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Become a Bronze Award Girl Scouts

Girl Scouts earning their Bronze Award

Hey Juniors! This one’s for you! When you team up with your troop to make a difference in your community, you can earn the Girl Scout Bronze Award, one of the highest awards in Girl Scouting. You’ve got this Girl Scout! Download the Bronze Award guidelines to find out how.

Need even more? Click here to launch an at-home activity to do with your troop. Hosted by a 2019 National Gold Award Girl Scout, she'll get them started playing as community detectives.

Girl Scout Bronze Award pin
You can become a Bronze Award Girl Scout if:
 
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You're in fourth or fifth grade (or equivalent)
 

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You're a registered Girl Scout Junior
 

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You have completed a Junior Journey

Girl Scout Bronze Award Steps

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Build your Girl Scout Junior team.
 

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Explore your community.
 

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Choose your Bronze Award project.
 

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Make a plan.
 

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Put your plan in motion.
 

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Spread the word.

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Projects must be completed by September 30th after you finish 5th grade.

 


Hey Grownups!

When you support Girl Scouts earning their Bronze Award, you’ll help them see their own power and be by their side as they make a lasting change in their community. Use this guide to get started!

Download (PDF) English | Español


Girl Scout Bronze Award Adult Resources

Bronze Award Pins, Patches, Certificates and memorabilia are available for individual purchase in the Girl Scout Shop.

FAQ

Can you explain why Journeys must be completed before earning the Girl Scout Bronze Award? 
By completing Journeys, girls get to experience the level of commitment needed to earn the highest awards available to Girl Scouts. They’ll gain valuable skills, and be better prepared to develop, plan, and implement the Take Action project needed to earn their Bronze, Silver or Gold Award.

How do you define a "completed" Journey? 
When a Girl Scout develops and carries out her Take Action project, she earns her Journey awards and her Journey is considered complete.

How are the guidelines for the Bronze Awards different from those for the Journeys? 
Take Action projects related to Journeys give girls predetermined themes for their projects. But Take Action projects for Girl Scouting’s highest awards have no predesigned theme; girls choose their own.

How many hours of involvement are needed to earn the award? 
Each project is unique, so the time necessary to take the project from planning to sharing to completion varies. The nature of the project, size of the team, and degree of community support will all effect the amount of time needed to complete a given project. The focus should be on delivering a high-quality project rather than the number of hours necessary to achieve it.

  • However, after Journey requirements are met, the suggested minimum number of work hours is 20.

Are troops allowed to work together toward a Bronze Award?
For the Bronze Award, girls must work together in a team setting. There is no maximum team size, however, the scope of the project should be taken into consideration. A big project should have a big team and a smaller project a smaller team. If you have a large troop, consider splitting into smaller teams to work on several projects. If you have a small troop or are an individually registered girl (Juliette) consider teaming with another small troop or other Juliettes.

Are girls allowed to begin working toward their awards over the summer?
Yes. Girls can start working toward their awards after they bridge, or transition, to the next Girl Scout level.

Can Girl Scouting itself be the subject of a Bronze Award?
Girls may focus on the Girl Scout Movement when planning Take Action projects for the Girl Scout Bronze Award.

Can a girl earn her award if she moves after beginning her Take Action project?
We encourage councils and Overseas Committees to be flexible and to take girls’ best interests into account. Whenever possible, a girl should continue to work with her council or Overseas Committee to complete her project.

Can volunteers, council staff, and parents use the adult guides
Any participating adult working directly with girls toward achieving their awards is encouraged to use the adult guides.

Are there different requirements for girls with disabilities?
No. The requirements are the same for every Girl Scout. Because work toward Girl Scout Bronze Award is to be done to the best of a girl’s ability, there is no need to have special requirements for girls with disabilities. Simply encourage flexibility and engage advisors that will work with the girl individually.

Does the Bronze Award Project need to be a sustainable project?
Sustainability is encouraged but not mandatory for Girl Scout Juniors working toward their Bronze Awards.

Can you explain what you mean by “sustainable project”?
A sustainable project is one that lasts after the girl’s participation ends. By concentrating on education and raising awareness, girls can make sure a project takes on a life of its own. Projects that involve hands-on learning sessions and workshops, as well as those that include collaboration with community groups, civic associations, nonprofit agencies, local government, and/or religious organizations are the most likely to continue being relevant beyond a girl’s involvement.

Do you have any recommendations to help ensure girls initiate high-quality award projects?
You can help ensure a girl is doing her best to create a high-quality Take Action project by helping her and her project advisor understand the difference between a one-time community service opportunity and a sustainable Girl Scout Bronze Award Take Action project. The troop/group volunteer or council staff member should work with the girl to make sure that her project meets the quality requirements of the award.

How is project impact measured?
Referring to the matrix provided in the award guidelines, girls can use “success indicators” to help identify project goals in relation to their communities, target audiences, and themselves.

Bronze Award Pin Request Form

Junior Leaders, please use this form to tell us at Girl Scouts Heart of Central California a little about your Troop's Bronze Award project and to request the official Bronze Award Pin for your Junior Girl Scouts.

GSHCC Bronze Award Pin Request