Gold Award Girl Scouts don’t just change the world for the better, they change it for good. The mark of the truly remarkable, the Gold Award is earned by Girl Scout Seniors and Ambassadors who demonstrate extraordinary leadership in their neighborhoods, nations, and the world.

We continue honoring the Gold Award Class of 2020 from Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana (GSGCNWI), and this week, we’ll be learning all about the girls whose Gold Awards centered on the arts and interpersonal relationships. Read on to meet these impressive young women!

Mural for Our Lady of the Sioux Prayer Circle

In partnership with the Parish of Our Lady of the Sioux, located in Pine Ridge, South Dakota, Gold Award Girl Scout Clara designed and created a mural for their parish grounds. Working with the parishioners, Clara incorporated Native American imagery and live flowers in her work, all in the aims of creating a beautiful symbol of worship for the people of the parish.

The CURE

Gold Award Girl Scout Elizabeth’s initiative started as a pro-kindness presentation to students at her school and continues as an established school club. For her project, which was awarded a Power of the Children award by the Indianapolis Children’s Museum in 2017, Elizabeth spoke to her classmates, developed a website, and installed a sign in her school. Her project is sure to have an impact on countless students for years to come!

A Lesson in Japanese American History

Gold Award Girl Scout Elyse earned her award by developing a history lesson plan designed to educate high school students about the process, development, and effects of mass hysteria in the United States before, during, and after the Second World War. Elyse’s curriculum focused on the Japanese American experience, and how a single group of people was discriminated against based on fear.

Adding Dazzle to the Special Stars

Gold Award Girl Scout Rebecca saw the need to add some dazzle to the special needs program at the local dance studio Special Stars—so she acted. Rebecca’s efforts to expand their curriculum culminated in brand-new lesson plans for differently-abled dancers, and she was able to teach 8 students in her class on a regular basis.

Standby Project Playhouse

Rebekah, inspired by her own experience as an actor, earned her Gold Award by developing an enriching curriculum for students at Children’s Playhouse. She knew that show directors always have their hands full and that older kids had trouble staying engaged in the program. To solve this challenge, Rebekah created a new curriculum for older students, which is now being used in a new class!

Our War Against Mental Illness

Gold Award Girl Scout Monica believes “it only takes a few kind words to have an everlasting impact on someone’s self-esteem.” To spread this message to her community, she engaged them in activities, encouraging others to spread kindness and positivity. Together, Monica and her community painted kindness rocks and positive phrases in her high school’s bathroom.

Puppet Show for Church

For Girl Scout Hailey, getting involved with her local parish in the form of theater was the focus of her Gold Award. Hailey built a puppet theater, wrote scripts coordinated to the day’s Sunday school lessons, and she drew quite a crowd for the final puppet show! Hailey said the best part was interacting with the kids in her parish.

Art for Kids

“As someone who has benefited greatly from a strong arts education,” Gold Award Girl Scout Audrey says, “[I] sought to address the issue of fine arts education funding by providing supplies for local Chicago Public Schools.” In partnership with the Schools Count Corporation and other community organizations, Audrey founded Art for Kids, a multi-district wide annual art supply drive, collecting an estimated $5,000 worth of supplies to benefit 14 different schools in Chicago.

Music Therapy Awareness

Gold Award Girl Scout Bailey saw the need to raise awareness about the benefits of music therapy as a form of treatment for people with disabilities, so in response, she created over 200 pamphlets and a YouTube video to do just that. In preparation, she was guided by a professional music therapist and sat in during several of his classes. Every pamphlet of hers was picked up by the schools, libraries, and offices in which she left them.

Middle School Band Promotional Video

Girl Scout Bria’s Gold Award had two major components: the making of a promotional video to encourage elementary students in her area to join the Brooks Middle School band, and leading students and scouts in the refurbishing of the band’s display case. The video continues to be shown in elementary schools to inform students on what brand has to offer, and her efforts have overall improved the marketing of the band to the community!

Project Dandelion

Gold Award Girl Scout Therese knows how difficult it can be to find information about sexual violence on college campuses, and she feels that “everyone needs to feel safe at the school they choose to spend years attending.” Her vision culminated in the first resource of it’s kind, a database organizing information, resources, and statistics concerning sexual violence at colleges and universities in Illinois. Currently, the project encompasses every college in Illinois and is being continued in the future by the Illinois Coalition Against Sexual Assault.

The Mark of the Truly Remarkable

The Gold Award is the standout achievement of girls who develop meaningful, sustainable solutions to challenges in their communities and the world. These girls each have completed anything but a one-time service project, but have changed the world in tangible and lasting ways.

We extend our sincerest congratulations to these girls and all Gold Award Girl Scouts this year!

Want to share pictures of your project with us? Post on social media and use the #GCNWIGoldAward! You can also download these images to share your Girl Scout Gold Award pride.

Look out for next week’s 2020 Gold Award Spotlight!