Audubon Center Silver Award Project

"Mitchell Lake Audubon Center on Saturday hosted a ceremony where 7 girls received a Girl Scout Silver Award.  All 7 girls were mentored by a renowned local artist in creating a visual art exhibit, 'Leave the Lake Cleaner than You found It.'  The artwork was built entirely from trash collected over a 3-month period, and will be used by the center as part of its expensive educational program for area students. 

The artwork also included the construction of four speed limit signs for the area surrounding the Center.  One of the key goals of Girl Scout projects now is sustainability, doing a project that inspires other people to take action themselves to make a difference."

Okay, so I don't give this one the "project-lite" moniker, but I do have to hope that there was a bit more to the project than what was reported online.  How does this project translate into the new Journey Project guidelines?  How could it work in Orange County?

First off the girls started with a clear issue:  protecting the environment.  They partnered with a strong non-profit who served a specific need in the community.  And to make it more interesting, they found a creative partner in the local artist.  Let's hope that they did their research about the Center and the area it serves, as well as other local non-profits that address the same need.

Second, in the new Silver rules, only 2 or 3 girls may work as a team.  This is to ensure that each girl has the opportunity to take leadership in the project.  And leadership is not the same as picking up trash!  

Third, I wonder if the girls had the opportunity to take the lead and develop clean-up days at the Center?  Were they able to use existing literature at the Center to educate those who came to help collect trash?  Or were they able to find an opportunity to fill a need for a specific population who visited the Center, and create new information that could be used over and over?  Just picking up trash or building signs is not enough.

Fourth, I like the art piece!  There's a story to tell there, every time someone views it.  It's about the local artist, but it's also about the girls and other volunteers who picked up the trash and sorted it.  I hope that the girls had a piece of the unveiling ceremony where they could tell the public about what they did and what they learned.  I think there really needs to be a connection between the art, the issue and the public that the girls could research/create.

Fifth, who was their team?  Since there were 7 of them, they were probably the team, but who did they lead?  Did they take turns leading the project?  Did they assign specific and separate responsibilities to each task and hold each other accountable?  Did they work cooperatively and learn together?  How did they solve disputes and disagreements?  Remember, the Leadership Model is girl led, learn by doing and cooperative learning!

Finally, they had what many don't have at the end of their project, a big way to celebrate!  And this was a very public celebration:  great for GS public relations, great for younger girls to see the older girls doing BIG things and great for the girls who accomplished the goal they set out to achieve.  

The bar has been raised!  Are your girls reaching higher?