GSEM Gold Award Project Catalog

GOLD AWARD PROJECT CATALOG

WELCOME

The Girl Scout Gold Award is the mark of the truly remarkable. This award is the highest and most prestigious award that Girl Scout Seniors and Ambassadors can earn. Through pursuing the Gold Award, Girl Scouts change the world by tackling issues they are passionate about to drive lasting change in their communities and beyond, while they learn essential skills that will prepare them for all aspects of life. As a bonus, the Gold Award opens doors to a variety of scholarships, preferred admission tracks for college, amazing career opportunities, and much more. There are three key parts to the Highest Awards: sustainability, measurability, and identifying a root cause of an issue. As Girl Scouts progress through the Highest Awards, these key parts look different. The Gold Award Project Catalog provides examples of previous projects to inspire Seniors and Ambassadors to earn their Girl Scout Gold Award.

• Animals • Art, Culture, Heritage • Child Wellbeing • Disability Awareness • Education • Environment & Sustainability Gold Award Project Categories Featured In Catalog: • Health • Healthy Relationships • Outdoors • Poverty • Public Safety • STEM • Veteran’s Affairs

HIGHEST AWARD THEMES AND CATEGORIES Need help identifying a category or theme for a Highest Award project? Here is a comprehensive list of categories based on previous projects completed over the past several years. Already have a topic in mind? No problem! Even if you don’t see your topic listed below, you can still pursue it as a Highest Award project.

Animals: animal safety, rights, adoption

Human Rights: racial justice, women’s and girl’s rights, human trafficking, immigration

Arts, Culture, Heritage: languages, historic preservation, cultural awareness, performing arts, visual arts, music

Military/Veteran Affairs: veteran’s assistance, veterans issues

Child Wellbeing: child abuse, foster care, infant care, mentoring

Outdoors: environmental stewardship, adventure opportunities

Civic Engagement: politics, community development

Poverty: hunger, homelessness, affordable housing, fair trade

Disability: disability issues, access, hearing impaired, special needs

Public Safety: traffic safety, juvenile detention, detention centers

Disaster Relief: fire, natural disasters, flooding, earthquake

Relationships: anti-bullying initiatives, domestic violence signs, sexual violence awareness

Education: literacy, career training, financial literacy

Senior Citizen Needs: elder care, senior centers, dementia

Entrepreneurship: business development, social entrepreneurship

Sports: after school programs, concussion awareness, equipment needs in underserved areas, participation barriers

Environment & Sustainability: preserving outdoor spaces, pollution, alternative energy, clean water, farming, climate change Health: fitness, nutrition, diseases, organ donation, global health, self-esteem, self-image, drug abuse, suicide prevention, mental health

STEM: science, technology, engineering, math, robotics

For any questions regarding topics or the Highest Awards, please contact Annie Miller at amiller@girlscoutsem.org .

ANIMALS

Conservation of Opossums

Project Details: Meghana addressed opossum conservation in the state of Missouri, primarily focusing on the protection and rehabilitation of opossums to earn her Girl Scout Gold Award. She partnered with the Missouri Wildlife Rescue Center to donate essential resources they need to support the rising numbers of injured opossums being admitted to their facility for treatment. With the help of her community, Meghana made 125 opossum pouches and 7 cage liners. She also made 75 craft kits with helpful educational resources and held two classes at the Saint Louis County Library Thornhill and Grand Glaize locations, where she reached more than 50 community members on the importance of opossums to our local environment. To complete her project, Meghana created a website with resources such a links to wildlife conservation databases all around the United States. This website reached over 100 people and was shared with the Missouri Wildlife Rescue Center to be shared with surrounding rescue centers in the Midwest.

Gold Award Girl Scout: Meghana H., Juliette

Issue: Opossums in Missouri are in need of conservation. Root Cause: Many people view opossums negatively, and cause road collisions and intentional harm, leading to an influx of injured and rehabilitated opossums. Measurability: Meghana has tracked the results of her project by tallying donations and conducted surveys. Sustainability: The items donated to the wildlife center are reusable, and the craft kits contain detailed instructions.

Bluebird Nest Boxes

Project Details: To earn the Girl Scout Gold Award, Elizabeth addressed the lack of bluebird nest availability due to deforestation. Elizabeth built five nest boxes to provide the bluebirds, an endangered species, with safe habitats to increase their population. Elizabeth installed the boxes throughout the community and continuously monitored the boxes and the bluebird nests. Finally, Elizabeth created a power point presentation about her project and how community members can help and shared it with other Girl Scouts and the Missouri Bluebird Society. Elizabeth presented their project to a local Girl Scout troop to raise awareness and understanding of deforestation. Elizabeth also created a project website, which includes a link to the presentation. Each nest box includes a QR code to the website for those in the community to learn more.

Gold Award Girl Scout: Elizabeth S., Troop 4867

Issue: Bluebirds have difficulty finding places to next. Root Cause: Deforestation removed many of the nesting options for bluebirds. Measurability: Elizabeth used visual checks to monitor if the nest boxes were being properly used for nesting, as well as feedback collected from an in-person presentation to measure the success of her project. Sustainability: Community members hosting a nest box agreed to maintain the boxes moving forward.

Snuffle Mats for Shelter Dogs

Gold Award Girl Scout: True H., Troop 3565

Issue: Shelter dogs get sick frequently.

Root Cause: Dogs that experience food anxiety often times eat too fast, which causes them to become ill. Measurability: True measured her project by counting how many snuffle mats were delivered. Sustainability: Other troops and TASK participants enjoyed making snuffle mats and would like to make them again at some point, and the flyers made will continue to be shared.

Project Details: Motivated to help area shelter dogs find comfort and reduce their anxiety, True designed and created snuffle mats to earn the Girl Scout Gold Award. Snuffle mats are puzzle feeders for dogs to encourage them to use their noses to “snuffle” through the fabric, providing mental and physical stimulation and preventing overeating due to anxiety. True’s mats were made from recycled materials, using remnant fleece and old fatigue mats. She conducted teaching workshops for a variety of groups where she instructed them on how to assemble the mats. She ultimately donated 58 mats, and an instructional flyer to the Humane Society of Missouri.

Pollinator Preservation Pads

Issue: The bee population is declining worldwide and it is posing a serious risk to humans because bees pollinate plants that provide critical foods and pharmaceuticals. Root Cause: Farming practices, insecticides, climate change and habitat loss as humans encroach on green space. Measurability: Caroline tracked her progress by giving a quiz after a presentation to community members, and by tracking visits on her website. Sustainability: The bee houses are permanent structures and instructions given to those with bee houses on how to replace the reeds when they are full.

Gold Award Girl Scout: Caroline S., Juliette

Project Details: Concerned about the staggering statistics of declining bee populations in the United States by upwards of 60 percent, Caroline took action to build, distribute and install bee houses throughout the St. Louis area in local parks, homes and community gardens to earn the Girl Scout Gold Award. In addition to her work creating bee houses, she also educated children and adults about the importance of bees as pollinators, their influence on our food and drug supply and their role in the global fight against hunger. Caroline created a website on the importance of bee pollinators and how to provide a welcoming habitat for them in a residential green space.

Save the Bats

Project Details: After recognizing the decline in bat populations in Missouri, Laraya decided to educate the community on this often-overlooked topic to earn the Girl Scout Gold Award. Laraya constructed seven bat houses using donated materials to provide a safe environment for the species to raise their young. Once the bat houses were complete, Laraya installed five houses at two Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri camp properties and placed the other two at a neighbor’s farm. Laraya also created a brochure and a flyer on the importance of bat housing and the adverse effects pesticides can have on animals. Laraya placed the literature at all three camp properties so fellow Girl Scouts can access the information and it was also shared with the Missouri Department of Conservation. Laraya also met with a younger Girl Scout troop to present the bat houses and share her knowledge of bats.

Gold Award Girl Scout: Laraya D., Troop 3675

Issue: There is an increasing decline of bat populations and a lack of education about them. Root Cause: Deforestation, pesticides, and lack of education regarding bats causes these declines.

Measurability: Questionnaires were given after educational presentations.

Sustainability: The rangers will maintain the boxes on camp property and the brochures will be used to share information with more people.

Creative Cat Content

Gold Award Girl Scout: Natalie H., Troop 3778

Issue: Every year around 860,000 cats are euthanized and abandoned. Root Cause: Many people are uneducated on how to care for cats. Measurability: Natalie used the website and survey feedback and attitudes of visitors to Five Acres Animal Shelter to measure her project. Sustainability: Five Acres Animal Shelter, and the other shelters Natalie visited, will continue to share the website with visitors. The videos were uploaded to YouTube.

Project Details: After recognizing the need to find cats living in animal shelters a safe and permanent home, Natalie set out to support unadopted cats and dismiss the stereotypes. Natalie partnered with Five Acres Animal Shelter to create two animated videos, “How to Care for Your Cat!” and “Understanding Your Cat” to help individuals learn more about the animals and encourage them to adopt. For the videos, Natalie planned and sketched out the storyboard, animated the video and recorded a voiceover. Natalie also cleaned, decorated and painted four cat boxes to help draw attention to cats in need of a new home. Five Acres Animal Shelter will continue to maintain the cat boxes.

Bee Houses for the Community

Issue: There is a decline in bee populations.

Gold Award Girl Scout: Jasmine G., Troop 766

Root Cause: The decline is due to habitat loss and overuse of pesticides. Many people do not know there are different species of bees and the different habitats they need. Measurability: Jasmine counted the number of bee houses she gave out, as well as a before and after survey seeing if people learned about solitary bees. Sustainability: Those who learned about solitary bees will pass that knowledge on to those they continue to meet. The bee houses are sturdy and durable.

Project Details: To earn her Gold Award, Jasmine addressed the issue of declining bee populations in our area due to habitat loss and overuse of pesticides. Jasmine partnered with Forest Park Forever to construct structures for solitary bees and raise awareness of the importance of pollinators. Jasmine jumped into action, creating and testing multiple prototypes of bee houses, ultimately installing a special bee house at Bethesda Garden, as well as various private residential homes in the St. Louis area. Jasmine also designed information pamphlets to include with each bee house.

ARTS, CULTURE, HERITAGE

Sewing Hope into the Community

Project Details: Driven by the desire to help her fellow teens relieve their daily stress, Jocelyn worked with the organization Sew Hope to create special sewing support classes for teens. To earn her Gold Award, Jocelyn taught other youth the skill of sewing and helped them discover that hobbies can help release the burden of stress and anxiety from their lives. Jocelyn hosted three day camps where she taught the students how to make pillows, pillowcases and tote bags. She also made a video about how stress can negatively affect teens and tips for ways they can manage it. The video was shared through Sew Hope’s social media channels to reach a wider audience.

Gold Award Girl Scout: Jocelyn R., Juliette

Issue: There is an abundance of stress in teens from juggling multiple things inside and out of school. Root Cause: Teens often don’t have time to do things that reduce their stress. Measurability: During the classes, Jocelyn received feedback from the participants, as well as sent out surveys to the teens afterwards. Sustainability: Sew Hope is continuing the monthly kids and teens classes, the summer camp, and winter break classes. They are also using a presentation card to share how sewing helps relieve stress and keeping the video on their website for access at any time.

Natural Care

Project Details: Focused on helping young adults and teens embrace their natural hair and keep it healthy, Amber created a workshop on natural hair care for those in her community to earn the Girl Scout Gold Award. Amber’s workshop focused on the avoidance of chemical services and how those with limited funds can still have beautiful natural hair. Her workshop also provided tips for single parents or caregivers on how to help style the hair of the young people in their care. Amber also created tutorial videos filmed in the cosmetology shop at North Technical High School and her principal shared the videos with students interested in pursuing a career in cosmetology.

Gold Award Girl Scout: Amber T., Troop 1922

Issue: Taking care of an individual’s natural hair can be a hard process with frustration. Root Cause: Many people are new to the natural hair process and do not know how to properly care for it. Measurability: Amber measured her progress by monitoring hands-on work during her workshop. Sustainability: The principal at North Technical High School will continue to share Amber’s videos to new students.

Violin with Ebba

Silver Award Team: Ebba S., Troop 766

Issue: There is a lack of music education for those in need. Root Cause: Kids in need don’t have money to buy private lessons, or kids don’t have easy access to videos specific to what they are learning. Measurability: Ebba used Google Analytics to track website traffic, as well as surveys to see if violin skills improved. Sustainability: The website will remain active and available for those to access it, and the project sponsor will continue giving her students the resources. Issue: Art programs are overlooked in school settings and art magazines such as Apotheosis struggle. Root Cause: The art magazine club no longer existed after going through struggles with submissions, promotion, and COVID-19’s effects on the school making it purely digital. Measurability: Lydia kept track of how many people were showing up to meetings, how many submissions were gathered, and how many copies of the publication were distributed. Sustainability: Future leaders of the club will be able to refer to a handbook that Lydia put together.

Project Details: Knowing how expensive it can be to receive private music lessons, Ebba decided to share her knowledge and love of music to earn her Girl Scout Gold Award. Ebba created a website with basic violin lessons to help kids learn how to play scales and beginner concert pieces. The lessons included different tempos and tips on scales to improve a student’s skills. Ebba’s website is an excellent resource for beginning musicians who may not have the resources available for private lessons or access to a music teacher. She also sent the link to a local music teacher who will continue to share the videos with students and fellow teachers.

Lindbergh Arts Magazine: Apotheosis

Silver Award Team: Lydia H., Troop 3534

Project Details: To earn the Girl Scout Gold Award, Lydia wanted to help widen the audience and reach for the Lindbergh Arts Magazine, Apotheosis, a student produced publication displaying the different forms of art created within the district. By turning Apotheosis into both a digital and physical publication, Lydia discovered that she could more easily share the students’ artwork outside of the district. Through a weekly school e-newsletter, she marketed the publication to her student body, asking for submissions and providing QR codes to digital editions. Additionally, the magazine was distributed to the St. Louis Women’s Club to help share the students’ work with members of the metro area.

CHILD WELLBEING

Kids Playroom Makeover

Project Details: To earn the Girl Scout Gold Award, Kameryn decided to take action to create a positive and safe environment for families experiencing abuse. Kameryn partnered with The Women’s Safe House, a nonprofit dedicated to serving women and children of domestic abuse, to update the children’s playroom. Kameryn led a team of volunteers to clean the room, paint the walls, build shelves and replace the ceiling light fixtures. Afterward, Kameryn stocked the playroom with books and educational toys for the residents and presented the new space to The Women’s Safe House executives. Kameryn’s remodeled playroom saw an increase in children using the space. The Women’s Safe House staff will continue to ensure the playroom stays clean and well-maintained in the future.

Gold Award Girl Scout: Kameryn A., Troop 3675

Issue: Kids in shelter needed a safe play space.

Root Cause: There were not enough resources to make a safe play space. Measurability: Through surveys and comment cards, both staff and families could give feedback about the renovated playroom. Sustainability: The staff at the shelter have agreed to maintain the room.

The Legacy Play Space

Project Details: To earn her Gold Award, Legacy partnered with the Gateway 180 Shelter to create the “Legacy Play Space,” a fun, safe and interactive area for children 12 and under who reside at the shelter. After researching other shelters across the country, Legacy provided educational toys and learning aids, books, and new play sets. She then assembled all of the toys and furniture. Once the new space was complete, Legacy had the opportunity to present her Gold Award project to the mayor of St. Louis City and she hosted a grand opening celebration for the play space. The Little Legacies Community Service Organization and Gateway 180 Shelter will continue to maintain the space in the future.

Gold Award Girl Scout: Legacy J., Troop 941

Issue: There was a lack of a child-friendly interactive space for the children who live at the Gateway 180 Shelter. Root Cause: The shelter did not have the resources to create a safe space for the children to use. Measurability: Legacy used a survey to measure the impact of her play space and learning materials. Sustainability: The Little Legacies Community Service Organization/Shawn Smith and Kathy Connors, and the CEO of the Gateway 180 Shelter have agreed to maintain the Legacy Play Space at Gateway 180.

Megan’s Totes for Teens

Gold Award Girl Scout: Megan R., Troop 4818

Issue: Teens who have a sibling undergoing cancer treatment may suffer poor mental health. Root Cause: Health conditions such as cancer have a significant impact on all members of a family. Measurability: A survey was included in each tote bag for the recipient to complete. Sustainability: The Project Advisor, Mary Quirk, will continue making more tote bags for teens.

Project Details: To earn the Girl Scout Gold Award, Megan partnered with Friends of Kids with Cancer, who helped identify the lack of resources available for siblings of kids with cancer. So, Megan created Megan’s Totes for Teens. Megan focused on including items that will help the teens relax and can easily be taken to where their siblings are receiving treatment. Megan filled each tote with stress balls, journals, puzzles and coloring books. She also included an informational card she created with additional resources for the teens. Megan’s totes will be distributed through Friends of Kids with Cancer and the hospitals they work with.

Fidgets for Kids

Issue: Fidgets are not easily accessible for kids in places like schools where kids need them to be productive. Root Cause: People believe that fidgets only cause distraction and do not help anyone. Measurability: After the presentation Grace used surveys to see the effectiveness of her lesson. Sustainability: The project supervisor, Sharon, has access to the project materials and will continue to share them.

Gold Award Girl Scout: Grace F., Troop 4404

Project Details: Fidgets can help improve focus by providing a subtle, tactile outlet for restless energy, which can help individuals stay more engaged and on-task. To earn the Girl Scout Gold Award, Grace wanted to provide these useful tools to kids across our region and help educators learn more about their benefits. Grace created her own fidgets and chewlery, which is jewelry used by students with sensory processing needs to satisfy their urge to chew. She provided instructions and handmade fidgets to schools, so they have the option to create these items in the future. She also developed a presentation for schools to show that fidgets are not just toys, but vital to the success of students who need the additional stimulation in the classroom.

DISABILITY AWARENESS

A Children’s Book About Dyslexia

Project Details: Clara was passionate about helping children recently diagnosed with dyslexia and wanted to provide a resource to help them understand their diagnosis better. Clara researched, wrote, illustrated, and published a children’s book titled My Superpower: The Story of a Girl with Dyslexia . The story follows the journey of Ella, a bright 3rd grader, as she struggles with reading and finally discovers her superpower. Clara included handwritten diary entries in the book to highlight how Ella’s brain works. She also provided materials for young readers to get more information about dyslexia at the end of the book. Clara donated over 500 copies of her book to public schools across eastern Missouri to complete her Gold Award project.

Gold Award Girl Scout: Clara B., Troop 3993

Issue: Students often get diagnosed with dyslexia, without any other follow up information as to what dyslexia is or how to help it. Root Cause: There is a lack of resources made to help someone with dyslexia. Measurability: Clara used surveys to see if her book helped people understand dyslexia. She also used reviews received on her Amazon book page to review feedback. Sustainability: The book will be available for purchase on Amazon. Kaye Rueschhoff, a dyslexia instruction educator, has asked to use the book in her professional development course.

Sensory Wonderland

Project Details: To earn the Girl Scout Gold Award, Elyse partnered with Ackerman School to rejuvenate their existing sensory garden and create an inviting space that provides children of all abilities a chance to find calm and peace. In addition to planting new perennials to beautify the area, Elyse also constructed a bench for the students to relax on. To help children interact with the garden, Elyse created a scavenger hunt game that can help students learn how to identify objects of different textures, colors and sizes based on a hint card that describes the object. Elyse trained members of the Ackerman School staff on how to facilitate the game with their students. Elyse’s renovation of this important space will help students immerse themselves in nature for years to come.

Gold Award Girl Scout: Elyse T., Troop 1331

Issue: Spaces directed towards special needs and differently-abled children often are lacking the appropriate appearance, equipment, and activities. Root Cause: The lack of resources such as money, people, and time causes these spaces to not be as accessible as intended. Measurability: Elyse used surveys to see how well the sensory garden was helping. Sustainability: The responsibility of the sensory garden is under the current art teacher at Ackerman. The responsibility will stay with the role of being the art teacher, no matter who is in the position.

A Character Like Me: Inspiring Kids with Leg-Length Discrepancies

Project Details: A limb-length discrepancy is when one leg or arm is shorter than the other. Treatment for this condition often involves lengthening surgery and intensive physical therapy. Julie recognized the struggles children face navigating life with this condition and the anxiety of surgery. To increase resources for patients with this condition, Julie decided to partner with Shriners Children’s St. Louis and created a children’s book on the condition. her first surgery. Julie illustrates what fellow patients can expect during their treatment and provides a list of other media, including characters with disabilities and advice from fellow patients. After completing the book, Julie translated it to Spanish and uploaded both versions as a free ebook. Julie then provided Shriners Children’s St. Louis with 165 English and 200 Spanish hard copies of the book, and mailed a hard copy of each to the other 17 Shriners Children’s Hospital locations. Finally, Julie applied vinyl inspirational messages to 18 clinic room walls at Shriners Children’s St. Louis to encourage patients. Julie’s book, Brooke’s Big Surgery , follows a character with a leg-length discrepancy as she goes through

Gold Award Girl Scout: Julie M., Troop 3648

Issue: Children experiencing leg length discrepancies often feel alone, scared, and confused. Root Cause: Few resources about leg length discrepancy exist for children. Measurability: To measure her progress, Julie used a survey included in the book. She also used feedback regarding the wall messages that was received from social media posts.

Sustainability: Shriners Children’s St. Louis will be sustaining the book.

EDUCATION

Spelling with Sassy

Project Details: Sophia, a six-time school spelling bee champion who reached the national level in 2019, strove to address unequal representation among students from under served communities in the Scripps National Spelling Bee to earn the Girl Scout Gold Award. Sophia created a high-quality spelling resource packet, including word searches, word scrambles, word families, and lesson pages. Sophia distributed the packets to 200 schools in the St. Louis metro and St. Charles areas. Sophia has also connected with the Missouri Department of Education to spread the spelling packet to every state education office. Sophia’s sister, a Girl Scout Cadette and spelling bee competitor, will continue to update the spelling packet and spread it to more schools.

Gold Award Girl Scout: Sophia S., Troop 2625

Issue: There is unequal representation from underserved communities in spelling bees. Root Cause: Schools that contain primarily underserved communities lack funds and staff resources to help students. Measurability: Sophia tracked the reach of her project by surveys given to teachers, students and school administrators. Sustainability: Elizabeth S. will continue to make the spelling bee resource packets available to more students in more schools.

Language Camp

Project Details: Maeve recognized the need to provide children in her community with exposure of other cultures and to increase interest in learning a second language. So, Maeve organized a three-day language camp for 20 local elementary students to earn the Girl Scout Gold Award. Maeve and volunteers taught the campers about Spanish, French and German-speaking countries, and helped them learn basic vocabulary through fun games and activities. Maeve also created “words of the day” vocabulary sheets for each language taught, including terms for specific stations such as sports and games, crafts and culture, and nature and learning. Maeve provided detailed project instructions to the Languages Club at Kirkwood High School, which will continue running the camp for years to come.

Gold Award Girl Scout: Maeve H., Troop 1891

Issue: Many kids in the community only prioritize their native language. Root Cause: Exposure opportunities for kids to learn new languages is limited. Measurability: Maeve evaluated her project using a verbal survey with questions asked at camp and an online survey sent to families afterwards. Sustainability: The Language Camp will be taken over by the language clubs at Kirkwood High School.

College Ready Roadmap

Issue: Many students lack planning and organization when working on their college applications and future careers. Root Cause: Accessibility to college planning materials is rooted in unequal access to information and resources, caused by economic disparities and insufficient public-school funding. Measurability: Surveys, self-assessments, and peer and faculty evaluations served as a way for Olivia to measure her progress. Sustainability: The school district has agreed to continue providing the materials and maintain the website.

Gold Award Girl Scout: Olivia V., Troop 224

Project Details: Driven by a desire to support students facing a lack of accessibility to college planning materials, Olivia created and launched a comprehensive website tailored to middle and high school students. The website includes guides, checklists, and resources to aid students as they navigate the college application process. To help her website reach a wider audience, Olivia established partnerships with local schools and community organizations who shared her information through direct outreach, emails and promotional materials, making it accessible to a broader network of students and educators.

“If You Like This Book, Read This One”

Issue: When children finish a book, they often struggle to pick a book to read next. Root Cause: The kids may struggle if they are at an end of a series, waiting for their new read to come in, their teacher doesn’t have the book in the classroom, or reading is advancing and they don’t know where to go from there.

Gold Award Girl Scout: Haley S., Troop 1751

Project Details: Haley, an avid reader, wanted to provide kids with additional guidance on how to find their next great book or series to earn the Girl Scout Gold Award. She worked with the librarian at Independence Elementary School to develop “If you like this book, read this one” displays at the school. Throughout the school year, she replaced the book selections and added new ones as books came into the library’s collection. She also posted her flyers to social media and shared them with additional libraries throughout the St. Louis metro area that are now implementing her project at their locations as well.

Measurability: Haley used a verbal survey to collect feedback.

Sustainability: The clear page flip book binder that holds the flyers will be on display in the library. There is a QR code that can be scanned with instructions on how to replicate the flyers.

ENVIRONMENT & SUSTAINABILITY

Lighting Up Minds: Light Pollution

Project Details: After learning how light pollution negatively affects bird migration, biodiversity, and even human health issues, among other impacts, Ella partnered with DarkSky Missouri to develop an educational brochure to earn her Girl Scout Gold Award. The brochure covers what light pollution is, why it matters, and what we can do to minimize its effects. Once she completed her brochure, Ella hosted booths at local community events, where she gave tailored presentations, including fun activities and a prize wheel for the attending children. Ella then shared copies of her brochures to several organizations: Lights Out Heartland and the James S. McDonnell Planetarium at the Saint Louis Science Center. She also created a digital version of her brochure for the organizations to share online.

Gold Award Girl Scout: Ella M., Troop 2742

Issue: There is a lack of awareness surrounding light pollution. Root Cause: The main cause of light pollution is the lack of awareness of it, which leads to actions that needlessly contribute to it. Measurability: Ella used surveys to see if the community learned about light pollution and ways to minimize it. Sustainability: Ella’s flyer is on the Lights Out Heartland website, always making it accessible. The planetarium will continue using the flyer and brochure for their guests.

Just a Plastic Bag?

Project Details: Meghan partnered with the Missouri Botanical Garden to create educational activities about plastic film, and how to reduce, reuse and recycle it. Meghan also taught visitors to the garden about the negative impacts the product can have on human health. To ensure she had accurate information for the activities, Meghan interviewed an expert, the director of the plastics sustainability team at the American Chemistry Council. Meghan then used all of the gathered information to share handouts with her audience. Information included how to make reusable bags and how to get involved with organizations who work to reduce the amount of plastics companies are using. Meghan gathered data that her presentation was impactful by having visitors scan a QR code to test their new knowledge after completing the activities. Meghan’s project will continue to be presented by the SAGE (Students at Garden Educators) program through the Missouri Botanical Garden.

Gold Award Girl Scout: Meghan J., Juliette

Issue: There is a lack of knowledge about plastic film and how to recycle it. Root Cause: For many people, the quickest way to dispose of plastic film is to throw it away. Measurability: Participants tested knowledge with an online quiz and answered questions on a survey.

Sustainability: The SAGE (Students as Garden

Educators) program through the Missouri Botanical Garden will help continue the project.

Riparian Rescue

Issue: Pollution causes significant harm to the environment. Root Cause: People chose to litter instead of properly disposing of their waste. Measurability: Sophia kept track of the amount of trash she was able to collect. She also conducted social media surveys to ensure her community learned about proper trash disposal. Sustainability: Riparian Rescue, the non-profit organization created in conjunction with the Gold Award project, will maintain the Instagram account, @riparianrescue, and another volunteer will organize future clean ups. Issue: Mass littering and a lack of recycling are harming the environment. Root Cause: Many buildings, especially schools, lack recycling bins or the bins are misused because people don’t know what they can and cannot recycle. Measurability: Jessica used a pre and post learning sorting quiz to evaluate how much the elementary schoolers learned. She also counted bottle caps. Sustainability: The video Jessica filmed, as well as the bench, will allow her project to continue making at impact on the kids.

Gold Award Girl Scout: Sophia B., Troop 1964

Project Details: Sophia noticed a large amount of trash accumulating along a branch of the Missouri River, know as the Centaur Chute. She jumped into action to clean up the harmful litter and earn her Girl Scout Gold Award. Sophia organized several cleanups of the Centaur Chute, which involved picking up trash and educating fellow community members about the importance of proper waste disposal for the health of wildlife and surrounding ecosystems. To further her project’s outreach, Sophia created an informational Instagram account to share helpful tips and tricks to implement living a more sustainable lifestyle.

Recycling Education: One Cap at a Time

Gold Award Girl Scout: Jessica A., Troop 696

Project Details: Jessica decided to take action to do her part for the environment after she recognized the lack of recycling bins at schools and the misuse of recycling bins when they are in place. To earn her Gold Award, Jessica educated local elementary school students about the importance of recycling. Jessica taught the students the recycling process, what should go into recycling bins, and how recycling is sorted. She also worked with the students to collect plastic caps to construct a school bench from them. Jessica collaborated with the environmental club at her high school to create a recycling program for their cafeteria, complete with a video presentation.

HEALTH

First Aid Awareness: A Shared Responsibility for All

Project Details: Paige’s Gold Award project addressed the importance of first aid safety within her school environment and local community, while supporting refugee families coming to the area who may not have basic first aid supplies at their disposal. Paige and her team of peers partnered with Humankind STL and Welcome Neighbor to raise funds to purchase first aid kits, and shop for basic over-the-counter medicine for refugee families. She translated the over-the-counter medicine labels into the languages Pashto and Dari and assembled kits for the families. Paige also developed a presentation that addressed the need for education on emergency preparedness and refugee support and presented her findings to Girl Scout troops and her school, including 450 students and 20 faculty and staff.

Gold Award Girl Scout: Paige J., Juliette

Issue: Many individuals, especially those who are students or refugees, did not have the resources needed to know how to handle medical problems. Root Cause: Students at school often don’t get taught how to properly handle a medical emergency, and many refugees come with very little access to new resources. Measurability: Paige kept track of the number of kits developed and the number of medicines translated. Sustainability: Senior class Red Cross club members will be in charge of running the organization and maintaining the project.

Healthy Living Expo

Project Details: Concerned with the lack of sufficient knowledge of health risks and preventative healthcare practices to maintain physical and mental well being, Grace set out to increase health literacy in her community with her Girl Scout Gold Award project. She teamed up with local businesses and healthcare professionals to host a health expo and blood drive to offer screenings to people in her area. She invited health-related businesses, as well as experts in audiology, chiropractic work, mental health counseling, senior fitness and emergency aid/CPR. Grace also created a temporary collection box for glasses and hearing aids to be donated to the Lions Club and she partnered with ImpactLife to hold a blood drive for local hospitals. To advertise the event, she made a website highlighting what she learned through her research to help disperse critical information in the future. Ultimately, Grace connected with many adults in her local community during the health expo, helping them gain valuable preventative healthcare information.

Gold Award Girl Scout: Grace D., Juliette

Issue: Many people lack sufficient knowledge of health risks and preventative healthcare practices to maintain adequate physical and mental well-being. Root Cause: The lack of knowledge is due to inconsistent/minimal screenings, checkups, or counseling used to detect anomalies. Measurability: Grace kept track of the number of attendees, as well as using a survey to gage feedback. Sustainability: The website will be given to the President of the Science Counsel club at Lafayette High School, who will maintain and update as needed.

Mental Health Awareness

Issue: Struggles with mental health, especially stress, are common amongst children. Root Cause: School, family, friends, work, and social media are all contributing factors to poor mental health. Measurability: Ketki measured her project by conducting surveys. Sustainability: The art teacher will continue to spread the message of positiveness and improving mental health.

Gold Award Girl Scout: Ketki N., Troop 115

Project Details: Passionate about helping her fellow students reduce stress in their daily lives, Ketki worked with the non profit organization, Bruhan Maharashtra Mandal, to create webinars and workshops teaching young people how to use art as a way to improve their mental health. Her workshops lead students in a variety of creative arts and crafts, and she taught different methods on how to prevent daily stress, as well as how to put the methods into action. To complete her Gold Award Project, Ketki worked with the students at McKelvey Elementary to paint a special mural in their building. The mural will help expose students to the arts and will foster their creativity.

Comfort Boxes

Issue: Children often experience anxiety about getting vaccines. Root Cause: Most places that administer vaccines don’t have the necessary resources to help calm the kids before their shot. Measurability: Survey was given to the children and families at the pharmacy to see if the child felt better about vaccines. Sustainability: The managers at the pharmacy have agreed to resupply the boxes.

Gold Award Girl Scout: Taylor M., Troop 2610

Project Details: After witnessing the fright and discomfort of children receiving important vaccines, Taylor wanted to provide pharmacies with the tools they needed to comfort their youngest customers. To earn her Gold Award, Taylor made comfort bags that were distributed to children at local pharmacies while they waited in line for their vaccines. Taylor organized a donation drive to collect items such as coloring books, coloring pencils, stickers and lollipops. The comfort bags keep children calm and help the process go much smoother, resulting in lower stress levels for the children, the caregivers and the pharmacy techs. Afterward, Taylor provided project instructions to the pharmacy techs who will continue to keep the comfort bags filled.

How To Grow Like A Pro: Combating Food Insecurities

Project Details: To earn her Girl Scout Gold Award, Krystina wanted to empower individuals in urban and land locked environments to learn how to grow their own food and incorporate these ingredients into traditional recipes from a variety of cultures. Krystina developed an interactive website that teaches families how to plant seeds and grow their own food through step-by-step guides and recipes tailored to home-grown produce. She also partnered with Operation Food Search’s Metro Market, a mobile food market that brings healthy food to the St. Louis metropolitan area. This collaboration allowed her the opportunity to engage directly with community members, offering personalized advice on the available ingredients. By bridging the gap between food access and nutrition, Krystina empowered people to make healthier choices and incorporate fresh, home-grown ingredients into their everyday cooking.

Gold Award Girl Scout: Krystina B., Juliette

Issue: Obesity and poor nutrition.

Root Cause: People of color are often susceptible to not being in contact with healthy foods as studies have shown that people of color tend to live in more urban and landlocked environments where stores do not provide these items. Measurability: Krystina conducted research via surveys and monitored the performance of her videos by checking views. Sustainability: A team member will continue to oversee the website to ensure it remains a helpful source.

The Awaken Project

Gold Award Girl Scout: Emily F., Troop 2042

Issue: Younger children are often unsure about the dangers of drugs. Root Cause: There is a lack of education surrounding drugs in elementary schools. Measurability: After the presentation and activities, Emily gave the students a survey. Sustainability: The school will continue to use the binders and bulletin board information each year during Red Ribbon Week.

Project Details: After recognizing the global impact of drug abuse, Emily decided to create a positive impact in her community. Emily partnered with The Awaken Project, a nonprofit committed to educating teens and young adults about drug abuse, to raise awareness on drug prevention in schools. Emily created a robust binder full of activities that elementary schools could utilize during Red Ribbon Week, a national initiative promoted each October to help keep kids drug-free. For older students, Emily created prompting questions, a presentation on the dangers of drug usage and a jeopardy game to test their knowledge.

Long-Term Pediatric Care Packages

Issue: Hospitals often don’t feel comfortable for those staying long-term. Root Cause: Extended stay pediatric patients are in the hospital with nothing to occupy time. Measurability: Mya surveyed the kids who received the kits and got positive feedback. Sustainability: Arts in Motion dance school will continue the collection drive each year and build more kits for pediatric patients.

Gold Award Girl Scout: Mya E., Troop 3993

Project Details: Mya helped pediatric patients feel more at home by creating care packages to donate to Mercy Hospital. Extended-stay pediatric patients need activities to keep them occupied and their spirits up after recovering from treatment. Mya organized a donation drive to collect more than 370 items, such as coloring books, journals, crafts, small toys and card games to then assemble the care packages. Mya then taught and led a team of volunteers to sew 75 special pillowcases. Mya also made tutorial videos to teach others how to sew pillowcases for donation to hospitals across the country. Arts in Motion School will continue to host a yearly drive to collect donations for the children in the hospital.

HEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS

Never Ending Victims

Gold Award Girl Scout: Ava H., Juliette

Issue: Many people lack the awareness of the implications that come with sexual harassment. Root Cause: A major cause of sexual harassment is a lack of awareness, as many people don’t see it is a major issue since they haven’t dealt with it firsthand. Measurability: Ava measured her projects performance through surveys and social media responses. Sustainability: Younger students will continue to run the program. Issue: There are several main issues concerning diversity that are often seen in communities: exclusion, housing crisis, injustice in the court system, etc. Root Cause: The main cause of diversity and inclusion issues in the Saint Louis area is the lack of awareness and education of the topics. Measurability: Elizabeth used surveys to better understand how much her audience learned. Sustainability: The FOCUS St. Louis organization will continue to be participated in by Nerinx students.

Project Details: Concerned about the lack of awareness and

education regarding sexual harassment, Ava set out to address this issue for her Gold Award project. She created and distributed posters around Ladue Horton Watkins High School with statistics on sexual harassment in the St. Louis area and tips to stay safe. Ava created a website and an Instagram page, titled Never Ending Victims, with links to resources and ways students could find help if they needed it. She presented at multiple Girl Scout Day Camps to educate young Girl Scouts on what to do if they experience or witness sexual harassment. Ava also spoke with Girl Scout caregivers on how they can help stop sexual harassment in their communities.

Diversity Enrichment

Gold Award Girl Scout: Elizabeth P., Troop 1964

Project Details: For her Girl Scout Gold Award project, Elizabeth looked at diversity and inclusion issues within the St. Louis metro region and examined how she could increase the awareness and education available on these issues to those within her school community. After joining FOCUS St. Louis, one of the region’s premier nonprofit leadership organizations, Elizabeth began a monthly column for Nerinx Hall’s newsletter, Common Ground, where she shared her findings from FOCUS St. Louis each month. By educating her school community, including teachers, students, and administrators, they learned ways to directly combat exclusion and barriers within their communities and school.

OUTDOORS

Explorer Backpacks

Project Details: Concerned about the increased use of daily technology and lack of nature experiences for young students, Kyra partnered with Shaw Nature Reserve to create outdoor adventure backpacks to earn her Girl Scout Gold Award. Each backpack contains informative, interactive, and fun activities that children can use in the outdoors to draw them away from screens and into nature. Kyra included binoculars and a magnifying glass, a first aid kit, sketchbooks and colored pencils, and several worksheets and guides in each kit. To ensure the provided activities were a good fit, Kyra and her team of volunteers led groups of kids between the ages of 6-12 over three days in a series of mini camps. The backpacks are available for the public to use and will be updated by the Shaw Nature Reserve for years to come.

Gold Award Girl Scout: Kyra G., Troop 1891

Issue: Kids don’t have enough opportunities to connect with nature. Root Cause: With new technological developments, phones are much more easily accessible, and many kids have them. Furthermore, many parents are afraid to let their kids play outside. Measurability: Kyra surveyed the kids after each event. She created a log for the Shaw Nature Reserve to track how many times the backpacks get used. She also used a QR code with questions about improvement suggestions. Sustainability: Shaw Nature Reserve has agreed to donate $200 annually to the cause and has agreed to maintain and advertise the bags.