The Girl Scout Silver Award Information Packet

Transcription

1 The Girl Scout Silver Award Information Packet Asheville Triad Gastonia Hickory Service Center Service Center Service Center Service Center 64 W.T. Weaver Blvd W. Market Street 250 S. New Hope Road 530 Fourth Street SW Asheville, NC Colfax, NC Gastonia, NC Hickory, NC REVISED FOR TROOP YEAR 1

2 Contents Page 3 The Girl Scout Promise, The Girl Scout Law, Girl Scout Mission Statement and The New Girl Scout Leadership Experience 4 The 15 Outcomes of The New Girl Scout Leadership Experience 5 Introduction/The Girl Scout Silver Award Project 6-14 Steps to Earn the Silver Award 14 Take Action Project Equation 15 Important Definitions MONEY and Your Highest Award Project Some Frequently Asked Questions about Money Ideas for Money-Earning Activities Frequently Asked Questions about the Girl Scout Silver Award 25 Ways Parents/Guardians Can Support Girls Earning the Girl Scout Silver Award 26 Silver Award Record Form Silver Award Final Project Report 30 Silver Award Time Log New for the Girl Scout Silver Award in Girl Scouts Carolinas Peaks to Piedmont! Beginning with the troop year, the Silver Award Chat Session will be REQUIRED for all girls prior to starting work on the Silver Award. If you are not able to attend a live chat session, a video option will be available for you by December During the troop year, it is HIGHLY recommended that troop/group volunteers complete a Silver Award Adult Learning Opportunity prior to starting work with girls on the Silver Award. Adult Learning Opportunity will be REQUIRED for all troop/group volunteers prior to guiding girls to earn the Girl Scout Silver Award once an on-line self study option is available projected for January

3 The Girl Scout Promise On my honor, I will try: To serve God and my country, To help people at all times, And to live by the Girl Scout Law. Girl Scout Mission Statement Girl Scouting builds girls of courage, confidence and character, who make the world a better place. The Girl Scout Law I will do my best to be honest and fair, friendly and helpful, considerate and caring, courageous and strong, and responsible for what I say and do, and to respect myself and others, respect authority, use resources wisely, make the world a better place, and be a sister to every Girl Scout. 3

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5 INTRODUCTION The Girl Scout Silver Award, the highest award a Girl Scout Cadette can earn, is symbolic of accomplishments in Girl Scouting and community activities, as a girl becomes her best self and builds the world around her. Have you ever looked around your neighborhood or school and wondered how you could make a change for the better? Earning the Girl Scout Silver Award gives you the chance to show that you are a leader who is organized, determined and dedicated to improving your community. Earning the Silver Award puts you among an exceptional group of girls who have used their knowledge and leadership skills to make a difference in the world. The Girl Scout Silver Award project should benefit your community, which can include your school, neighborhood, city or town or a more global community and can be earned as an individual or as part of a small group (two-four girls). Girls complete various activities and develop skills that assist in the designing and implementing a Girl Scout Silver Award project. Here are the steps you ll take to earn your Girl Scout Silver Award: 1. Go on a Cadette Journey 2. Identify issues you care about 3. Build your Girl Scout Silver Award team or decide to go solo 4. Explore your community 5. Pick your Take Action project 6. Develop your project 7. Make a plan and put it into motion 8. Reflect, share your story and celebrate Once you complete your Journey, the suggested minimum time for earning your Girl Scout Silver Award is 50 hours. These suggested hours are a guide. You can start by planning the time in chunks, dividing it up by the steps. As a Girl Scout, you are committed to doing your very best with each step, but how much time per step is different for every Girl Scout, so the hours aren't a rule. Remember, too, that the hours include the fun and challenges you ll share with your Silver Award team. Each step you take toward making a difference in the world around you gives you a great chance to learn and grow, and that will make your award project an amazing one! THE GIRL SCOUT SILVER AWARD PROJECT You must be registered as a Girl Scout Cadette to earn the Silver Award. Work started prior to bridging to Girl Scout Cadettes may not be applied toward this award, nor can you finish up the work as a Girl Scout Senior. A girl is officially a Girl Scout Cadette after she bridges from Girl Scout Juniors to Girl Scout Cadettes. The Silver Award must be completed by the end of the Girl Scout membership year following a girl s 8th grade year. It is very difficult to complete all the requirements for the Silver Award in one year. Don t wait until your last year as a Girl Scout Cadette to make the decision to earn the Silver Award. You may not count activities done to complete another recognition requirement again for your Silver Award nor can you count work done as a Girl Scout Junior or Girl Scout Senior for the requirements on the Silver Award. It s important to keep your work well documented to avoid any overlapping. Keep a record of all your work. Start a notebook or file and keep it in a safe place. It is your responsibility not your leader s or advisor s to keep track of your documentation (she/he may want to keep a duplicate copy for her/himself). Recognitions are only symbols of your work it is the quality of the work and what you have learned while doing it that is important. 5

6 Step 1: Go on a Cadette Journey The first requirement for earning your Girl Scout Silver Award is completing one Cadette Journey. This important step helps you build the skills you need to take on your award project and understand how to show leadership through discover, connect and take action the three keys to leadership. Once you ve completed your Journey and earned all of the Journey awards associated with your chosen Journey, celebrate your accomplishment! Then get ready to move forward toward your next goal: earning the Girl Scout Silver Award! Tip: Keep your Journey(s) handy as you work toward your award you might find yourself going back to it for ideas. Step 2: Identify Issues You Care About To solve any problem, you must first identify it. Start by asking yourself what matters most to you. Do you find yourself reading articles about endangered species? Do you worry about where homeless children sleep at night? Do you wish that younger students had a cheerful place to stay after school while waiting for their parents to pick them up? If so, what connections can you make between the issues that you care about and the issues in your own community? Start by jotting down some issues that concern you in the following Issues Chart. You re not choosing your project yet, just tuning in to the topics you care about. Issues Chart Issues that concern you Why is it important to you? How does this issue affect your community? 6

7 Reminder Step Two is where you begin counting and tracking your Silver Award project hours. It s much better to track them all along the way, rather than trying to remember them at the end of your project! Step 3: Build your Girl Scout Silver Award Team There are two ways to earn your Girl Scout Silver Award. You can work with a small team of two to four girls, or you can create and implement your own project. B Small team model: The girls you work with can be Girl Scouts in your own troop, Girl Scouts from another troop or a combination of both. For each Girl Scout Cadette on your team to earn the Silver Award, each girl must play an active role in choosing, planning and developing the team s Take Action project. Keeping your team small ensures that everyone can participate fully. You and your team will also partner with others in the community to complete your project. G Solo model: You can create and implement a project on your own. However, if you choose the solo option, you will still need to partner with others in your community (friends, neighbors and business owners) in order to earn your award. After all, leaders like you know how to team up with others, even when they re in charge. If you ve decided to work independently, you can skip to step 4. If you re working with other Girl Scout Cadettes to earn the Girl Scout Silver Award, use the following tips to create a great team. Build a team whose members all commit to: Respecting different points of view and ways of work Contributing to the project everyone needs to help out! Accepting constructive suggestions Working together to create and develop a plan Resolving conflicts Team members don t always agree, but leaders know how to help others get along. When disagreements arise, remember: To be considerate and respectful of your fellow teammates To be a sister to every Girl Scout on your team That cooperation is very important when working with others After you ve built your team, hold your first meeting! If you don t know each other well or even if you do play a team game to get better acquainted. Spend some time discussing what makes a great team and how you d like your team to work together. Write everyone s suggestions on a large piece of paper and post that paper on the wall every time you have team meetings. Before the end of your first meeting, discuss how often you want to get together and where you ll meet. 7

8 Step 4: Explore Your Community Now that you have begun to think about issues that concern you, it s time to do some exploring to find out what your community needs are and where your areas of interest and the community needs may overlap. Communities are groups of people who have something in common. You belong to many communities. Your school is a community, for example. So is your math class or your debate team. Even kids who ride the same bus every day are a community. Other communities include your neighborhood, your place of worship, and your town and so on. Think about what communities you belong to. After you ve listed your communities, think of ways to map them. A community map is a drawing that shows the community s needs and resources, including contacts that might help you when you start working on your Take Action project. The key to making a community map is observation. Because a community is made up of people, you ll be looking for what people need, that is, what will improve their lives, help them out or make them happier. To get started, try walking through your school, biking around your neighborhood or taking a bus ride through your town. During the course of your travels, you ll naturally see different aspects of your community as you shop at stores, gather at your Girl Scout meeting place, and go to school and so on. You can also visit places (such as the library, town hall or community center or your church, synagogue or mosque) where there are people and resources who can help you identify community needs. You might even attend one or more town meetings to find out what concerns people in your area. Continue to draw your map by writing down the things you see that could be improved or places where your special talents and skills could be used. (Tip: Go back to your Journey(s) for more ideas about spotting community needs.) When you meet people who might be able to help you with your project, jot down their names and contact information in the following Community Contact List. Community Contact List Community Contact Organization Contact Information How they can help 8

9 Now it s time to talk to people to get in-depth information about community issues. As you conduct interviews, you ll improve your communication skills, begin to see how your time and talents can make an impact and build a network of contacts you may need when you do your Take Action project. Start by talking to people you know, such as neighbors or teachers, and then asking them to introduce you to other people in your community, such as business owners, neighbors, teachers or school officials, religious leaders, council members, police officers and staff members at community centers. Note: Always be safe when you talk to new people! Discuss safety tips with your troop/group volunteer and family, and always go with a friend or team member. Also, before going online, remember to take the Girl Scout Internet Safety Pledge at And, of course, never give out your address or any other personal information when you re on the Internet. Prepare your questions ahead of time so you can use your interview time wisely. Here are some questions to get you started: I m interested in doing a project that will help the community. What are some of the issues affecting our community? Do you know about how people have tried to work on these issues in the past? What worked? What didn t work? Can you suggest a project I could do to address one of these issues? Step 5: Pick Your Take Action Project You ve come a long way to get to this point! Now that you ve thought about the issues you care about and explored your community, it s time to choose a project based on what you ve learned. Before you pick your project: Review your Issues Chart, community map and interview notes. If you are working with a team, do this together, of course! If you are on your own, pull a few people together (such as your troop/group volunteer, friends, sisters or brothers, a teacher and so on) to help you sort through all you have gathered. Choose a project based on what matters most to you or where you think you can create some positive change. If you have a hard time deciding, write a pro/con list for each choice. If you are working on this part solo, ask your troop/group volunteer for help. Many issues are big and complicated and hard to fix! It might be a good idea to narrow your focus. Pick just one aspect of your issue, and then develop a solution to that specific problem. (Imagine focusing a camera lens in order to get a clear picture. The process of focusing on an idea so that it s simple and clear is just like that.) Remember, you can always go back to your Journeys for project ideas and examples. After you ve chosen your project, make sure everyone is clear about what you want to do and why. 9

10 As a team, answer these questions: What is our project? Why does it matter? Who will it help? Think about the following: Which of your leadership skills do you think you ll use as you work on your Take Action project? How will these skills help you better understand who you are and what you can do? How will you live the Girl Scout Promise and Law while earning your Girl Scout Silver Award? Step 6: Develop Your Project Now that you ve chosen a project, it s time to make a plan. Before you start the following questions will help you think through your project: What steps do we need to take to reach our goal? What special talents can each girl use to help make the project a success? What did we learn when we earned our Girl Scout Cadette Journey awards that will help us make sure this project runs smoothly? Do we know enough to get started or do we need more background information? Where can we get that information? Which groups or organizations can we work with? Who can we ask for help? How can we get other people involved? What supplies will we need? How will we earn money for our project, if necessary? Your troop/group volunteer can help you come up with money-earning ideas that follow Girl Scout policies. And remember, your time and talents are often more important than money. For example, one girl was worried about food waste at her school. She could have raised money to buy compost bins. Instead, she used her advocacy skills 10

11 to persuade school and town officials to set up a composting system. So be creative! You may realize you don t need that much money after all. How much time do we need to finish our project? Is that timeline realistic? Make It Last You ll be investing a lot of yourself in your project, so of course you ll want to develop it in such a way that it keeps going even after you re done. After all, this is a chance for you to make your mark in your community! For example, if you think the kids at your local elementary school need more interesting stuff to do at recess, you might plan a week of special activities. But then what? Well, how about planning team games that the fourth-graders can do with the second graders all the time! Your Take Action project keeps going and going and going.... Remember to keep it simple! A clear, focused, and well-thought-out plan can often be more sustainable than taking on a huge project. Here are some examples of Take Action projects that will last: TAKE ACTION PROJECT #1 Problem: Kids can t walk to school safely because there aren t any sidewalks. Root cause: Lack of planning when the roads were built. Solution with long-term impact: Create a petition asking that a sidewalk be built, get local residents to sign it, and present it to the city council. Making the solution sustainable: Once the sidewalk is built, it will be in place for years, offering a safe route for future generations. You may need to encourage kids to change their habits and walk that can be a fun group activity. TAKE ACTION PROJECT #2 Problem: Children in homeless shelters often struggle in school. Root cause: Lack of stability and family resources, both financial and emotional. Solution with long-term impact: Work with a local homeless shelter and school to establish an ongoing tutoring program that matches student volunteers with children in the shelter. Making the solution sustainable: Work with the school and shelter to find adult staff members who will continue to coordinate the program. Establish a transition tradition, such as an end-of-school-year party, where potential new student volunteers can meet current volunteers and people in the homeless shelter. Find a Project Advisor Your project advisor is an expert who can answer specific questions about your issue. Look at your list of the people you met while researching issues. Is there someone who can serve as a project advisor? If you have not yet met anyone who is familiar with your issue, talk to your troop/group volunteer. She or he might be able to help you identify experts in your community. 11

12 Make a Global Connection Think about others who may have worked on the same problem in the past, or check the Internet to see how others around the globe deal with your issue. What can you learn from their approach? Consider how you may be able to extend the reach of your project into other communities besides your own. Are there ways to share your plan with other communities who are facing the same issue? Can you create a plan that other people could use to replicate your project in their own communities? Take One Last Look By this point, you re probably anxious to get started. But before you get going, take a step back and look at your project one more time. You may need to narrow your focus a bit more or shift your approach slightly in order to make the project work. That s ok! Taking some time to fine-tune your project now will make it easier to actually get it done. Ask other people for feedback, especially your troop/group volunteer. She or he will make sure your project idea is complete and meets all the requirements for a Girl Scout Silver Award Take Action project. Even though you ve done a lot of work already, remember to be open to new ideas and suggestions. You may need to rethink certain parts of your project idea, but this will help you refine your project and ma ke it better. Once your project idea meets the requirements, you ll be ready to get started! Step 7: Make a Plan and Put It into Motion It s time to get started! Your project needs to involve action by you and your Silver Award Team (if you have one), from the planning stages all the way to earning the Girl Scout Silver Award. Build a list of what you need to do and how it can be done, and then figure out who will be doing what. Remember that you re a team, so one or more girls can volunteer for each task. Also decide when each task needs to be finished. Then write all the information in a Make a Plan chart like the one the follows. Make a Plan What is the Task? Example: Research how a petition is presented to the city council. Monique Who will do it? How will the task be done? Talk to a council member or the mayor When will it be done? Sept. 7 12

13 When your steps are identified and your plan is set, do it! Keep a record as you go by taking photos, shooting video or making a scrapbook. Not only will it make it easier to share you story when you re finished, but it is lots of fun! Step 8: Reflect, Share Your Story, and Celebrate Congratulations, you have completed a project that makes a difference! Take some time to reflect on what you have accomplished. These questions may get you started: What did you discover about yourself? How did you connect with your local and global communities? Who do you know now that you didn t know before? What did you learn from others who worked to solve the same problem? How did that help you make your project better? What skills did you gain (such as public speaking, team building, advocacy, blogging and so on) that help you as a person and a leader? What impact did your Take Action project have on your community? How will it go on past your involvement? How did you live the Girl Scout Promise and Law? Demonstrating to an audience what you have learned sets the stage for even broader impact, and is sometimes the best way for you to recognize what you have accomplished and see how much you have grown. It will also help you get others inspired to act! Here are some ideas for how you can share your story: Create a Web site or blog about what you have learned and how your project will help your community. Log on to some Web sites where you can share your story: World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts: GSUSA website MAP IT! tool: Taking it Global: Global Youth Service Day: 13

14 At a workshop for community members, present what you have learned and what your project will do for the community. Or do a presentation for a group of younger Girl Scouts you will definitely inspire them! Make a video about your project and post it online. Invite friends, community leaders and people from organizations that are tackling a similar issue to watch and share your video with others. Write an essay or an article for your local or school newspaper. As you wind down your project, remember to thank all the people who helped you along the way, from the people you interviewed to those who drove you around town! Not only is this good manners, but also an inspiration to people when they hear what you ve done and they ll be proud to know they helped make it happen. Now celebrate your accomplishment! You took the challenge and made a difference in your world! Girl-led WITH the community (not FOR the community) Take Action Project Meets one of the Take Action Outcomes 14

15 IMPORTANT DEFINITIONS BUDGET - Will you need money for your project? How much will it cost? How will you get the money? List all of your expenses and talk with your troop/group volunteer or project advisor about how to cover these expenses. Projects should be financially realistic. You must obtain approval from our council if you plan to raise funds or solicit donations. ***See MONEY and Your Highest Award Project*** COLLABORATIVE ORGANIZATIONS If your project is focused on an existing organization or program, then your project must expand its work. The project must meet a need that is currently not being met. It s a good idea get a letter in writing from that organization approving the work of your project. COMMUNITY ASPECT - The Girl Scout Silver Award project should benefit a girl's community, which can include her school, neighborhood, city or town, or a more global community. GLOBAL ASPECT For a Girl Scout Silver Award project, you should connect with new friends outside your immediate community, learn how others have solved similar problems and determine if the ideas of others can help you with your project plan. GROUP PROJECTS - The Girl Scout Silver Award project is your personal action plan to utilize your values and leadership skills in order to serve your community. For group projects, each girl will need to identify individual responsibilities and leadership skills used. Each girl must be responsible for a specific part of the project and must evaluate her participation as an individual and a member of the group. Group projects should be limited to two to four girls. LEADERSHIP: Leadership can require creating a vision and an outcome, setting a goal, developing a plan of work, creating the scope of the project, functioning in a director capacity, delegating to others, making decisions for change, creating a list of needs and resources, creating a budget, evaluating the performance of yourself and/or others, writing reports and accepting accountability for the outcome. PROJECT ADVISOR While your troop volunteer can guide you through the prerequisites, you may need to seek a project advisor once you have determined your project. You are encouraged to use resource people who are knowledgeable in the field in which you are doing your project. Your advisor is there to answer questions, insure safety, provide encouragement, follow GSUSA policies, but not to do the project for you. Throughout your project, you are responsible for maintaining contact with your project advisor(s). A project advisor is encouraged, but not required for the Silver Award project. SERVICE: Service is based on working within a plan that is already established, acting as an assistant or helper, using a prepared list of resources, using existing funds that are allocated to you, asking permission to make changes, and reporting to a supervisor for direction. You will have your team provide service for your project. SUSTAINABILITY Girls earning the Silver Award should demonstrate an understanding of sustainability in the project plan and implementation. How could this project continue when you are gone? If the project is an event, the event could be something that people will want to continue for the next year. If it is a service, it could be something that creates change or action with long-term possibilities, empowering others besides just the girl. If it is something tangible, it should come with a plan for use and maintenance within the community. 15

16 MONEY and Your Highest Award Project One of the challenges facing every girl earning her Bronze, Silver, or Gold Award is money. There are specific policies you must abide by which are outlined in this Highest Award Information Packet, and in our council s board-approved policies, Volunteer Essentials, Safety Activity Checkpoints, and the Blue Book of Basic Documents (2012 edition.) You may need to adjust your project plan when you begin making decisions about money-earning projects. Gold Award candidates: Clear the adjustments you have made in your project plan with our council and share you plan with your Gold Award committee member and program manager. 1. While working on your Highest Award project, you may be involved in seeking in-kind donations, provided two requirements are met: a) You MUST receive approval from your local Regional Executive in the council service center by submitting a Highest Awards Money-Earning Activity Application at least 30 days prior to the solicitation. b) You MUST be accompanied by a parent/guardian, troop/group volunteer, Gold Award project advisor*, or Gold Award committee member* to make a presentation to potential funders. *Gold Award candidates only 2. While working on your Highest Award project, you may NOT engage in any direct solicitation for money. An adult, from those listed above, must make the request for cash donations. Girls are encouraged to make the case for support for all types of assistance for their project, but the ask for money must be made by an adult. You need to fully describe your project to a potential donor. You could schedule a meeting in-person. You could create a Power Point or similar presentation. You could also write a letter or brochure to solicit for inkind donations. If you distribute any written solicitations, they must include your signature, along with an adult s signature (from those listed above.) 3. You can hold money-earning activities to earn money for your Highest Award project, provided the following requirement is met: a) You MUST receive approval from your local Regional Executive in the council service center by submitting a Highest Awards Money-Earning Activity Application at least 30 days prior to the money-earning activity. You, along with your troop/group, can hold a bake sale or car wash, or your troop/group can charge a fee to an approved event that you put on to earn money for your troop/group s activities. Your troop/group may then decide to use that money toward the completion of a Highest Award Project, such as the purchase of materials. It must be a troop/group decision on how to allocate the funds, which can be used for individual projects*. *Gold Award candidates only If you are an individually registered member, things are slightly different. You cannot earn money as an individual Girl Scout for yourself. The money you earn must be deposited into a bank account held by either a troop/group or service unit. Next, you must present your need for funds to that troop/group or service unit. The troop/group or service unit will then make a decision about the dispersal of the funds. You will still need to submit a Highest Awards Money-Earning Activity Application to your local Regional Executive the council service center at least 30 days prior to your money-earning activity. 16

17 4. You MUST participate in our council s Cookie Program in order to participate in any additional money-earning activities or solicitations related to your Highest Award project. Participation in GSCP2P s Cookie Program is defined as: a) Providing cookie program training to both parents and girls b) Setting a troop sales goal c) Selling at least four cases (48 packages) of cookies per girl d) Following all other guidelines/deadlines/policies, etc. set forth for the cookie program 5. You cannot raise money for another organization as a Girl Scout. That means you cannot have a bake sale and tell people that you are giving the proceeds to a homeless shelter for meals. You cannot ask for pledges for a walk-a-thon to benefit breast cancer research or hold a benefit dance to raise money for Sally s kidney operation. 6. NO money earned from money-earning activities or solicitations can be deposited into personal bank accounts. Some Frequently Asked Questions about Money Q: Can I use my own money on the Girl Scout Bronze, Silver, or Gold Award Project? A: Yes. If you want to use your own money, you can. You may receive help from your family, too. However, you are encouraged to work with others to earn the money. That is part of the process. Earning your Bronze, Silver, or Gold Award is not meant to be a hardship on a family or individual. When designing your project, it s important to think creatively about how you can make a difference with little or no money. You can talk to your troop/group volunteer or your project advisor* about ideas for financing the project or arranging for the donation of materials and services. *Gold Award candidates; Silver Award candidates, if a project advisor is recruited Q: Can I ask friends and neighbors for help? A: Of course! You want to give the community a chance to be involved in your Bronze, Silver, or Gold Award project. You will probably be surprised at those who are willing to give of their time, money, or goods to support your project. Don t forget that you must have council approval prior to any solicitation for gifts-inkind. Q: What if what I want to do costs too much? A: It s better to succeed with a smaller project that is within your budget than to be unable to complete a larger project because it exceeds your budget. Be realistic about what you can and cannot do. Work with your troop/group volunteer or project advisor* to develop a reasonable budget for your project. If your resources are not sufficient for you to realistically accomplish your goal, then you need to rethink the project. Planning is the key to a good Highest Award project. Think it through and do your homework! Gold Award candidates: You will submit an estimated budget with your Project Proposal. *Gold Award candidates; Silver Award candidates, if a project advisor is recruited Q: Is it all right to seek help from other organizations when earning my Girl Scout Bronze, Silver, or Gold Award? A: Yes, with some qualifications. Many service organizations have budgets for community projects. You can use their interests or goals as leverage to support your project and get volunteers to help you. Be sure to research local service organizations. Even some businesses give employees time for community service hours and projects. However, remember the procedure about seeking in-kind or cash donations. (Our council may be asking the same group for a major donation and you don t want to interfere with our council s ask or vice-versa.) Don t let the organization s agenda drive your vision for your project. 17

18 Q: I know I can t raise money as a Girl Scout for other organizations, but can I do it on my own? A: As an individual, you can volunteer for other organizations, but you should not identify work that you do to raise funds for another organization as part of your time going toward the Girl Scout Bronze, Silver, or Gold Award. Additionally, you may not present yourself as a Girl Scout to the public in this process since you are a volunteer for another organization. For example: If your local Red Cross needs money to purchase training dummies, you may participate under their supervision as an individual volunteer to raise funds, but you cannot count that service as part of your time toward any Girl Scout award or service hours. However, you can plan a Highest Award project using the equipment that was purchased as part of your efforts as a volunteer for that organization. Q: What should happen with the money raised by a money-earning project or a monetary donation? A: All money should be deposited into the troop/group bank account, not a personal bank account. As with any money earned by the troop/group, a unanimous decision must be made by the troop/group on how to spend the money. For materials or supplies needed for a Bronze, Silver, or Gold Award project, the troop/group makes the purchases from the troop/group bank account. If there are funds remaining after a Highest Award project is complete, the troop/group can make the decision to donate the remaining money as they see fit. Q: What if a donor wants a receipt for tax purposes? A: Any in-kind or monetary donation can be tax deductible and you can let a potential donor know this when you (or the adult in the case of cash donations) make your ask. Gifts of time are not tax deductible. If a donor is making a monetary donation and would like a receipt for tax purposes, that money must be donated directly to our council as a designated gift. The money must be clearly designated for your Bronze, Silver, or Gold Award project, including your name and troop/group number. Our council will issue a check to the troop/group for the amount of the donation and issue a tax receipt letter with tax language to the donor. Neither a girl nor the troop/group has the authority to legally issue a tax receipt letter. Only our council, with non-profit status, has the legal authority to do so. If a donor is making a donation of goods, materials, or other gifts-in-kind and would like a receipt for tax purposes, the local Regional Executive in the council service center needs to be notified regarding the donation. The actual donation does not have to physically pass through a council service center. After the donation is made, the Regional Executive will provide a thank-you from our council. The donor is responsible for assigning a value to the donation and filing it on their taxes. Q: Can we charge for a Girl Scout event to earn money? A: If it is a service project, a fee can be collected to cover the cost of materials. The project ceases to be a service project if you are charging a fee for the event above cost. If you are doing a Girl Scout event (e.g., a badge workshop, bike rodeo, etc.) and are planning to charge a fee above the cost of materials, this is a money-earning project and you must first receive approval from our council. Provision should be made for scholarships for troop/groups or individual girls who cannot afford fees to your event and you must be clear in your advertisements and materials that this is a money-earning event for your troop/group. If your Bronze, Silver, or Gold Award project is an event for the public, you can charge a fee to cover the cost of materials. Q: Can time spent on a money-earning activity be counted towards my total Bronze, Silver, or Gold Award project hours? A: Yes, but only if you are showing true leadership while in the planning and implementation of your moneyearning activity. Time spent on money-earning activities should not be excessive when compared to the total hours spent on your Highest Award project. The focus should be on your actual project, not the money-earning activity. 18

19 Good Ideas for Money-Earning Activities YES! J YES! J YES! J Reminder: All Girl Scout money-earning activities must have approval from your local Regional Executive in the council service center at least 30 days prior to the money-earning activity. All money-earning activities must abide by policies outlined in the appropriate Highest Award Information Packet, in our council s board-approved policies, Volunteer Essentials, Safety Activity Checkpoints, and the Blue Book of Basic Documents (2012 edition.) Girls must participate in the Cookie Program in order to participate in any additional money-earning activities related to her Gold Award project. 1. Sell Girl Scout cookies and participate in the fall product program. Think big sell cases to businesses as gifts to clients or employees; arrange for booths at sports events or college dorms. 2. Provide childcare at special events during the holiday season or community events. (Be sure to have an adult trained in first aid present.) 3. Make homemade cards for special occasions and sell them. 4. Pick up litter after an event. 5. Do face-painting at a community event. 6. Wash neighborhood windows. 7. Walk pets or offer pet sitting services. 8. Make crafts and sell them. 9. Rake leaves for family, friends and neighbors. 10. Sack Sit at a local mall or shopping center while shoppers do holiday shopping. 11. Provide gift wrapping services add it to the Sack Sitting and you have a great one-stop service. 12. Make and sell corsages for service unit father/daughter dances. Take pre-orders. 13. Make holiday decorations and sell them. 14. Make and sell baked goods. 15. Create, design and sell cookbooks must not violate any Girl Scout or other copyrights. 16. Conduct a car wash. 17. Create items and offer them for a silent auction at a local Girl Scout event or meeting. 18. Make and sell food at a special event. It is recommended that this be food that does not require refrigeration. 19. Offer the service of sewing on badges and patches for Girl Scouts. 20. Council program event or workshop for other girls. 19

20 BAD Ideas for Money-Earning Activities NO! L NO! L NO! L 1. Sale of commercial products or services through order taking or home demonstration parties, such as: Pampered Chef, Krispy Kreme, Avon, Mary Kay, etc. 2. Raise funds for another organization while acting as a Girl Scout. This includes foundations, other nonprofits, or political parties. 3. Raise funds where the money goes to individual members of the troop. 4. Internet sales of any kind. 5. Raffles or games of chance. Do not sell chances to win a piece of furniture, a quilt, etc. 6. No door-to-door sales with the exception of the cookie program. 7. Do not create and resell any item that has the trademarked Girl Scout logo or brand on it. 8. No projects where GSUSA or our council might be perceived as endorsing a political party. 9. Any activity that takes place during the fall product or the cookie program or during a United Way blackout period. (Please contact your local Regional Executive in the council service center for dates in your area.) 10. An unapproved money-earning activity. AGAIN, DON T FORGET These procedures apply SPECIFICALLY to Girl Scout Highest Award projects (Bronze, Silver, and Gold Award.) All other money-earning policies for non-highest Award related activities still apply. Girls MUST have council approval and an adult present for any solicitation of gifts-in-kind. An adult MUST make the ask for any monetary donations. ALL money-earning activities and solicitations must have council approval. Girls MUST submit requests for money-earning activities or solicitations using the Highest Awards Money Earning Activity Application at least 30 days prior. Girls MUST have participated in the Cookie Program in order to participate in any additional moneyearning activities or solicitations related to her Bronze, Silver, or Gold Award project. NO money earned from money-earning activities or solicitations can be deposited into personal bank accounts. 20

21 Frequently Asked Questions about The Girl Scout Silver Award Q: Who can earn the Girl Scout Silver Award? A: A girl must be a registered Girl Scout Cadette to earn her Silver Award. Remember, as always, the project must be completed and final report submitted to the council service center by the end of the troop year (September 30 th ) following a girl s 8th grade year. Q: Do girls need to complete the Girl Scout Silver Award before they are in 9 th grade or register as a Girl Scout Senior? A: Yes! Silver Award can only be earned by Girl Scout Cadettes (grades 6-8). Q: If a group of girls is bridging from Girl Scout Juniors in the spring, can they then begin work on their Girl Scout Silver Award activities? A: If girls bridge from Girl Scout Juniors to the Girl Scout Cadettes at the end of the fifth grade, they can start working on their Cadette Journey over the summer before starting 6 th grade. Q: Can a girl earn the Girl Scout Silver Award even if she hasn t been in Girl Scouts very long? A: Yes! She just needs to be a registered Girl Scout Cadette to earn her Girl Scout Silver Award. Q: Can girls earn the Girl Scout Silver Award if they are individually registered Girl Scouts? A: Yes! Girl Scout Silver Award projects can be completed by individuals or small groups (two to four girls) of Girl Scout Cadettes. Q: Can a group of girls work on their Girl Scout Silver Award together? A: Yes! It is important, however, that each girl has an individual leadership role and each girl logs her own hours. Working on a project team is a life-skill and there are many different ways of assuming leadership. Each girl should fill out her own Girl Scout Silver Award paperwork and log her individual leadership hours. Groups should consist of two to four girls. Q: Does a girl have to have earned the Girl Scout Bronze Award in order to earn the Girl Scout Silver Award? A: No, not at all! However, it s a great foundation for the process. Q: Do girls need to earn the Girl Scout Silver Award before they work on the Girl Scout Gold Award? A: A girl doesn t need to earn the Girl Scout Silver Award to earn the Girl Scout Gold Award. However, it is helpful, as some of the processes are the same, and many of the skills that are learned in working on the Girl Scout Silver Award are a foundation for working on the Girl Scout Gold Award. If a girl has earned her Silver Award, she only has to complete one Girl Scout Journey as a prerequisite to her Gold Award project instead of two. Q: Why are Journeys required to earn the Girl Scout Silver Award? A: The Journeys give girls a full experience of what they will do as they work to earn the Silver Award. The skills girls gain while working on the Journeys will help them develop, plan and implement their Silver Award Take Action project. Q: How do girls know when a Journey is "completed?" A: A Journey is completed when a girl has earned the Journey awards, which include creating and carrying out a Take Action project. Q: What makes the Silver Award guidelines different from the Journeys? A: In contrast to Journey Take Action projects, which give girls themes on which to base their Journey Take Action project, the Girl Scout Silver Award Take Action projects have no pre-designed theme. Girls select their own theme, design, and execute their Silver Award Take Action project. 21

22 Q: What are the suggested hours for earning the Girl Scout Silver Award? A: Not all projects will require the same length of time to complete from planning to sharing and celebration. The time it takes to earn the awards will depend on the nature of the project, the number of people recruited to assist in carrying out the project, and the support of the community. Quality projects should be emphasized over quantity of hours. After the Journey requirement is fulfilled, the suggested minimum number of hours to use as a guide is 50 hours. Q: Do the hours put into planning and researching a potential Silver Award project count towards the hours needed for the Girl Scout Silver Award project? A: Yes. Girls begin tracking all time spent working on their project at Step Two: Identify Issues You Care About. Even if a girl decides not to do the project she comes up with during her initial research, she has not wasted the time in learning the process required to begin planning a project. A girl shouldn t be focusing on a project that she really doesn t want to be doing, or isn t able to do because of something she s discovered in her research or community networking. A girl might even discover a project advisor in the community networking process who sparks a different twist on her vision. The more that is found out about something, the more possibilities there are the trick is to end up with a project that meets needs of the community and that allows a girl to be effective and passionate in what she is doing. For example, a girl may find that a safety program is not what is needed to prevent accidents in her community. What s needed is a stop light at a dangerous intersection. That will require focusing on a different network as she works with the community to make that kind of a change and her project advisor may need to be someone from the city council instead of a safety educator. Q: Who are the Adult Volunteer Guides for council staff, parents, or volunteers? A: Any adult is welcome to use the adult guides. The guides were designed for volunteers working directly with girls on achieving their awards. Q: What does it mean to have a sustainable project? A: A sustainable project is one that lasts after the girl s involvement ends. A focus on education and raising awareness is one way to make sure a project is carried on. Workshops and hands-on learning sessions can inspire others to keep the project going. Another way to create a sustainable project is by collaborating with community groups, civic associations, non-profit agencies, local government, and/or religious organizations. Q: Is sustainability differentiated at each grade level? A: The guidelines give girls tools to examine the underlying root cause of issues, develop a sustainable project plan and measure the impact of their project on their community, the target audience and themselves. There is progression. After the Bronze Award is complete, Girl Scout Juniors will reflect on how the project could be kept going. Girl Scout Cadettes demonstrate an understanding of sustainability in the project plan and implementation. Girl Scout Seniors and Ambassadors work to ensure the sustainability of their project in order to meet the Gold Award standards of excellence. Q: How does a girl measure project impact? A: Girls identify their project goals for their community, target audience and themselves by developing success indicators which are measurable. This might include the number of people served by a project, the number of participants, or a reduction in the need or concern addressed by the project. Q: What should be the scope or reach of a Silver Award Take Action project? A: While Juniors explore an issue that affects their Girl Scout or local community, Cadettes create a community map of their neighborhood or community and complete a Take Action project that makes the local neighborhood or community better. Seniors and Ambassadors earning the Gold Award implement projects that make a lasting difference in the local community, region or beyond. 22

23 Q: Can Take Action projects for the Silver Award focus on Girl Scouting? A: No, Girl Scout Cadettes must move beyond Girl Scouting and share their leadership skills with the wider community. It is in fully exploring their communities that older girls exemplify the Girl Scout mission to build girls of courage, confidence and character, who make the world a better place. Q: What if a girl has already done some similar activities while earning other Girl Scout awards? Can these activities count toward her Girl Scout Silver Award? A: Activities done prior to working on the Girl Scout Silver Award may not count toward the number of hours for this award. Q: Can a girl who is developmentally disabled/delayed earn the Girl Scout Silver Award? Don t we need a different set of requirements? A: The Girl Scout Silver Award is something done to the best of a girl s ability. It is totally possible to work with someone who needs to adapt the program with the existing requirements. There is not a need to have special requirements for girls who are developmentally disabled or delayed encourage flexibility and the recruitment of advisors that can work with the girl individually. Q: How can we assure that Girl Scout Silver Awards represent quality projects? A: The best way to make sure that a girl is doing the best of her ability is to ensure that both she and her troop/group volunteer receive trainings about the award. It s crucial to understand the difference between a one time community service opportunity or event and a Girl Scout Silver Award Take Action project. It s the responsibility of the girl and the troop/group volunteer to work together to ensure that a project meets the quality requirements of the award. Q: What is the difference between a troop/group volunteer and Girl Scout Silver Award project advisor in the Girl Scout Silver Award process? Do girls need both? A: A troop/group volunteer is the adult who works with an ongoing troop or group. Once a girl identifies her issue, the troop/group volunteer might help her identify a person in the community who could be a great project advisor. A project advisor is a volunteer who guides a girl as she takes her project from the planning stage to implementation. The project advisor is typically someone from the community who is knowledgeable about the issue and who can provide guidance, experience and expertise along the way. A project advisor is encouraged, but not required for the Silver Award project. Q: At what point should a Girl Scout Silver Award project advisor be identified? A: It s great to have a project advisor to expand the network of adults and provide expertise for a girl s project. If a girl has an idea before she starts any work on her Girl Scout Silver Award, she might want to identify her project advisor from the very beginning. It is highly recommended that a project advisor be available when the project starts to come into focus. The project advisor should be identified in the planning phase before the Girl Scout Silver Award Record Form is turned in to our council. Q: Is it recommended that a girl s parent be her project advisor for the Girl Scout Silver Award? A: For a number of reasons it is best to find a project advisor who is not the girl s parent. It is not always possible to get the full benefit of the leadership experience if working with a parent. If the parent is the person working with a project, she might bring in a project advisor to assist her in the planning or implementation process, or make sure her daughter is working directly with her co-advisor. Avoid situations where parents do a girl s work, even when it comes to calling and asking questions. If money earning is involved, the girl and her parent can act as a team, with the girl doing the planning and the parent doing the ask. Girls can ask family members to help with their projects. 23