Hannah Rochester of Summerfield earned the Girl Scout Gold Award for completing her leadership and community service project to increase involvement of younger troops which connects girls to resources and develops initiatives to give back to those areas.
The issue she addressed was the lack of involvement by younger troops at the service unit level, which is a group of volunteers that supports Girl Scouting programs in their area. Hannah created Daisy Day for kindergarten and first grade Girl Scouts and Brownie Bash for second and third grade Girl Scouts as annual service unit wide events to encourage girls to stay in the program, meet other troops and have fun while learning and giving back. She implemented this project from 2021 to 2024 in partnership with Girl Scout Troops 30074 and 30011, Girl Scout Service Unit 147 and Guilford Backpack Ministry.
“The leadership skills I put into practice were project management, public speaking, collaboration, presentation skills, problem solving and organization. I came up with a way to tackle an issue I saw in my community and then executed a plan,” said Rochester, member of Girl Scout Troop 41704 for 13 years. “As I went through this project, I was forced to be better at these things, and by honing these skills I have come out the other side as a better leader and a stronger person.”
Girls in high school can earn their Gold Award by creating sustainable change on a community or world issue. They address the root cause of a problem, plan and implement innovative solutions to drive change and lead a team of people to success. Each girl must dedicate a minimum of 80 hours to planning and carrying out her project that benefits the community and has a long-lasting impact. Gold Award Girl Scouts gain tangible skills and prove they are the leaders our community and world need, and those from the GSCP2P council have created community gardens, addressed issues in foster care, combated bullying in schools and so much more.
Hannah said, “My Gold Award is sustained beyond my involvement by the fact that other troops have taken on the role of running these events. I designed the Brownie Bash and Daisy Day to become annual projects. Girl Scout Daisies who attend Daisy Day are then encouraged to go to the Brownie Bash when they are old enough, and finally will be encouraged to be the troop that takes on the role of running these events in the future. The concept is that you attend these events when you are younger and then personally work towards its sustainability by running them when you are old enough.”
Thousands of Girl Scouts across the country earn the Girl Scout Gold Award each year, which first began in 1916 as the Golden Eaglet. Earning the Gold Award opens doors to scholarships, preferred admission tracks for college and amazing career opportunities. In 2024, 40 GSCP2P Girl Scouts earned their Gold Award.
To learn more about earning a Girl Scout Gold Award, visit https://www.girlscoutsp2p.org/en/members/for-girl-scouts/badges-journeys-awards/highest-awards/gold-award.html.
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