Silver Award

Have you submitted a Silver Award Final Report since April 2, 2011?  Make sure that GSCNC has your name on file and spelled correctly by checking here.  If your name is on the list but is spelled incorrectly, please contact Raquel at rarellano@gscnc.org.

All girls who appear on the list will be recognized in the Spring 2012 Awards Yearbook.  Please note that the names currently on the list are those of girls whose paperwork was received between April 2, 2011 and December 5, 2011.  We’ll publish an updated list in Spring 2012 for girls whose paperwork is received after December 5, 2011. 

The Girl Scout Silver Award is the highest national award that a Girl Scout in grades 6-8 can earn.  Interested in learning more about the Girl Scout Silver Award?  You've come to the right place! 

Trying to decide which pathway is best for you?  View the GSCNC Silver Award PowerPoint to help you get started!

Pathway GSLE

GSLE stands for the "Girl Scout Leadership Experience," where girls discover, connect and take action to become leaders in their communities.  Before starting work on your Silver Award under Pathway GSLE, you must:

• Complete one Cadette Journey

To ensure that girls develop the planning, problem solving and critical thinking skills that they will need in order to create and complete a successful Silver Award project, GSCNC strongly recommends that girls follow the steps for each of the sample sessions outlined in the Advisor Guide for their chosen Journey.  This includes completing a take-action project, which will serve as great practice for their Silver Award!

While it is possible to work through a Journey in a shorter amount of time, in order to be fully prepared to work on the Silver Award (and eventually the Gold Award), working through all of the sessions is advised.

Once you have completed your Journey, you must engage in a Take Action Project that addresses a root issue that you're interested in, has an impact outside of your immediate community, and is sustainable.  It is suggested that you spend a minimum of 50 hours on the project.  The 50 hour guideline does not include time spent on your Journey.  Your troop leader can approve your Take Action project.  You do not need council approval.

To complete your Silver Award using Pathway GSLE, please use the following resources:

• Silver Award Girl Guide (PDF) (Word)
• Silver Award Adult Guide (PDF) (Word)
• Silver Award Final Report Form--Pathway GSLE (PDF) (Word)

Click here for Frequently Asked Questions about Pathway GSLE awards.

Pathway B

If you are using this pathway to earn your Silver Award, please remember that your project must receive your troop leader's approval to begin no later than September 30, 2011.  This is in accordance with the GSUSA guidelines which require all councils to phase out the Pathway B awards requirements. 

Before starting work on your Silver Award project under Pathway B, you must earn the:

• Girl Scout Silver Leadership Award
• Girl Scout Silver Career Award
• Girl Scout Silver 4Bs Challenge

Once you have earned these awards, you must spend 40 hours on the Silver Award project.   Up to 10 hours from your Silver 4Bs Challenge may be counted towards this 40 hour total.  Complete details about earning the award can be found in the STUDIO 2B Go For It! Insert to STUDIO 2B Basics. Your troop leader can approve your project.  You do not need council approval. 

If you have not yet begun to earn the Pathway B prerequisites, GSCNC strongly suggests that you earn your Silver Award using the Pathway GSLE guidelines. 

Click here for Girl Scout Silver Award Project Steps to Completion.

Click here for the Silver Award Report Form--Pathway B.

Eligibility

• The Silver Award can be earned by any registered Girl Scout Cadette.

General Guidelines

• The project should meet a need in the community. The project can be someone else's idea, but it must be planned, organized and implemented by you.
• You must plan your project carefully, identifying those whom you will help, those who will help you, and those who will work with you to complete the project.
• You may design and complete a Silver Award project with one or more Girl Scout Cadette partners. Each of you must be responsible for doing one specific piece of the project, and each must spend the full number of required hours on your portion of the project.
• Projects must adhere to all GSUSA and GSCNC standards. You should consult Volunteer Essentials and the Safety Activity Checkpoints. Please remember to pay particular attention to the sections on permission slips, food allergies, and having a first aider present at your event.
• If you choose Pathway B, you may count up to ten hours spent on the Silver 4Bs Challenge towards the Silver Award Project.

Completion Procedures

• You may begin working on the prerequisites as soon as you bridge to or register as a Girl Scout Cadette.
• The Silver Award project can be approved by the troop advisor. It does not need council approval. However, if a troop advisor has questions about whether a project is appropriate or should be approved, she/he may contact the Teen Program Specialist at (202) 237-1670 ext 236.
• Complete the Silver Award Report Form. You must use the current form.
• Return completed form to any GSCNC Shop to purchase the Girl Scout Silver Award pin. A list of girls who have completed the requirements for the Silver Award is published periodically on our website, as well as in the GSCNC Award Yearbook each spring.  The deadline for submission of forms if a girl wishes to be listed in the yearbook is March 15 of each year.

Click here for the Court of Awards, where you can see the names of girls who have earned the Silver Award.