Karridy Read of Girl Scout Troop 2867 in Guilford County has earned the Girl Scout Gold Award for a community leadership and service project that supports the social and emotional development of preschool-aged children.
Aiming to address the lack of early instruction in social and emotional learning, Read created Vids for Kids, an educational website featuring six short, age-appropriate videos that teach preschoolers essential skills such as communication, empathy, problem-solving, sharing, manners and expressing emotions. The project was developed in partnership with Peas in a Pod Preschool.
“I wanted to focus my Gold Award on social and emotional learning because those skills are often overlooked in early education,” said Read, a Girl Scout of 13 years. “Preschoolers need these skills to learn how to interact and thrive with others.”
In addition to the videos, Read created take-home printables so children could continue learning with their families. The website also includes pre- and post-viewing progress quizzes for parents to measure growth in their child’s social and emotional skills, as well as a lesson plan for teachers to integrate the content into their classrooms. These features ensure the project is sustainable and accessible to educators beyond Read’s direct involvement.
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.
“My Gold Award has heavily impacted me because I learned that I can create something all on my own from scratch,” said the Gold Award Girl Scout. “It was empowering to prove to myself that I can create something based on my own ideas and creativity.”
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 2025, 30 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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