Girl Scouts of Western New York is proud to announce Maysa Khan of Clarence Center, NY, as a 2023 Gold Award Girl Scout. Maysa is a member of Troop 30943-D.

Project: Improving Acceptance in Younger Kids

For my Gold Award project, I made a small comic for children on how to navigate racial sensitivity in school. As a kid, I was often made to feel othered at school because my family is Muslim, and we are South Asian. For my project, I wanted to help any other kids like me avoid feeling the same way, and instead promote unity among peers regardless of race. It was distributed at my school in Buffalo, New York, and my principal let me know that it was a “learning tool” helping students “navigate these incredibly important conversations during their formative years”.

About the Girl Scout 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.