Gold Girl Scout Spotlight: Isabel Prado

My name is Isabel Prado, I am a 17-year-old high school junior, getting ready to start applying for college. For my Gold Award, I created and taught 10 different lessons about the environment to children ages 5-12. I taught at the Turner-Gibbons Recreation Center as part of the Austin Parks and Recreation Center Summer Program. All of my lessons have been put into their database for use in the future.

When I first started the project a year ago, I thought I would never actually get it done, but with support from my family and friends, I managed it. It was a long and often challenging process. I switched what I wanted to teach at least twice. When I finally nailed down a subject, I had to create lessons plans for 10 classes. It took a lot of hard work but the end result was worth it.

Many times along the way I wanted to quit and I was told that it was okay if I did not want to do it. I am so glad I decided to finish it. My experiences teaching the children were so remarkable that when it ended I was sad because I had so much fun doing this project. It was tough and took a good deal of time, but it made me a better person. I learned so many valuable skills that I cannot imagine learning anywhere else. Doing the Gold Award was a journey that I will never forget and it is one of the best ones a Girl Scout can experience.

Girl Scouts are Outdoor Explorers

Guest Post: Girl Scouts are Outdoor Explorers

Guest Post from Vicki Wright, GSUSA Outdoor Initiative Lead, Lifetime Girl Scout, Former CEO of multiple Girl Scout Councils

Girl Scouts Launches Inaugural Badge Series Chosen by Girls

This year, on its 103^rd Anniversary, Girl Scouts is celebrating our commitment to providing fun and beneficial outdoor experiences for girls with the launch of a new series of outdoor badges, chosen by Girl Scouts themselves.

Outdoor experiences are an integral part of Girl Scouts and are woven into Girl Scout program in such a way that girls feel comfortable trying new things and testing their limits, and gain confidence and acquire new skills in a safe and supportive all-girl environment. From a relaxed nature hike through the forests to teaming up on a wildlife conservation project to high-adventure rock-climbing, Girl Scouts offers girls a variety of opportunities to learn and grow inside and out.

My first experience with Girl Scouts was in an outdoor setting where I learned to become comfortable in the outdoors and with myself.  I did not understand at the time all that I was learning while having so much fun.  I can honestly say that my love for the outdoors came from those experiences and truly molded the person I became.

In the month of November, GSUSA began the polling process for the Girls’ Choice Outdoor Badges by inviting girls to vote on a diverse option of outdoor badge themes. Outdoor Explorer emerged as the overall theme, with five age specific Badge offerings: Outdoor Adventurer, Horseback Riding, Archery, Paddling and Ultimate Recreation Challenge.

But why is this so important to us?

According to our research (Girl Scout Research Institute’s study, More Than S’mores), girls benefit immensely from time outdoors. Girls who spend time outdoors eclipse their peers in environmental stewardship, more readily seek challenges, and are better problem solvers, all of which are traits needed for 21st century leadership.

Outdoor experiences through Girl Scouting, such as camp, are beneficial to girl leadership development across ethnicities. Latina (38 percent) and African American (40 percent) girls are more likely than their peers (28 percent) to say they overcame a fear of the outdoors through Girl Scouting; seventy-nine percent of Latina girls say they first tried an outdoor activity in Girl Scouts, and an overwhelming 59 percent of Latina girls say Girl Scouts has offered them outdoor activities they would not have otherwise had access to.

Simply put, this is important to us because it is important to girls. Once exposed to the outdoors, girls love it.  And, now more than ever, research shows us that getting outdoors is so important to the physical, social and psychological development of our girls and the health of our planet.

We want to get more girls outdoors, more often and in varied ways. Please join us in this effort.

Conservation: A Way of Life Worth Teaching

Gold Award Girls

The following blog entry is by Catherine Vrabel, a Gold Award girl from Central Texas. She wrote about her experience attaining her award and the positive impact it had on her community and her as well. Thank you, Catherine!

                                                                                                                                  

My name is Catherine Vrabel. Over the past year I've worked very hard to achieve something I have always wanted to earn: the Gold Award. When I got old enough to start working on the Gold Award I was not sure exactly what I wanted to do for my project. My dad is a farmer and when he received an award for Outstanding Conservation Farmer, it really inspired me to do something about conservation. I was reading an agriculture magazine when I came across a page about the topic. It hit me that it would be amazing if I did something similar-- reaching out to people about conservation. However, instead of reaching out to adults, I thought “What about youth?” This was the project I wanted to do, so I began to fill out the proposal and my project began. 

My project was called “Conservation for Youth” and it was about all things conservation. I did many projects. One was doing a class at a Girl Scout camp where I did experiments with Girls explaining conservation and its meaning. I also did projects with other girl groups, like nature hikes. I talked about soil conservation and did projects with them. In the spring I ran a booth at a festival in Belton, TX. Here I handed out coloring books about conservation to children and they got to plant their own tomato seed that they could take home and transplant. I also had some adults that were interested in what I was doing and asked about conservation and what they could do. The whole idea of my project was to reach out to as many youth as I could about conservation because they are the face of the new generation. I envisioned them conserving as they grow up, then they pass it on to others to make this world a better place!

I did have challenges along the way.  For example, I didn't know how I would put my project into action. I was a bit overwhelmed. I also faced the challenge of not really wanting to get in front of people and talking and giving directions because I felt I was being bossy. I realized if you need something to get done and you ask in a nice way that is not being bossy, it is being a leader. All this hard work was definitely worth it and I don’t regret one minute of it! I had so much fun, met different people who were so nice and helpful. The most rewarding outcome was looking back and seeing how many people benefited from my projects and how many people I helped.

My advice to any girl who is thinking about going for their Gold Award is to have great friends and family to help you out. Pick a project you really feel strongly about. Most importantly, don’t get discouraged because if you set your mind to anything, it is possible. You can do it!