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Change the world, Girl Scout
Gold Award Girl Scouts are rock stars, role models, and real-life heroes. How do they do it? By using everything they’ve learned as a Girl Scout to solve a problem in their community or make a lasting change in their world.
Seniors and Ambassadors who want to go for the Gold Award build a team of trusted adults, peers, and leaders in their community to guide them through challenges and support their success.
Plus? Nothing beats that feeling of seeing real, lasting, and sustainable change and knowing it was you who made it happen. It changes the way you see your place in the world—and how the world sees you.
If you have any questions, please send them directly to highestawards@citrus-gs.org.
How to earn the Girl Scout Gold Award
Let our council know you want to earn it.
Find an issue in your community or the world that you care about.
Learn everything you can about that issue through research and trusted sources.
Form a team by identifying experts and people in your community who could help you.
Think about the root cause of an issue, then make a plan of how you could tackle it.
Submit your project proposal to our Girl Scout council for approval.
Lead your team and carry out your plan.
Reflect on the change you’ve created in your community and the world, share your story, and inspire others to make a difference, too.
More resources
- Training FAQ's (PDF)
- Proposal Rubic (PDF)
- Gold Award Project Proposal (PDF)
- Gold Award Final Report (PDF)
- Project Advisor Guide (PDF)
- Parent/Caregiver Guide (PDF)
- Troop Leader Guide (PDF)
- Guide for Leadership Experience (PDF)
- Your Guide to Going Gold (PDF)
Highest Award Prerequisites
Hey, grownups!
When you support Girl Scouts earning their Gold Award, you’ll help them see their own power and be by their side as they make a lasting change in their community. Download a guide to get started today.
Important Note about Projects
PLEASE NOTE: Your project should make a difference and have a lasting impact! The following projects will no longer be approved:
- Little Free Libraries and Blessing Boxes or other projects that ONLY focus on donation drives and the collection of items. There must be sustainability beyond the library/box build, and the project should focus on education for the community.
- Beautification and renovation projects are considered community service projects because Girl Scouts are a workforce rather than having a sustainable long-term impact. Planting flowers outside a community center, painting the walls of a meeting space, cleaning up an already established hiking trail, or similar projects will not be accepted.
- This includes building-only projects like benches, picnic tables, bridges, and other similar community service projects.
- Creating a pollinator garden or building an animal habitat are community service projects. Please keep in mind that education projects about conservation topics are encouraged, but creating a garden or habitat without education or sustainability will not be approved.
- Make-and-donate projects such as making blankets, calm down kits, or hats for babies and donating them to hospitals, schools, or other community centers don’t meet the project requirements. While helpful, donations don’t identify and address a root cause, and they provide immediate but not long-term relief. So, make-and-donate projects are not sustainable and will not be accepted.
- Please keep in mind that education projects with sustainable impact that include donations are allowed. (I.e. developing a literacy program for elementary schools which includes a donation of books and supplies)
- Please keep in mind that education projects with sustainable impact that include donations are allowed. (I.e. developing a literacy program for elementary schools which includes a donation of books and supplies)
Key Dates
- Last Thursday of the month: Must submit proposal by the last Thursday of the month to receive invite to present at following month’s Gold Award Committee Meeting.
- April 1: Recommended last day to submit proposals for graduating high school seniors. Please note that proposals will NOT be accepted from high school graduates after August 1.
- September 15: Graduating high school seniors must turn in their final report to their Gold Award mentor for approval by this date of their graduation year. This will allow time for review and revisions if needed by September 30.
- September 30: Absolute last day for graduated high school seniors to submit their final report for approval. Presentations may happen after September 30.
- March 30: Final report approval required by March 30 to be invited to that year’s Gold Award Celebration. If your final report is not approved by this date, you will be invited to the following year’s ceremony.
