Girl Scouts of Western New York is proud to announce Jamie Meyer of Akron, NY, as a 2021 Gold Award Girl Scout. Jamie is from Troop 30620 and has been a member of Girl Scouts for 12 years.

What Jamie said about Girl Scouts

Over the years, Girl Scouts has made me realize how important it is to make a difference in your community and help out others. It also taught me how be a leader as well as a good role model for younger kids.

Project: Pet Accessible Waste System (PAWS)

For my Gold Award, I made pet waste disposal boxes for the bike path in my town. My project was located in Akron and Newstead, NY. I collaborated with the Akron Town Board, the Newstead Town Board, and BCI. I chose my project because while walking my dog, I noticed that there was too much dog waste that was bad for our environment. I decided to make disposal bins to help clean up our town and have a better environment.

My project impacted my community because now there’s no more pet waste on the bike path and people feel good about their surroundings. I planned and then presented my project to both the Akron and Newstead Town Boards, then I built the boxes by cutting the wood, sanding it down, and painting them. Finally, I went to different locations on the bike path and distributed the bins.

About the Gold Award

The Gold Award project is the culmination of all the work a girl puts into “going for the Gold.” A Girl Scout’s project should be something that a girl can be passionate about—in thought, deed, and action that encompasses organizational, leadership, and networking skills. The project should also fulfill a need within a girl’s community (whether local or global) and create change that has the potential to be on-going or sustainable. Approximately 80 hours of community service are involved in the project. Completion of the Gold Award also qualifies the Girl Scout for special scholarship opportunities and she can enlist in the military at a higher starting pay grade.

The Girl Scout Gold Award, the most prestigious award in the world for girls, acknowledges the power behind each recipient’s dedication to not only empowering and bettering herself, but also to making the world a better place for others. These young women are courageous leaders and visionary change makers.

The Gold Award requires a Girl Scout to identify an issue and investigate it to understand what can be done to address the problem. The girl then forms a team to act as a support system, including a project advisor close to the issue who is not a troop leader or family member, while she leads the project. The Girl Scout creates a plan to ensure they know what steps they must tackle while working on the project. The Girl Scout submits a proposal for her project to her local Girl Scout council. After acceptance, the girl begins to work through the steps of their plan utilizing the assistance of her support team where necessary. Lastly, the project is used to educate and inspire others about the cause they are addressing.

For more information on the Gold Award, click here.