FIRST STEP: Intent to Earn Gold

Interested in earning your Gold Award? The first step is to file and Intent to Earn Gold.

An Intent to Earn Gold refers to a Girl Scout's initial step in pursuing the Gold Award. This action officially begins the process of identifying a community issue, developing a lasting solution, implementing a sustainable project, and fulfilling the other requirements to become a Gold Award Girl Scout, which involves completing Journeys or a Leadership Award, gathering community support, and gaining council approval.  

Once filed, you will be assigned a council mentor to help you with the process.  You do not need to have an idea of what your project will be before filing this form so there's no need to wait.

New Gold Award Requirements

New Prerequisites for Highest Awards are Live!

Going for your Bronze, Silver, or Gold Award means taking the lead to make the world a better place – starting right in your community. Whether you’re working with a team or leading one, you’ll build confidence and real-world skills like teamwork, problem-solving, and planning. Each award is a chance to grow as a leader, take action on what matters to you, and make a meaningful difference – at any age. To find out more, check out our council website.

Connected with this change are the new and refreshed leadership awards that are replacing the soon-to-be retired Journey awards. These awards:

• Offer flexible, real-world leadership development.
• Allow girls to lead in ways that suit their style—individually, in teams, or in their communities.
• Are represented by new pins that reflect each girl’s leadership journey.

To find out more about these exciting awards, please refer to our FAQs.

Girl Scout focuses on Mental Health for Gold Award

Gold Award Candiate Samantha has focused on mental health awareness for her project.  She has written the following article explaining the importance of her topic. 

Mindfulness Where it Matters

In a post-pandemic world, the mental health challenges faced by children have become increasingly urgent. COVID-19 amplified stress, anxiety, and depression among youth, with the U.S. National Library of Medicine identifying the virus as a "universal stressor" that has intensified mental distress. Compounding this issue, excessive social media use has created further strain, with children and adolescents who spend over three hours daily online doubling their risk of mental health problems, including depression and anxiety. 

The challenges faced by children are not limited to Arizona but extend across the United States and globally. According to the World Health Organization, 10% to 20% of children and adolescents worldwide experience mental health disorders, with anxiety and depression being the most common. During the pandemic, emergency department visits for mental health-related concerns among children aged 5 to 11 in the United States. rose by 24%. Additionally, nearly 60% of Americans. teens report feeling pressure from social media to look a certain way, contributing to body dissatisfaction and heightened mental health issues. These statistics underscore the need for accessible and effective mental health solutions for children worldwide.

To combat these pressures, experts highlight the protective benefits of physical activity and mindfulness practices, such as yoga, which can reduce anxiety, enhance mental clarity, and build resilience. Inspired by this need, I developed a project to teach mindfulness to Girl Scouts, providing them with tools to manage stress and nurture emotional well-being. My efforts have provided young girls with actionable techniques, such as breathing exercises and positive habits, to help them manage stress, regulate emotions, and cultivate self-awareness. Inspired by my personal journey of using yoga and mindfulness to recover from the mental toll of the pandemic, I aimed to offer others the same opportunity for growth and resilience.

To ensure sustainability, my project provides long-term resources for the Girl Scout community. Each participant learned mindfulness techniques that they can practice independently, fostering lasting mental wellness. Additionally, I have created lesson plans for patch programs that Girl Scout leaders can use to continue teaching mindfulness for years to come.  By empowering individuals and creating enduring educational materials, my project ensures that the tools for mental well-being are passed down within the Girl Scout community, leaving a lasting legacy of mindfulness where it matters most.

Let’s Talk About: Mentors and Advisors

Each girl working on her Gold Award needs to have a team to help and support her in her endeavors. There are two adult positions absolutely necessary for success.

The first one is her mentor. The mentor is a member of the Gold Award Team and

is assigned when the girl submits her intent to Go for the Gold. This person knows the guidelines as established by GSUSA and can assist the girl through the process of meeting those guidelines. She is also available to bounce ideas off and help firm up the plans and goals. She should be kept informed of progress and issues that might arrive throughout the process of working on the Gold. It is very beneficial for the girl to have her mentor read both the initial proposal and final report before they are submitted to the Gold Award team.

The second necessary adult is the project advisor. The project advisor is someone chosen by the girl to assist her with the actual project ~ ideally, he/she is someone who has knowledge pertinent to the project (i.e.: if the Gold Award proposal has to do with supporting a no-kill shelter, the project advisor is someone who has experience with shelters, the problems the shelters face, working with animals, etc.). The project advisor does not need to be a Girl Scout.

There are written materials for the advisor so that they understand the Gold Award and the Gold Award team is as available to the project advisor who might have questions as they are to the girls who are working on their Gold.

Per GSUSA, neither the project advisor or mentor may be a parent or troop leader of the girl seeking her Gold. It is assumed that these people will be helping anyway and the girls working on their Gold are expected to stretch outside their comfort zone and this involves other adults.

This topic is covered not only in the written materials available through the Council website, but also during the Gold Award training (which is strongly recommended for all girls interested in the Gold, their parents and troop leaders).

About this Blog

 

Welcome to Arizona Cactus-Pine Girl Scout Council's Gold Team blog.  This site has been constructed and maintained by the volunteers who sit on the Gold Board to assist girls who want to Go for the Gold.

The Girl Scout Gold Award is the highest award available.  Nationally, just 5% of eligible girls earn this award. 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

Start your journey by completing an "Intent to Earn Gold." After filling it that form, a member of the Gold Team will be assigned as your mentor to assist you in your journey.