Earning your Highest Awards can be a challenging and rewarding experience, and now is a great time to get a jump-start on planning for your Take Action Project! The Girl Scout Highest Awards mean you’re prepared to take the lead and show your community you can make a difference.

In order to make it a smooth and easy process, it is important for you to follow the Silver Award and Gold Award guidelines established by GSUSA. It would also be helpful to attend a Highest Award Training and you can find the next one in CouncilAlignMENT!


We are here to provide you with an basic overview of the Silver and Gold Award process to help you get started.

Step 1: Choose an Issue.
Use your values and skills to identify a community issue you care about. Live the Girl Scout Promise and Law and demonstrate civic responsibility.

Step 2: Investigate.
Research everything you can about the issue. Identify national and/or global links to your community issue. Use a variety of sources such as interviewing people, reading books and articles, or finding professional organizations online. Remember to evaluate each source’s reliability and accuracy. Demonstrate courage as you investigate your issue, knowing that what you learn may challenge your own and others’ beliefs.

Step 3: Create a Plan and Get Help.
Invite others to support and take action with you. The Gold Award is an individual project, but teams of up to four members can complete Silver Award projects. Seek out and recognize the value of the skills and strengths of others while respecting different points of view and ways of working. Build a team and recruit a project advisor who will bring special skills to your Take Action Project.

Step 4: Create a Plan.
Create a project plan that achieves sustainable and measurable impact. Lead the planning of your Take Action Project. Work collaboratively to develop a plan for your project that creates lasting change.

Step 5: Present Your Plan.
Submit a Project Proposal to the council that is concise, comprehensive, and clear. Describe your plan including what you want to achieve, the impact you plan to make on yourself and the community, and how you intend to do this. Articulate your issue clearly and explain why it matters to you. Accept constructive suggestions that will help refine your project.

Step 6: Take Action.
Take the lead to carry out your plan. Take action to address the root cause of an issue so that your solution has measurable and sustainable impact. Actively seek partnerships to achieve greater community participation and impact for your Take Action Project. Challenge yourself to try different ways to solve problems. Speak out and act on behalf of yourself and others.

Step 7: Educate and Inspire.
Share what you have experienced with others. Summarize the effectiveness of your project and the impact it has had on you and your community. Share the project beyond your local community and inspire others to take action in their own communities.

This information is just a brief synopsis of the Girl Scout Highest Awards. If you are unsure of where to begin or have questions, you can contact Poppy Lee at PLee@gsmidtn.org.