Silver Award
ABOUT THE SILVER AWARD
The Silver Award is the
Second Highest Award in Girl Scouting. It is the highest award that
Cadette Girl Scouts ages 11-14 or in grade 6-9 can earn it.
The Girl Scout Silver Award
represents a girl’s accomplishments in Girl Scouting and her community as she
grows and works to improve her life and the lives of others.
MOVING GIRLS TO
TAKE ACTION
As leaders we are here to be adult
advisor to help to guide the girls to Discover, Connect and Take Action to
create and complete a Silver Award Project. The Girl Scout Council emphasizes
raising the bar for all Silver Award Projects.
This is a BIG SHIFT. The Silver
Award Project is not just a community service project, making the world a
better place for some people in the short-term. It’s about making the
world a better place for measurably more people and for a sustained period of
time.
Taking Action involves identifying an
issue, understanding the root cause and creating a project that is sustainable
with an impact that is measurable. And there must be a global element:
talk about how the project could keep growing bigger in the future.
What is our role as adult leaders:
Encourage the girl to think critically and outside the box
Model the Promise and Law
Cheerlead!
Support all ideas
Provide resources to explore issues
Answer questions or refer to those who can
Suggest avenues that one might not be aware of
Silver Award Process and Projects:
This is a sample of how to get our
girls moving on the Silver Award Projects. By no means is this the only
route to go or the only answers. And all this might not have gotten done all in
one sitting. Perhaps identifying the issue was one talk. Then the girls were
tasked to do some community mapping, and find out what organizations in their
community also served the need. When they came back together, the girls
could pool information and lead a discussion about how they want to proceed.
Let’s see how it goes! Give them some
structure and a push! We will offer resources to aid, but don't do it for
them. Support and cheerlead their efforts. And finally, hold them to the
high standards of the Silver Award Project. This should be a tough
project for the girls to put together and accomplish, within their reach, but
not a piece of cake!
For Our Girl Scouts:
Ask yourself:
--to identify the interest:
Environment - clean up community, recycle program, etc.
--what community organizations are
there with whom you can partner:
1.
Chosen non-profit to work with
2.
Town Parks and Recreation Departments
3.
Library, schools, church, etc.
4.
Children Programs
5.
Animal Rescue Programs
Who can help?
1.
Advisor
2.
Family
3.
Peers - school clubs/groups
4.
Troop
Example:
What can they do?
1.
Create a website where other
groups/organizations can sign up/find info about monthly park clean-up
days/times.
2.
Work with foundation to
implement/continue program and decide on who/how it can become sustainable.
How will that be managed and supported?
3.
Advertise to recruit groups to
help. Have a special day for the organization
4.
Ask for sponsorship for supplies
Here's another way of looking at it:
Ask them:
Identify the interest: Sports
What community organizations are
out there with whom you may partner:
1.
YMCA
2.
Local sports leagues
3.
Community Centers
4.
boys and Girls Club
5.
Local professional teams
6.
Sporting Goods Stores
7.
Restaurants - Sports themed
8.
Susan B. Komen Foundation - Race for
the Cure **sample of a non-
profit to work
with
Who can help?
1.
Schools
2.
Troops
3.
Children of Survivors
What can they do?
1.
raise awareness to young kids about
the cause (breast cancer)
2.
promote healthy, active lifestyle
3.
staff a booth at a fair
Girl Scouts of the USA had declared February 8 as National Girl Scout Cookie Day. Why? To increase national awareness of what the Girl Scout Cookie Program does for girls and their communities, of course!
