Girl Scout Gold Award Project Proposal Council Name You must submit this form to your local GSHG Program Staff member two weeks prior to your local Gold Award Committee s meeting date. Name: Address: City: State: E-mail: Zip code: Phone: Age: Grade: School: Troop/Group Number: Troop/Group Volunteer: Troop/Group Volunteer s Phone: ( ) E-mail: Girl Scout Gold Award Project Advisor: Project Advisor s Organization: Project Advisor s Phone: ( ) E-mail: Gold Committee Mentor: Mentor s Phone: ( ) E-mail: 1
Prerequisites: Two Senior or Ambassador journeys or one journey and the Girl Scout Silver Award. List two journeys that you have completed along with your troop/group volunteer s signature. Senior/Ambassador Journey Books/ Date Troop/Group Volunteer s Completed Signature 1. Books: 1. Project : 2. Books: 2. Project: Girl Scout Silver Council Where You Earned the Award: Award Completion Date: Brief Description of your Silver Award: Your Team List the names of individuals and organizations that you plan to work with on your Take Action project. This is a preliminary list that may grow through the course of your project. More Team Members Affiliation 2 Role
Take Action Project Project Title: Proposed Start Date: Proposed Completion Date: A. Describe the issue your project will address and who is your target audience. Remember your 15-second pitch. B. Discuss your reasons for selecting this project. C. Outline the strengths, talents, and skills that you plan to put into action. What skills do you hope to develop? D. Describe the steps involved in putting your plan into action, including resources, facilities, equipment, and approvals needed. (Attach a detailed project plan and timeline.) E. Enter the names of people or organizations you plan to inform and involve. 3
F. Estimate overall project expenses and how you plan to meet these costs. Include a budget sheet (see example attached.) G. What methods or tools will you use to evaluate the impact of your project? H. How will your project be sustained beyond your involvement? I. Describe how you plan to tell others about your project, the project s impact, and what you have learned (Web site, blog, presentations, posters, videos, articles, and so on). 4
Impact Planning Using the Impact Planning Chart, describe the impact you hope your project will have on your community, your target audience, and you. Impact On... Community Goals Potential Impact What community issue do you What examples of plan to address? the project impact might you see in future? Target Audience What skills, knowledge, or How will you know (workshop participants, attitudes will your target that the target other youth, community audience gain? audience gained members, and so on) skills or knowledge? 5
The following is a list of the 15 Girl Scout Leadership Outcomes.* Which do think you will develop through this project? Discover: I will develop a stronger sense of self. I will develop positive values. I will gain practical life skills. I will seek challenges in the world. I will develop critical thinking. Connect: I will develop healthy relationships. I will promote cooperation and team building. I will resolve conflicts. I will advance diversity in a multicultural world. I will feel more connected to my community, locally and globally. Take Action: I will identify community issues. I will be a resourceful problem solver. I will advocate for myself and others, locally and globally. I will educate and inspire others to act. I will feel empowered to make a difference in the world. *Want more information on the Girl Scout Leadership Outcomes? Visit www.girlscouts.org/research/publications/outcomes/transforming_leadership.asp. Your Signature: Date: Project Advisor s Signature: Date: Gold Award Mentor s Signature: Date: Date: GSHG Program Staff Member: 6
Preparing for your Gold Award Proposal Meeting with the GSHG Gold Award Committee When you have finished preparing your proposal, and your Gold Award Committee Mentor has signed it, turn it in to your local GSHG Program Staff member, at least two weeks ahead of the scheduled Gold Award Committee meeting (dates of Gold Award Committee meetings, as well as the paperwork deadlines for all areas are on the GSHG.org website). Please submit the proposal electronically as well as by hard copy with original signatures. When your proposal is received, your local GSHG Program staff member will contact you and give you an appointment time to appear before the Gold Award Committee, and let you know where the meeting will be held. You should wear your Girl Scout uniform or business attire with your Girl Scout pins, scarf and vest or sash to the meeting. At the meeting, you will be given 5-10 minutes to present the details of your proposal to the Committee members. Your Committee Mentor will be there, as well as other Committee members. During the initial presentation, family members, friends, troop advisors, etc. are not permitted to be in the room with you. Plan to bring some sort of visual aid to the meeting, such as a display board, photographs, artwork or a PowerPoint presentation anything which will help you illustrate your unique project. Remember that the Committee members have already read your proposal, and they are interested in knowing additional details about your project, as well as hearing about why your project is important to you. After your presentation, the Committee will be given a chance to ask you any questions they may have about your project and to offer suggestions of resources, people, ideas, etc. Then, you will be asked to leave the room for a few minutes while the Committee discusses your proposal. You will then be asked to return to the Committee room. If you have brought any support people with you such as family members, troop advisors or sister Girl Scouts, they may come into the room with you to hear the Committee s decision. Your Gold Award Committee Mentor will take notes for you during this meeting, and share them with you in the week following the meeting. The Committee will tell you one of three things at this time: 1. Your Gold Award project proposal is approved as is. You may begin your project at once. You will receive an official letter of Gold Award project proposal approval by email. 2. Your Gold Award project proposal is approved contingent upon the completion of one or a few more items. You may not begin work on the actual project until you have completed those preliminary items and your Gold Award Committee Mentor has approved them. Your Mentor will then notify the GSHG Program staff member, and you will at that point receive your project approval letter and be able to begin your project.
3. Your Gold Award project proposal is not approved. You must return to the Committee after re-working your proposal in order to get your proposal approved. Most girls who come to the Committee will hear option number two above. It is not at all unusual to have overlooked a detail or two in preparing your proposal, even with the help of your Committee Mentor and other advisors. If you follow the guidelines carefully and work closely with your Gold Award Committee Mentor, you will be successful. At this point you will be given the opportunity to ask any questions you may have, and the support people who have attended with you may also ask questions. Within the days following the meeting, your Gold Award Committee Mentor will email you the notes from the meeting so that you will have a record of the Committee comments, along with any suggestions or contacts they may have given you to assist in the completion of your project. Any questions about this process should be directed to your Gold Award Committee Mentor. Part of earning the Gold Award is learning to work with others in a team to accomplish your goals. The importance of working with your Mentor cannot be overemphasized. Girls who work closely with their Committee Mentors have the greatest success.
Budget and Expense Report Name: Troop #/Group: Address: City: State: Zip: Phone Number: (H) (C) EMAIL: You may want to use this to prepare a budget for your Gold Award Project. Keep track of your expenses so that you always see how you are doing compared to what you expected to do. If you have more entries to make than these tables allow, attach additional sheets. Income Report Source of Income Anticipated Amount Actual Amount Total Income: Expense Report Item Anticipated Expense Date Purchased Where Purchased Actual Expense Total Expense: Actual Expense: