Fabulous Feedback!

We had our Silver Award Training last week, and a couple days ago, I got this from a leader:

"I have one girl in my troop already with an idea for her silver award, she is very excited about it and I want to run it by you to see your thoughts. She walks to school every day (7th grade)and says she has a big problem crossing the street near the school. There is a lot of traffic passing this crosswalk in the morning with parents who have dropped off their kids. The problem she said is there are so many cars it's hard to cross the street, many parents make u-turns were the crosswalk is and she has had times when a car will stop for her but the driver in the next lane isn't paying attention and keeps driving through the cross walk. 

"My troop girl said she wants to talk with the principal of the school, involve the police officer in charge of the school area and find out who at the city level she could talk to to find a solution"

And here was my response:

			I think this is a fabulous project!   Have her go thru the steps, so she can focus her thoughts and work her way thru. Issue: child safety in crosswalk Root cause: rude drivers? Idiot drivers? Lack of signage? Lack of street paint/speedbumps? Who can help address the issue? What agency will she work thru? Who is her team? Girls in school? Kids and parents who use the crosswalk? How can she educate the team and the community about the issue? Can she find out how other schools deal with traffic? Research Create her project! Make a plan Lead the way to make change. (Measure success PD stats could help) Celebrate success. Talk about who will sustain her work. Talk about the long lasting effects of the change. Talk about the global issue - other schools in other communities. I am VERY excited to hear what this girl decides to do. And most gratified that it is not, yet again, a puppy project!  or binkie project!   or neo-natal project!  or birthday in a box....!  This girl is truly wanting to TAKE ACTION!