Highest Awards - FAQ | Girl Scouts

Why are Journeys prerequisites to earning the Girl Scout Bronze, Silver, and Gold Awards? toggle arrow

Journeys let Girl Scouts experience what they’ll do as they work to earn the highest awards in Girl Scouting. They’ll discover an issue they’re passionate about, connect with experts in their community, and take action to make the world a better place. The skills Girl Scouts gain while working on Journeys help them develop, plan, and implement Take Action projects for their Bronze, Silver, or Gold Award.

How do Girl Scouts know when a Journey is completed? toggle arrow

A Journey is completed when a Girl Scout has earned the Journey awards, which include creating and carrying out a Take Action project.

What makes the guidelines for Girl Scouts’ highest awards different from those for the Journeys? toggle arrow

In contrast to Journey Take Action projects, which provide themes on which to base projects, highest award Take Action projects have no predesigned theme. A Girl Scout selects their own theme, then designs and executes a Take Action project.

What are the suggested hours for earning each of the awards? toggle arrow

The time it takes to earn the awards depends on the nature of the project, size of the team, and degree of community support. The quality of projects should be emphasized over the number of hours spent on them. As a guide, the suggested minimum number of hours are:

Bronze Award: 20 hours
Silver Award: 50 hours
Gold Award: 80 hours

Can a troop work toward an award together? toggle arrow

At the Bronze level, Girl Scouts must work together in a team setting. When working toward their Silver Award, they have the option to work individually or in small groups. The Gold Award, the highest award in Girl Scouting, is earned by individual Girl Scouts.

Can Girl Scouts begin working toward their awards the summer after they bridge (transition) from one Girl Scout level to the next? toggle arrow

Yes.

Can Take Action projects for the Girl Scout Bronze, Silver, and Gold Awards focus on Girl Scouting? toggle arrow

Yes, Take Action projects for the Bronze, Silver, and Gold Awards may benefit the Girl Scout community. However, there is a specific award progression that should be honored: Take Action projects for the Bronze Award may focus on service in support of the Girl Scout Movement, while Take Action projects for the Silver and Gold Awards are expected to reach into the community to “make the world a better place.” At the Silver and Gold Award levels, a Girl Scout should first consider issues they’re passionate about in the community, school, and world. Then, they should investigate the issue to uncover its root cause, connect with the community to begin developing a solution, and enlist their team. As they develop a project plan, they will determine their target audience. It’s at this step that they might decide Girl Scouts is the best audience or beneficiary.

Overall, award progression offers younger Girl Scouts the opportunity to develop their planning and leadership skills within the comfort and familiarity of Girl Scouting or another local community. As they mature, Cadettes, Seniors, and Ambassadors are ready to move beyond the Girl Scout family to share their leadership skills—and impact—with the wider community. It is in fully exploring their communities that they exemplify the Girl Scout mission.

If a Girl Scout starts working on a Take Action project and moves, can they still earn their award? toggle arrow

Councils and USA Girl Scouts Overseas committees are encouraged to be flexible to serve Girl Scouts’ best interests. If a Girl Scout moves, they should work with the local council or committee to complete the award project.

Who are the adult guides for: council staff, parents, or volunteers? toggle arrow

Any adult is welcome to use the adult guides, which were designed for volunteers working directly with Girl Scouts earning their awards. Note that there are guides specifically tailored to how parents/caretakers (PDF), project advisors (PDF), and troop/group leaders (PDF) can support Girl Scouts in pursuit of the Gold Award.

Do we need a different set of requirements for Girl Scouts with disabilities to earn the Girl Scout Bronze, Silver, and Gold Awards? toggle arrow

No. Girl Scout Bronze, Silver, and Gold Award work is done to the best of a Girl Scout’s ability. There is no need for special requirements for individuals with disabilities. Accommodations can be made with consideration of any special needs.

Can a troop or group work toward a Gold Award together? toggle arrow

No. The pursuit of the Gold Award is ultimately an individual Girl Scout’s mission. While troop/group members may help, earning the Gold Award requires a Girl Scout to take control of leadership development as they build and lead a team.

Is sustainability differentiated at each grade level? toggle arrow

The guidelines offer tools to help examine the underlying root cause of issues, develop sustainable project plans, and measure the impact of Highest Awards projects on their communities, target audiences, and themselves. And yes, there is progression from one grade level to the next. Girl Scout Juniors working toward their Bronze Award will reflect on how their projects could be continued, Girl Scout Cadettes reflect on and put a plan in place for continuation, and Seniors and Ambassadors work to ensure their Gold Award project is sustained beyond their involvement.

Who can earn the Gold Award? toggle arrow

Registered Girl Scout Seniors or Ambassadors.

Can individually registered members, or “Juliettes,” earn the Girl Scout Gold Award? toggle arrow

Yes. Any Girl Scout who meets the grade-level and membership requirements can earn the Gold Award.

Does a Senior or Ambassador need to complete the two Journeys in any particular order? toggle arrow

No. Girl Scouts can complete two Girl Scout Senior Journeys, two Ambassador Journeys, or one of each. Note: If they earned their Silver Award, Girl Scouts need only to complete one Senior or Ambassador Journey.

How can local Girl Scout councils, caregivers, volunteers, and advisors make sure Girl Scouts carry out high-quality projects for their highest awards? toggle arrow

The best way to make sure Girl Scouts are working at the best of their abilities is to ensure that both they and their adult support system (parent/caregivers, troop/group volunteer, and/or project advisors) receive orientation about the award and understand the difference between community service and a Girl Scout Bronze, Silver, and Gold Award Take Action project. It’s the responsibility of the troop/group volunteer, council staff member, and/or Gold Award committee to work with Girl Scouts to ensure they meet the quality requirements of the award.

Note that Take Action and community service are different—and both are essential to Girl Scouting. When Girl Scouts perform community service, they respond to an immediate need in a one-off, “doing for” capacity; with Take Action, they explore the root causes of a community need and address one in a sustainable way.

Community service	Take Action
Addresses an immediate need	Addresses a root cause of an issue
One time; short term	Sustainable/ongoing impact
FOR the community (e.g., collecting blankets for a local animal shelter)	WITH the community (e.g., partnering with the animal shelter to create a solution—raising awareness about the importance of spaying/neutering pets; hosting adoption events—to eliminate the need for short-term fixes altogether)
“service project”	“service learning”
Cadette/Senior/Ambassador Community Service Bars	Gold, Silver, and Bronze Awards

What is the difference between a troop/group volunteer and a Girl Scout Gold Award project advisor? Do Girl Scouts need both? toggle arrow

A troop/group volunteer is an adult who works with Girl Scouts. Once a Girl Scout identifies an issue, the troop/group volunteer might help them identify a person in the community who could be a great project advisor.

A project advisor is an adult who chooses to be on a Girl Scout’s Gold Award team who has some level of expertise of the issue the Girl Scout’s project addresses. Parents, caregivers, or troop leaders of girls pursuing their Gold Award cannot be advisors. Adult siblings and family members like aunts and uncles can sometimes be advisors if they are experts on the issue the Girl Scout is exploring. However, we encourage Girl Scouts to reach outside their familiar circles and grow their networks when possible.

A project advisor offers a Girl Scout guidance and expertise as needed, during the planning and execution of their Gold Award project. Note that it’s important that the project and its core ideas be the Girl Scout’s own.

Why can’t a parent be a Girl Scout Gold Award project advisor? toggle arrow

Girl Scouts are encouraged to connect with others in their communities in working toward the Gold Award. That means working with a project advisor who is not their parent/caregiver.

At what point should a Gold Award project advisor be identified? toggle arrow

The project advisor should be identified in the planning phase before the Gold Award project proposal is turned in to the council. The project advisor expands the network of adults and provides expertise for a project. If a Girl Scout has a project idea before they start any work toward the Gold Award, they might want to identify a project advisor at the very beginning.

What is the role of a council’s Gold Award committee? toggle arrow

Some councils have developed Girl Scout Gold Award committees to support Girl Scout Seniors and Ambassadors as they go through the process of earning their Gold Award. Gold Award committees are typically made up of community members, educators, key volunteers, and alums who have earned their Gold Award. The committee works with designated council staff.

The committee’s role is to ensure each project meets the national guidelines. Generally, the committee reviews Gold Award project proposals, provides project recommendations and other feedback, reads the final reports, and advises the council on whether to approve projects. At some councils the committee also approves projects. If a Girl Scout’s project has not yet achieved its goals, the committee provides suggestions to help develop a high-quality Gold Award project.

What does it mean to have a sustainable project? toggle arrow

Sustainability means that the project, as well as the work put toward addressing the issue the Girl Scout has chosen, carries on or continues even after the Girl Scout has done their part and earned the Gold Award. In a nutshell: the Girl Scout will put a plan in place that ensures their Gold Award creates lasting change. Sustainability is not one-size-fits-all. Review three different ways Girl Scouts can ensure their projects are sustainable on pages 6–7 of the Your Guide to Going Gold (PDF).

How does a Girl Scout measure project impact? toggle arrow

A project is measurable when a Girl Scout collects information or data throughout their project and uses it to show that their actions have had a positive impact on the community and/or contributed to addressing their chosen issue. Learn more on page 7 of the Your Guide to Going Gold (PDF).

What does it mean to identify a national and/or global link? toggle arrow

Identifying a national and/or global link doesn’t mean a Girl Scout needs to travel or expand their project across the globe. It’s likely that the issue the Girl Scout has been working toward addressing is relevant worldwide—it can be found in their own local, regional, or national community and across the globe, whether it’s poverty, hunger, illiteracy, homelessness, or pollution.

Girl Scouts should research how other areas, communities, or countries address their issues. Seeing how other people and places implement solutions might inspire their actions and will show them a national or global connection. Girl Scouts can consider reaching out, explain their ideas, and ask for advice, ideas, and even collaboration. Girl Scouts can use what they learn to inform their projects. Plus, these kinds of partnerships can be excellent ways to ensure their project’s sustainability. You can find an example on page 5 of the Your Guide to Going Gold (PDF).

Can a Girl Scout earn the Gold Award even if they haven't been in Girl Scouts very long? toggle arrow

Yes, they just need to be a registered Girl Scout Senior or Ambassador to begin working toward their Gold Award.

Are there other considerations a Girl Scout should have in mind as they prepare to start working toward their Gold (or other highest) Award? toggle arrow

If, as part of their project, a Girl Scout will be working with or on behalf of people who are marginalized by society, they should be sure to seek out these peoples’ preferences (ideally by asking them directly) for how they like to be addressed. Different groups—and different people within a given group—have different preferences when it comes to how they like to be talked and written about. For example:

person who is deaf/deaf person
Native American/American Indian/Native person/Indigenous person
mixed race/biracial/multiracial
genderqueer/nonbinary/gender fluid
senior citizen/ senior/older person/elder

Once they have determined any such preferences, they should accommodate them to the best of their ability through every stage of the project.

What if a Girl Scout is 18 and graduating? Can they complete their Gold Award project when they're in college? toggle arrow

A Gold Award candidate cannot be both a girl member of Girl Scouts and enrolled in college. A Girl Scout adult, according to Girl Scout guidelines, is either 18 years of age or a high school graduate. To that end, Girl Scouts have until they turn 18 or until the end of their last Girl Scout membership year (September 30 of the year they graduated high school) to complete their Gold Award project.

Note that a Girl Scout who is 19 or older and in 12th grade can continue to be a girl member and earn the Gold Award.

What if a Girl Scout graduates high school, is 18, and doesn't have their project completed? toggle arrow

In this case they would have until September 30 of the year they graduated high school to complete their Gold Award project.

What if a Girl Scout's project is not completed by the time of their council’s ceremony? toggle arrow

This is up to the Girl Scout. They might be recognized among their peers for work-in-progress at their council’s Girl Scout Gold Award ceremony, be honored in a separate ceremony, or come back for the following year’s ceremony. If the council has a set time for honoring Gold Award Girl Scouts, they should be notified when they begin their project. Girl Scouts and their project advisors are encouraged to work within the council’s timeframe.