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Girl Scouts of the USA Celebrates the Centennial of Girl Scouts’ Highest Award at NASDAQ
Girl Scouts from the New York area join GSUSA CEO Anna Maria Chávez to ring the NASDAQ opening bell and showcase the importance of Girl Scouts’ highest award, the Gold Award
NEW YORK, NY (March 24, 2016)—Today, Girl Scouts from the New York area alongside Girl Scouts of the USA CEO Anna Maria Chávez, will commemorate the centennial of Girl Scouts’ highest award, now known as the Gold Award, at the NASDAQ opening bell ceremony. Girl Scouts in grades 9–12 earn their Gold Award for developing innovative and lasting solutions to local or global issues. Gold Award projects must demonstrate girls’ extraordinary leadership and have both measurable and sustainable impact.
Over the course of the past 100 years, millions of Girl Scout alumnae have created, developed, and executed innumerable Take Action projects that address everything from declining bee populations, to ending violence against women, to promoting green energy and gender-balanced leadership. These projects have positively impacted girls’ lives, their communities, and the world.
“For over a century, Girl Scout Gold Award recipients have demonstrated extraordinary leadership and the enterprising vision to create new opportunities and programs that positively impact society,” said Anna Maria Chávez, chief executive officer of Girl Scouts of the USA. “From our signature initiatives and partnerships that expand access to education and technology for girls, to our activities supporting entrepreneurship and leadership development, Girl Scouts is creating a sustainable pipeline of female leaders who take action to change the world. In 2016, we are excited to celebrate 100 years of Girl Scout Gold Award excellence, innovation, and visionary leadership—and we are committed to empowering future generations of girls to dream big and make a significant global impact.”
To continue the celebration, Girl Scouts across the United States are honoring Girl Scouts’ highest award with “100 Days of the Gold Award,” a social-media public awareness campaign. The 100-day-long campaign, spotlighting Girl Scout Gold Award projects and their impact on our communities and the world, will culminate in a Movement-wide celebration on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, June 14, 2016. This event and the #gsGoldAward campaign will shine a light on the benefits of earning Girl Scouts’ highest award.
The Power of the Girl Scout Gold Award: Excellence in Leadership and Life, a research study by the Girl Scout Research Institute (GSRI), confirms that Girl Scout Gold Award recipients display more positive life outcomes compared to non-Girl Scout alumnae. These outcomes pertain to sense of self, life satisfaction, leadership, life success, community service, and civic engagement. Gold Award recipients recognize the positive impact of being a Girl Scout and achieving the highest honor in Girl Scouting has had on them, noting that they have had success in their lives (95 percent), in education (94 percent), in their careers (92 percent), and in their financial lives (78 percent) because of the unique and powerful experiences available to them through Girl Scouting.
It’s not just Girl Scouts who understand the value of the Gold Award; some colleges offer scholarships unique to award recipients, and girls who enlist in the U.S. armed forces may receive advanced rank in recognition of their achievement.
Earning the Gold Award is just one of the amazing things girls can do as part of Girl Scouts. To join Girl Scouts or learn more about volunteering, please visit www.girlscouts.org/join.
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We're Girl Scouts of the USA
We're 2.7 million strong—1.9 million girls and 800,000 adults who believe girls can change the world. It began over 100 years ago with one woman, Girl Scouts' founder Juliette Gordon "Daisy" Low, who believed in the power of every girl. She organized the first Girl Scout troop on March 12, 1912, in Savannah, Georgia, and every year since, we've made her vision a reality, helping girls discover their strengths, passions, and talents. Today we continue the Girl Scout mission of building girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place. We're the preeminent leadership development organization for girls. And with programs for girls from coast to coast and across the globe, Girl Scouts offers every girl a chance to do something amazing. To volunteer, reconnect, donate, or join, visit www.girlscouts.org.
About the Girl Scout Gold Award
Since 1916, Girl Scouts have been making meaningful, sustainable change in their communities and around the world. Girl Scouts’ highest award, now known as the Gold Award, is the most prestigious honor a Girl Scout can earn. The award acknowledges the power behind each recipient’s dedication to not only empowering and bettering herself, but also to making the world a better place for others. These young women are courageous leaders and visionary change makers. They are our future, and it looks bright!
