The Girl Scout Bronze, Silver, and Gold Awards are the highest honors a Girl Scout can earn. All three of these prestigious awards give girls a chance to identify a problem in their community, organize an action plan to help solve it, and then implement sustainable change. Volunteer Engagement Coordinator Poppy Lee provided some helpful information on the Girl Scouts Highest Awards.
- The difference between each award
The Girl Scout Bronze Award: The Girl Scout Bronze Award is a team‐based project earned by a group of Girl Scouts and a parent or troop leader can be the advisor. It is the highest honor a Girl Scout Junior can earn.
The Girl Scout Silver Award: Girl Scout Silver Award projects can be earned by an individual girl or approximately two to four Girl Scout Cadettes. Each Cadette on the team should have distinct roles and responsibilities. The project should have a suggested minimum of 50 hours of work put into it. The advisor should be an adult besides parent or troop leader and should be a subject matter professional. It is the highest honor a Girl Scout Cadette can earn.
The Girl Scout Gold Award: At the Gold Award level, it is an individual project requiring a suggested minimum of 80 hours of work. For the Gold Award, the advisor should be an adult besides parent or troop leader and should be a subject matter professional. It is the highest honor a Girl Scout Senior or Ambassador can earn.
- There’s a difference between the Award Take Action Project and the Journey Take Action Project
The Award Take Action Project is based on the interest of the girls and the needs of the community. Depending on the ages of the girls an Award Take Action Project may be done as an individual, as a group of up to four, or as a team and there is a recommended minimum of hours to earn. The Journey Take Action project is formulated as a team, based on the topic of the Journey, and is done within the Journey to complete and earn the Journey Awards. The Journey Take Action Project may be done by a group of girls, or by an individual girl; it has no specified number of hours to earn.
- How to get started
Did you know GSMIDTN offers Girl Scout Highest Award Trainings in rotating counties in each month? Check out CouncilAlignMENT to see when one is going to be in an area close to you. Trainings are not mandatory, but they can help better educate volunteers and girls in planning, implementing, and sharing quality take action awards projects.
For the Silver and Gold Awards, Girl Scouts will need to submit a proposal to the Highest Award Committee and receive approval before starting their project. The Highest Award Committee will set up interviews with each potential Gold Award Girl Scout, after they submit their proposal.
- Know the deadlines
The deadline for the Girl Scout Highest Awards is September 30: for the Bronze Award is September 30 of 6 grade, the Silver Award is September 30 of 9 grade, and the Gold Award is September 30 after the girl has graduated high school.
- How Highest Awards can help you after Girl Scouts
The Girl Scout Gold Award is awarded to fewer than 6% of Girl Scouts annually and approximately 1,000,000 Girl Scouts have earned the Gold Award or its equivalent since 1916. The highest awards provide scholarship opportunities in areas of scouting, leadership, and service and Gold Awardees enter the U.S. Armed Forces one rank higher. Earning a Gold Award expands a girl’s resume and distinguishes herself among other college applicants.
Do you know any girls who are ready to be a part of the prestigious group of young women who are changing the world? Contact Poppy Lee (PLee@gsmidtn.org) with any questions you may have on earning the Girl Scout Highest Awards.