Girl Scouts Gold Award Hours: The 80-Hour Project, Step by Step

Who can start

Registered Girl Scout Seniors or Ambassadors in grades 9-12. Most councils also ask for the Silver Award or a Senior or Ambassador Journey first. Your council's Gold Award committee has the final word, so check its guide.

The 80-hour Take Action project

Your project must:

• Address a root cause of an issue you care about, not just a symptom;
• have a national or global link;
• show your leadership of a team;
• be sustainable, so the impact lasts after you finish;
• be measurable, so you can show what changed.

The steps

1. Investigate an issue in your community and find its root cause.
2. Build your team and find a project adviser.
3. Write your proposal and present it to your council for approval.
4. Take action, leading your team and logging your hours.
5. Evaluate your impact, then submit your final report.

Tracking your 80 hours

• Count your own time: research, planning, meetings, building and teaching others all count.
• Log it the same day: date, what you did, hours and who you worked with.
• Keep proof: photos, emails and notes from your adviser help in your final report.

In My Award Tracker, pick the Girl Scouts Gold Award goal and tag project activities with “Girl Scouts Awards”. You see your hours out of 80, the weekly pace to your deadline, and a brag sheet and portfolio when you are done.

Frequently asked questions