Gold Award

Gold Award Girl Scouts are rock stars, role models, and real-life heroes. How do they do it? By using everything they’ve learned as a Girl Scout to solve a problem in their community or make a lasting change in their world. Seniors and Ambassadors who want to go for the Gold Award build a team of trusted adults, peers, and leaders in their community to guide them through challenges and support their success. Plus? Nothing beats that feeling of seeing real, lasting, and sustainable change and knowing it was you who made it happen. It changes the way you see your place in the world—and how the world sees you.

You can become a Gold Award Girl Scout if you:

• Are in ninth, tenth, eleventh, or twelfth grade
• Are a registered Senior or Ambassador

• Have completed two Senior or Ambassador Journeys, or have earned the Girl Scout Silver Award and completed one Senior or Ambassador Journey

Ready to change the world, for good?

gold award girl scout wearing ambassador sash and pin gold award girl scout wearing ambassador sash and pin

Get the guidelines.

How to earn the Girl Scout Gold Award

• Find an issue in your community or the world that you care about.
  
• Learn everything you can about that issue through research and trusted sources.
  
• Form a team by identifying experts and people in your community who could help you.
  
• Think about the root cause of an issue, then make a plan of how you could tackle it.
  
• Submit your project proposal to our Girl Scout council for approval.
  

• Lead your team and carry out your plan.
  
• Reflect on the change you’ve created in your community and the world, share your story, and inspire others to make a difference, too.

More resources

• Gold Award Project Proposal (PDF)
• Gold Award Final Report (PDF)
• Project Advisor Guide (PDF)
• Parent/Caregiver Guide (PDF)
• Troop Leader Guide (PDF)
• Guide for Leadership Experience (PDF)
• Your Guide to Going Gold (PDF)
• Rubric (PDF)

Getting Started

1. Complete the pre-requisites (see above).
2. Complete a required Gold Award training. We offer a couple ways to meet the needs of our busy Girl Scouts.
   • Recorded Training - To register for a recorded, online training, request training here and keep an eye on your inbox granting access to our online learning platform, gsLearn. Don't see an email? Check your spam folder first, and contact girlawards@gsep.org if you still need help. This training takes about 90 minutes to complete.
     
   • Gold Award Workshop - GSEP is offering several in-person sessions over the fall and winter this year. You can check out the dates in Spark magazine, and registration is available on our gsEvents webpage.
   • The time spent in either of these learning sessions counts toward, and must be indicated in, your preparation hours in your proposal!
     
3. Review Your Guide to Going Gold.

Contact girlawards@gsep.org for girl support and additional questions.

Gold Award Proposal

After You’ve Completed the Prerequisites, Complete your Gold Award Proposal

➤ Create an account on GoGold

➤ Complete Steps 1-5 on GoGold

1. Identify an issue
2. Investigate your issue thoroughly
   • Be sure that you can address your issue with a Take Action Project. Take Action projects must:
     • Identify a root cause
     • Demonstrate a global link
     • Demonstrate your leadership
     • Plan for sustainability
     • Have a measurable impact
3. Get help and build your team
   • Reach outside of your Girl Scout community to find a project advisor—a content area expert, and identify community organizations that could help you reach your goals
   • Money-earning can be daunting, but you can be creative in how you do so, as long as you follow the money-earning guidelines. (Look under the Money Earning for Troops tab.)
4. Create a plan
   • Create a plan and submit your complete Gold Award Project Proposal through GoGold. Be sure it meets the Gold Award Rubric.
   • GSUSA recommends a minimum of 80 hours to complete the Gold Award. Be sure to outline your timeline in chronological order in GoGold and break the hours down into small chunks of no more than 2-3 hours at a time. Remember, no more than 20 percent of your hours can be completed prior to approval.
   • Include a comprehensive budget that includes ALL supplies you will need to complete your project (including those you already own or will borrow), and a plan for offsetting those expenses.
5. Present your plan
   • Make sure you notify your Troop Leader and Project Advisor of your submission! They need to verify your proposal before you can send it to GSEP for approval.
   • Be sure to complete the GSEP Gold Award Proposal Checklist and upload it to your GoGold account under Step 5, Section 5.

Proposal Review and Approval Process

Your proposal and all accompanying documents should be submitted via GoGold. You will receive an automatic confirm receipt from GoGold. Gold Award Proposals are reviewed by the Gold Award Committee on a rolling basis. Please note that we have an influx of finals at the end of September and influx of proposals at the end of March. We suggest submitting your proposals well before the March and September deadlines. After your proposal has been reviewed, you will be paired with a Gold Coach who will work with you throughout the entire process.

Take Action!

➤ Complete steps 6-7 on GoGold

• 6. Take Action
  • Let your leadership skills shine as you put your plan into motion.
  • Keep track of the hours you work. You can log your timeline into GoGold as you work or keep a separate log and enter it all at once when you’re finished.
  • Don’t forget to take pictures!
  • You’re in the home stretch! Time to tell your story—tell others what you did, what you learned, and the impact your project had on your target audience.
  • Complete your Final Report, obtain Troop Leader and Project Advisor verification and submit to council.
  • Be sure to complete the GSEP Gold Award Closing Checklist and upload it to your GoGold account under Step 7, Section 16.
  • Upload your headshot and 3-5 photos of you project under Step 7, Section 16.
  • Fill out the GSEP Recognition Form so we can celebrate your achievement at the next Gold Award Ceremony.
  • Submit all of your materials to council on GoGold.

  

  Final Review and Approval Process

  Once you have completed your Gold Award project, you should submit all final documents via GoGold. After all necessary items are received, GSEP will forward them to your Gold Coach for her review. You’ll work with your Gold Coach to make any adjustments necessary and finalize your report. After your Coach has given her approval, GSEP will contact you to schedule your Final Presentation with the Gold Award Committee.

  Final Presentations with the Gold Award Committee are held year-round in rotating locations. Come to your meeting in your Girl Scout Uniform and bring a copy of all documents and items pertaining to your Gold Award. At your meeting, be prepared to tell us all about your Gold Award project, the impact you made, what you learned, and how your project will be sustained.

  When your Final Report is approved, you’re officially a Gold Award Girl Scout!