Morgan Emehel of Girl Scout Troop 2307 in Lincoln County has earned the Girl Scout Gold Award for a community leadership and service project that addresses personal safety and empowerment by equipping students with the skills and confidence to protect themselves in potentially dangerous situations.
Aiming to benefit students at her school and foster a supportive community, the Girl Scout Ambassador partnered with Causby Karate Academy in Denver and the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics in Morganton for her Gold Award project, “Self Defense Club,” to provide students with practical self-defense techniques, situational awareness and a sense of security while building confidence and resilience.
“Assault on students, especially those new to living on their own, is a huge concern. The mental and physical effects of assault can be serious and long-lasting. Students can often deal with anxiety, depression and feeling unsafe, which can make it hard to focus on studies and want to attend social activities,” said Emehel, a Girl Scout of eight years. “Self-defense training can help reduce these risks. Teaching students the skills and knowledge to protect themselves can help them feel more confident and secure in their new environments.”
Morgan collaborated with her karate instructors and martial arts experts to plan the curriculum and structure the classes to create a self-defense awareness and training program for students that attend boarding schools and colleges to reduce risk of assault and create a safer, more supportive educational environment. She then established the Self Defense Club at her residential high school to share self-defense techniques, promote awareness of personal safety and empower students with the knowledge and skills necessary to handle threatening situations effectively. Morgan also created a YouTube channel for the project with instructional videos and tutorials to be shared digitally to a broader audience of students.
Girls in high school can earn the Girl Scout 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 Scout must dedicate a minimum of 80 hours to planning and carrying out their 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 Girl Scouts Carolinas Peaks to Piedmont (GSCP2P) council have created community gardens, addressed issues in foster care, combated bullying in schools and so much more.
This Gold Award is sustained past Morgan’s involvement as club members will maintain the group each year. The Girl Scout said, “I am confident that the club will continue to thrive and fulfill its mission of teaching self-defense skills and building confidence for years to come. This model not only ensures sustainability but also encourages leadership.”
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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