Girl Scouts of Western New York is proud to announce Cayla Mendetta as a 2024 Gold Award Girl Scout.

Project: Harmony in the Dark

My project is to help spread knowledge, help others, both kids as well as adults, to understand just how important bats are. Bats have over 1,500 different subspecies, and within those subspecies nearly 1/3 of them are threatened or endangered due to people intruding in their homes, as well as deforestation. So I worked with classes at BOCES to make bat boxes to help provide an undisturbed habitat.  The bat boxes were put up in 8 different locations and my bat presentation, that was printed and put in a binder, will stay with my teacher. My Gold Award made a positive impact globally by helping provide the most important pest control and pollinators with safe roosts.

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.