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SILVER TREFOIL AWARD
The Silver Trefoil Award is a GSCNC award that focuses on community service. A girl may receive this award by providing 100 hours of service in the Washington Metropolitan community in the following areas:
Government (25 hours, 15 of which must be for federal offices or agencies)
International (25 hours)
Girl Scouts (50 hours, 10 of which must be to the council)
By giving service to the international community, state, local and federal
governments, and to GSCNC, a girl may increase her awareness and learn the following:
How Girl Scout program operates beyond the troop level;
The inner workings of federal and local governments;
The variety of services that international agencies provide;
The specialized careers involved in local, state and federal government,
as well as the international community.
Service opportunities in many of these areas are unique to the Washington D.C.
area. All service must be performed within the council's jurisdiction (*see
below for exceptions to this rule).
PROCESS FOR EARNING THE SILVER TREFOIL AWARD:
A girl must be a currently registered Teen Girl Scout, or in grades
6-12.
As of August 2004, a girl can begin to work on the hours towards the
Silver Trefoil after she has bridged from Junior Girl Scouts (in other words,
when she becomes a Teen or Cadette Girl Scout).
A girl may do no more than one-half of the total number of hours required
for this award in the Cadette (ages 11-14) age group. A girl may only earn 50
of the total 100 hours required to earn this award when she is between the ages
of 11-14. The rest of the 50 hours must be completed in the Senior (ages 14-17)
age group.
The members of the Silver Trefoil Advisory Board are listed in each
issue of TTG. A girl may call one of them for project guidance or consult your
Troop Advisor.
To receive the Silver Trefoil recognition, a girl must send your final
report form to GSCNC to be received by April 1, or the first business day after
that if the first falls on a weekend, to be recognized at the annual GSCNC ceremony
that spring.
The GSCNC Silver Trefoil Award is worn on the uniform vest or sash
below the Brownie Girl Scout Wings to the right or left of the Bridge to Senior
Girl Scouts.
A girl has until September 30 following her 12th grade year to complete
the award.
REQUIREMENTS FOR COMPLETION OF THE SILVER TREFOIL AWARD
All requirements must be done in the council's jurisdiction with two
exceptions:
If a girl is working on government hours, her state government hours
may be done in Richmond or Annapolis if she lives in Virginia or Maryland, respectively.
If a girl is providing service to the Girl Scout Council of the Nation's
Capital and that service is performed outside the council jurisdiction (such
as serving as a council delegate at the Girl Scout National Convention).
Keep an accurate record of dates and hours of service.
All service hours must be completed prior to submission of the final report.
The final report can be found in the 2003 edition of Kaleidoscope,
or it can be downloaded below.
INTERNATIONAL (25 hours required):
Must be service to and direct experience with an international group or individual.
Painting faces at an international fair is not the same as being part of an
international exhibit or working with an embassy and would not qualify as international
service. The goal is to learn about culture and traditions of another country.
Some important things to remember:
It must be service hours. A girl cannot count
hours spent emailing an exchange student who will be coming to stay with her
this summer or writing to a pen pal because that is not considered service.
However, a girl can count the hours she spends showing the exchange student
around the girl's hometown and teaching him or her about U.S. culture.
Service must take place within the council's jurisdiction.
International hours must benefit the local international community
and may not take place outside the council jurisdiction. This is a council
award designed to benefit the local community. The Washington DC metro
area is unique; there is a huge international population that exists here.
The Silver Trefoil recognizes this uniqueness and may help a girl become
introduced to it through her service.
Some examples may include:
Help with GSCNC's linguistic outreach program, tutoring ESOL students,
clothing drives
Serve as an in-transit hostess or host a foreign exchange student
Assist International Red Cross in making refugee packets
Help with International festivals, museums or exhibits if you work
directly with an international organization
See below for more international service hour ideas.
GOVERNMENT (25 hours):
Any combination of 25 hours for Federal, State or Local government, of which
at least 15 must be at the Federal level
Federal Government - 15 hours
Any service to a federal office or agency can be applied towards this award.
Some examples include:
Serve as a Congressional Aide (see information in Kaleidoscope)
Federal service in the local community (courts, local congressional
office)
Service during the Inaugural parade/activities
Service during special events at Smithsonian activities (watch for
announcements in TTG or contact the Smithsonian museum in which you are
interested)
Service with any Federal Government Agency or Federal Agency program including
any of the "Keepers" programs (see TTG)
State and local government - 10 hours
A girl may choose to do all of her hours at the federal level, but if she chooses
to provide service to the state or local Governments, a maximum of 10 hours
may be counted.
Provide service to local or state government office or agencies or non-partisan
civic organizations such as the League of Women Voters.
GIRL SCOUTS (50 hours):
Any combination of 50 hours of which 10 must be service directly to the council.
Girl Scout Council of the Nation's Capital
Any service given directly to the council.
Some examples include:
Serve on the GSCNC Board of Directors, Silver Trefoil Advisory Board,
Gold Award Panel or other council committees
Serve on special event committees (Eco-Expo or Keepers of the Night)
Volunteer on the day of a large event such as Leaderfest or the GSCNC
Annual Meeting
Volunteer for a Summer Day or Evening Program or Core Camp
Volunteer for office work in council shop, mobile shop, or Registration
department
Service Area, Service Unit, or Association - 40 hours
If a girl chooses to give service to the Service Area, Service Unit or Association,
a maximum of 40 hours may be counted.
Some examples include:
Plan a Service Unit encampment and/or help out during the event
Assist leader in a Daisy, Brownie, or Junior troop
Provide administrative assistance to a Service Unit
Serve as an Association delegate
Serve on an Association committee
GUIDELINES FOR SERVICE:
The emphasis of the Silver Trefoil Award is on the quality of the
experience and development of skills. This is best achieved by serving multiple
hours with one organization versus limited hours with several organizations.
For example, 10 hours of service to one organization is more meaningful than
1 hour given to each of 10 organizations.
The same service hours cannot be applied to more than one award or
recognition. Service counted for any other award or recognition cannot be used
for the Silver Trefoil Award. However, service hours may be divided between
awards or recognitions. For example, of the 40 hours of service as a Congressional
Aide, 25 may be applied toward the Silver Trefoil and the remaining 15 applied
toward another award.
Individual girls who are members of a Girl Scout troop may work together
on service but each individual girl must complete all of the required hours.
(i.e. each girl may only count the hours she has worked)
Hours for which a girl is paid may not be counted as service hours.
For instance, working at a community outreach camp for pay cannot count. However,
work at a core camp can be counted because this is a money-earning activity
for the troop rather than the individual.
GSUSA program standards #33 and #35 state that Girl Scouts cannot raise
money for other organizations or work for partisan political organizations.
Therefore, volunteer service to raise money or for political campaigns
will not be counted toward the Silver Trefoil Award.
The Silver
Trefoil Award Final Report Form can be found in the Teen Girl Scout Forms Section
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