My Gold Award Project: An Overview and Reflection

A world map I created at my workshop + charm of Girl Scout clover symbol

Hello! It has been quite a while since I last wrote a post on this blog. That is mainly due to my busy schedule, which has been taken over by school and other extracurricular activities. I wanted to write this post because I’ve recently been wrapping up a huge project. I’ve talked briefly about this project in the past, but now that it is on the edge of completion, I have an opportunity to explain it in full.

I’ve been a Girl Scout all throughout middle- and high-school. The highest award a Girl Scout can earn (this is sort of akin to an Eagle Scout project) is the Gold Award. Over the past two years, I’ve been working to obtain this award. It has been a very difficult and time-consuming task. The covid-19 pandemic threw a real wrinkle in my plans.

In order to earn this award, the girl must define a problem in her community and combat that issue. I wanted to create and lead creative writing workshops for local middle-school students who had a passion for this subject. This idea was inspired by my own love of the craft, but the experience that truly set me on this course took place on this very blog.

In September of 2019, I had an idea for a blog post. For this post, I wanted to talk about what it was like to be a teenage writer and the challenges I faced. After playing around with the concept, I decided it would be better to interview other young writers and get their thoughts. I reached out to a group of teenage writers on Instagram, and I was amazed by the responses I got. Their answers brought to light some issues I never would have considered. They forced me to ask myself, “Could I do anything to improve these difficulties?” And hence an idea was imprinted on my mind. If you would like to read the post that inspired this project, please click here.

Throughout fall 2019, I began fleshing out my project and compiling resources. I watched videos, read books and articles, and talked to educators and authors about creative writing. I researched how to run a program and improved my public speaking skills. One of the requirements for a Gold Award project is creating a “global link”—What national or global issue does my project deal with? I zeroed in on education, and asked questions such as: “What life-long skills can students gain from creative writing?” and “Should teachers and educators encourage students to pursue their academic passions more often?” In the end, this is the statement I created:

My Gold Award highlights the importance of education, specifically in English language arts and creative writing. Many students dread school and learning, but basic communication skills are the foundation of academic success. My project focused on creativity writing because it is a passion of mine, and I saw a need for more community between young writers. Even though my project was restricted to a particular niche, many of the skills the students acquired have real-world applications that are universal. Such skills include: brainstorming, organizing ideas, goal-setting, time management, teamwork, and writing and editing skills. Throughout my workshops, the students were able to truly invest themselves in their education by starting with an area they were deeply passionate about—creative writing. If we encourage the youth of today to pursue their academic interests, they can apply those skills to other areas of their education (particularly areas they struggle to enjoy). By changing our approach to teaching, we can inspire students all over the world to value learning and take responsibility for their education.

After organizing my research, I began to develop the writing workshop and entitled it “The Teen R.E.A.L. Writer Workshop”. R.E.A.L. stands for Reading, Empowering, Achieving, and Learning. These were the principles my workshop was built on. I made sure to implement activities that put these principles into practice. I divided my curriculum into eight lessons. These lessons included the following topics: creativity, plot, characters, world-building, theme, literature, the first draft, the highs and lows of being a writer, empowering other writers, and the editing process. Once I had a solid course outline, I received feedback from trusted friends and authors. Finally, after it had been revised, I pitched it to the head of my library’s youth services department. Together, we fleshed out the program by creating flyers, accumulating supplies, and answering questions like “How many students can we accompany?” and “What age group would this program be best suited for?” People were signing up for the workshop, and I was putting the final touches on my lesson plans. After months of planning, the workshop was just a few short weeks away. The first week of the program went well. The students were responding to the curriculum and seemed engaged. Then spring of 2020 happened, and things went downhill.

The first lesson of my program took place two days before the world was essentially shut down due to the covid-19 pandemic. Throughout the quarantine, I was in contact with members of my local library, trying to gauge if/when I’d be able to continue my workshops. In the summer of 2020, I held the workshop over Zoom. I was glad I still had the opportunity to complete my project, but the turn out for this workshop was not as good as the first. Being online also limited some of the activities I was able to do. Originally, I’d only planned to run one workshop, but after covid, I decided I really wanted to lead an in person class. So in the fall of 2020, I contacted a local homeschool co-op and asked if I could teach an abbreviated portion of my workshop to their middle-school class. They agreed, and the students and I spent three weeks studying character, plot, and genre as they developed and wrote their own short stories. It was a very rewarding experience, and I got to watch as they gained confidence in themselves and their writing abilities.

After that workshop concluded, I was hoping to run another for some local Girl Scout troops. Unfortunately, many troops in my area had stopped meeting due to covid-19. Those workshops did not transpire, but I reached my goal of leading an in person program. I also hit the required 80 hours of work needed to complete my project.

The hard part is basically over. For the last couple of months, I’ve been focused on tying up loose ends. I filled out my final paperwork and answered questions about my project. A few weeks ago, I submitted it to the Girl Scout Council. This marks a huge milestone, and I’m now waiting to receive final approval.

I wanted to include a bulleted list of some of the skills I learned while completing this project, so here they are:

• Projects do not always go according to plan: I am a planner—I love knowing what’s going to happen next. When I am not adhering to a schedule, I am easily distracted and overwhelmed. I am anxious that I will forget something or have a day of low productivity. Because of this fear, I did everything I could to make this project “perfect”, but I have learned that perfection is a sorry goal. There is no such thing as a perfect project. There will always be something that could have gone better. Once I was exposed to this truth, my project went twenty times smoother. I stopped obsessing about what could have been, and focused on what I could do with the circumstances I was presented.

• Feedback from others is incredibly valuable: I have always been a solitary worker. I prefer to work by myself. I like being in charge. This project forced me to collaborate with others. I needed their skills, feedback, and experience to make the most of my workshops. Teamwork was not an option; it was a necessity.

• Public speaking skills are important; take advantage of every opportunity to practice them: I have a love-hate relationship with public speaking, but this project has allowed me to improve my communication skills. I’ve always admired those who can stand in front of a crowd and sound as if they are having a conversation with their closest friend. This eloquence is a trait I hope to develop. My Gold Award Project played a part in helping me to achieve that goal.

• Being a good teacher means being patient and encouraging: I’m not the most patient or encouraging person, but this project forced me to further develop these virtues. Throughout my workshops, some of the students struggled and were visibly nervous about sharing their work. Finding the perfect balance of patience and encouragement to help them along was a challenge, but it was a valuable experience in the long run.

Thank you so much for reading this post! This project has been very time-consuming, yet incredibly rewarding. Being able to share this experience with others is a joy.

It has been a pleasure writing for you, and until next time—stay weird and stay writing. - Lexi