12 years! It gave me a nice way to finish that experience and a bridge to the next chapters of my life! How did earning your Gold Award help you become a G.I.R.L. (go-getter, innovator, risk-taker, leader)? Earning my Gold Award helped me become an innovator because throughout my project I faced many challenges. To finish my project and to make it the best it could be, I had to come up with creative solutions and think outside the box to overcome the problems I faced. Without trying new ideas I would have been stuck, but instead, I kept trying new things until something worked! **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. #HighestAwards #ColoradoSprings #BuddyBench #GoldAwardGirlScout #DiscoveryCanyonHighSchool #TakeAction #PikesPeak