Emily Lewis of Girl Scout Troop 2493 in Guilford County has earned the Girl Scout Gold Award for a community leadership and service project that addresses the need for inclusive learning spaces for children with disabilities.
Aiming to provide a resource for local elementary and middle school students with learning disabilities, the Girl Scout Ambassador partnered with Greensboro Academy for her Gold Award project, “Touch and Grow,” to build an outdoor sensory garden that serves as both a learning center and a safe space for the students to unwind from the stress of the school day.
“Distractions are present in a traditional classroom like anxiety surrounding the faster pace of learning in classrooms, stress associated with being restricted inside of a building all day and limited inclusion among peers,” said Lewis, a Girl Scout of 12 years. “The outdoor sensory garden is a more inclusive space for children to feel safe in a place to express themselves.”
Emily led a team to clear land, build a texture wall, install a balance beam and a bench and add plants throughout the garden. She also created a website to share the project so that others who are interested in constructing an outdoor sensory garden will have a blueprint.
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 Emily’s involvement as students with specialized needs will benefit from the garden and its learning tools for years to come. The Girl Scout said, “I also educated students on how to take care of and replace the plants so they can stay fresh for longer. The school decided to allow middle school students to receive service hours for maintaining the garden.”
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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