Learn more about the 2020 Gold Award Girl Scouts here!

Gold Award Girl Scouts

Issues of the world, meet your match.

Gold Award Girl Scouts are the dreamers and the doers who take “make the world a better place” to the next level. The Girl Scout Gold Award is the mark of the truly remarkable—proof that not only can she make a difference, but that she already has.

Seniors and Ambassadors who earn the Gold Award tackle issues that are dear to them and drive lasting change in their communities and beyond. Think of the Gold Award as a key that can open doors to scholarships, preferred admission tracks for college, and amazing career opportunities.

You can pursue your Girl Scout Gold Award if:

✔️ You’re in high school (grade 9-12 or equivalent)

✔️ You’re registered as Girl Scout Senior or Girl Scout Ambassador

✔️ You have completed two Senior or Ambassador Journeys OR earned the Girl Scout Silver Award and completed one Senior or Ambassador Journey

✔️ You have completed the GSEP Gold Award Workshop on gsLearn (required beginning February 1, 2022.)

Ready to Go Gold? Here’s how:

Getting Started

Complete the pre-requisites (see above).
Complete the GSEP Gold Award Workshop. Request training and then keep an eye on your inbox for your link to our online learning platform, gsLearn. Don’t see an email? Check your spam folder first and contact girlwards@gsep.org if you still need help. The training takes about 90 minutes to complete.
Review Your Guide to Going Gold.

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 be contacted by GSEP to confirm receipt. Gold Award Proposals are reviewed by the Gold Award Committee on the fourth Monday of each month. Proposals are accepted on a rolling basis.

During review, you will be assigned a Gold Coach—a volunteer Gold Award Committee member who will support you through the Gold Award process. Your Gold Coach will contact you to share feedback about your proposal and discuss next steps. You’ll work with your Coach to finalize your proposal and receive official approval. You may not begin the implementation phase of your project until you’ve received official approval from your Coach and GSEP.

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!
7. Educate and Inspire
- 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!

Deadlines

Deadline for Class of 2022 Graduates to submit a Gold Award Proposal and schedule a presentation with the Gold Award Committee: March 30, 2022
Deadline for Class of 2022 Graduates to submit a Final Report and schedule a presentation with the Gold Award Committee: September 30, 2022
To be included in the GSEP Gold Award Ceremony in the spring, girls need to submit their Gold Award Final Reports by December 31st.

Resources for Girls

Resources for Girls

GoGold FAQs for Girls
Guide to Going Gold (coming soon!)
Letter for Solicitation of Materials
Safety Activity Checkpoints
Volunteer Essentials
Money Earning Basics for Troops
Rubric
Proposal Checklist
Closing Checklist

Resources for Adults

Resources for Adults

Wondering about your role in a Girl Scout’s Gold Award experience? There’s a guide for that!

Gold Award Office Hours

Completed Gold Award Training, but still have questions? During Gold Award Office Hours you have the opportunity to get answers directly from GSEP staff and Gold Award Committee volunteers. We’re happy to brainstorm or troubleshoot with you to keep you on your path to Gold.

Sunday, April 3, 2022	Register Here!
Tuesday, April 19, 2022	Register Here!
Tuesday, May 3, 2022	Register Here!
Wednesday, May 18, 2022	Register Here!

NEW Gold Award Media Outreach Toolkit

Whether you've just embarked on your Gold Award journey or recently completed your project and earned the award, this toolkit is for you. You are doing so many impactful things to better your neighborhood and the world. This toolkit will help you share your story with friends, family, and the larger community. You've committed time, energy, and passion into your Gold Award Project, you deserve to show it off and get recognition for your hard work!

The Gold Award Toolkit provides you with templates, resources, and tips to promote your project to local media, engage with community leaders, and share your story on social media.

GSEP can help elevate your Gold Award Project. Email communications@gsep.org with the subject line "My Gold Award Story" and we'll be in touch to help promote your work.