Change the world, Girl Scout.
Gold Award Girl Scouts are rock stars, role models, and real-life heroes. How do they do it? By using everything they’ve learned as a Girl Scout to solve a problem in their community or make a lasting change in their world.
How does a Girl Scout earn her Gold Award? Seniors and Ambassadors who want to earn the Gold Award build a team of trusted adults, peers, and leaders in their community to guide them through challenges and support their success.
Plus? Nothing beats that feeling of seeing real, lasting, and sustainable change and knowing it was you who made it happen. It changes the way you see your place in the world—and how the world sees you.
You can become a Gold Award Girl Scout if you:
- Are in ninth, tenth, eleventh, or twelfth grade
- Are a registered Girl Scout Senior or Ambassador
- Have completed the Silver Award, a Senior/Ambassador Leadership Award, or a Senior/Ambassador Journey
How to earn the Girl Scout Gold Award
- Take the self-paced online training located in gsLearn, you can fill out our form to request Older Girl access to gsLearn. Troops or Service Units can also request a thirty to sixty-minute Q&A session to brainstorm ideas and answer questions only after the Girl Scouts have completed the online training. The Training by Request form can be found HERE.
- Find an issue that you care about (in your community, or out in the world).
- Learn everything you can about that issue through research and trusted sources.
- Think about the root cause of an issue, then make a plan of how you could tackle it.
- Form a team by identifying experts and people in your
community who could help you.
-
Think about the root cause of an issue, then make a plan of how you could tackle it.
- Create an account with Go Gold: This is the platform where you will fill out and submit your project proposal and your final project report.
- Fill out and submit your project proposal with Go Gold for feedback and approval before beginning the work on your project. You will receive feedback within three weeks. A maximum of 20 hours of research and planning can be completed before your proposal is approved. Any hours over the twenty allowed will not count towards the 80 hours required.
- After you review the feedback regarding your proposal, lead your team and carry out your plan. Submit your final project report on the Go Gold platform.
-
Reflect on the change you’ve created in your community and the world, share your story, and inspire others to make a difference, too.
Resources 
Highest Award Prerequisites
Scholarship Information
Girl Scouts Heart of Central California (GSHCC) is proud to offer three scholarship opportunities to graduating girls who have earned their Girl Scout Gold Award. These scholarships are cultivated by GSHCC to support Gold Award Girl Scouts in pursuing continued education. Girl Scouts can apply the scholarship to two-year or four-year programs. Visit the application pages for more detailed information on the requirements for each scholarship. Paper applications will not be accepted. The due date for all scholarships is typically in April.
Girl Scouts Heart of Central California Board of Directors’ Gold Award Scholarship
Kristin Anne Chapman-Elbon Memorial STEM Scholarship
Go Gold Scholarship
National Opportunities for Gold Award Scholarships
Hey, grownups!
When you support Girl Scouts earning their Gold Award, you’ll help them see their own power and be by their side as they make a lasting change in their community. Download a guide to get started today.
