Ep 145 Creating Historic Lamont: Amelia's Gold Award Journey
Hearts Of Gold - Reflections from Gold Award Girl Scouts
Release Date: 09/19/2024
Ep 149 From Art to Action: A Girl Scout's Journey to Combat Single-Use Plastics
Hearts Of Gold - Reflections from Gold Award Girl Scouts
Full transcription available at Jackie shares her inspiring journey of earning the Girl Scout Gold Award through her project titled "Single-Use Less Plastic." She discusses her advocacy against single-use plastic pollution, highlighting the importance of public policy, education, and art in driving change. Jackie reflects on how the COVID-19 lockdown prompted her to notice the overwhelming amount of plastic waste generated by her family, leading her to participate in the Plastic Free July challenge. She created an art curriculum inspired by artist Aurora Robson, teaching students to make...
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Ep 148 Empowering Neurodiversity: Piya's Journey to the Girl Scout Gold Award
Hearts Of Gold - Reflections from Gold Award Girl Scouts
Full transcription available at http://heartsofgoldpodcast.com/ Piya's project focused on increasing education and awareness around neurodiversity advocacy, a topic that is close to her heart. She began by founding her school's first neurodiversity affinity group, creating a safe space for neurodivergent youth. Piya shared her journey of developing workshops and assemblies for both her peers and teachers, emphasizing the importance of updated training on neurodiversity. With the support of her school's learning support team and feedback from neurodivergent students, she was able to...
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Ep 147 Empowering Voices: Mikenna and the Silver Stories Podcast
Hearts Of Gold - Reflections from Gold Award Girl Scouts
Full transcription available at http://heartsofgoldpodcast.com/ Mikenna shares how she created a platform to record and share the authentic stories of seniors in her community, which she then uploaded to YouTube and a dedicated website. She also made personalized booklets for each senior interviewed, ensuring they had a tangible copy of their story. Mikenna's journey began with her long-standing visits to a local nursing home, where she built meaningful relationships with the residents. Her project expanded beyond her initial nursing home to include another facility, capturing a diverse...
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Ep 146 Healing Through Toys: Sammie's Journey to Support Uvalde Survivors
Hearts Of Gold - Reflections from Gold Award Girl Scouts
Full transcription available at http://heartsofgoldpodcast.com/ Sammie, a remarkable Girl Scout who shares her journey of earning the prestigious Girl Scout Gold Award. Sammie's project, Sammy's Toy Drive, was inspired by the tragic shooting at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas. Initially starting as a simple toy drive, it evolved into a full-fledged nonprofit organization aimed at supporting survivors of gun violence through healing events and community building. Sammie detailed the emotional and logistical challenges she faced, including the initial rejection of her first project...
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Ep 145 Creating Historic Lamont: Amelia's Gold Award Journey
Hearts Of Gold - Reflections from Gold Award Girl Scouts
Full transcription available at http://heartsofgoldpodcast.com/ Amelia developed an app called Historic Lamont, a location-aware walking tour app that highlights the hidden historical gems of her hometown, Lamont, a suburb of Chicago. Inspired by a limited-availability walking tour from the Lamont Historical Society, Amelia wanted to make local history more accessible to everyone in her community. Amelia shared fascinating historical facts she uncovered, such as the local metro station witnessing President Lincoln's funeral train and being a site of the Lamont Massacre. She detailed the...
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Ep 144 Building United Communities: Camilla's Gold Award Project
Hearts Of Gold - Reflections from Gold Award Girl Scouts
Full transcription available at http://heartsofgoldpodcast.com/ Camilla's project aims to build more united communities by educating people about different Asian cultures through workshops, YouTube vlogs, and a beautifully illustrated book. Camilla shared that her project was prompted by the rise in Asian hate crimes during the pandemic, which motivated her to use education as a tool to foster understanding and empathy. She detailed the three components of her project: interactive workshops at YMCA branches, vlogs exploring various Asian communities in Los Angeles, and her book, which...
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Ep 143 - Solving Overcrowded Shelters: Neha's Gold Award Journey
Hearts Of Gold - Reflections from Gold Award Girl Scouts
Full transcription available at http://heartsofgoldpodcast.com/ Neha's project, centered around dogs and the issue of overcrowded shelters, led her to create a nonprofit called Pawprints. The nonprofit focuses on raising awareness about the importance of microchipping and GPS tracking collars to prevent dogs from getting lost and ending up in shelters. Neha shared her personal connection to the project, including her experience rescuing her dog Aggie, who was saved from euthanasia at an overcrowded shelter. She discussed the educational materials she created, which include information...
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Ep 142 Championing Bird Conservation: Adoriam's Gold Award Journey
Hearts Of Gold - Reflections from Gold Award Girl Scouts
Full transcription available at http://heartsofgoldpodcast.com/ Adoriam, a passionate Girl Scout, shares her inspiring journey of earning the Girl Scout Gold Award. Adoriam’s project focused on addressing the declining bird population in Houston, a city that ranks as the second worst in America for migratory birds. Through her project, she aimed to educate the community about the importance of being bird-friendly by conducting workshops, creating videos, and providing resources. Adoriam’s interest in conservation was sparked by her involvement in the Glenn Miller Agriculture...
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Ep 141 Revamping Animal Shelter Trails: Savannah's Gold Award Journey
Hearts Of Gold - Reflections from Gold Award Girl Scouts
Full transcription available at http://heartsofgoldpodcast.com/ Savannah, a dedicated Girl Scout who shared her journey of earning the prestigious Girl Scout Gold Award. Savannah's project focused on improving the trails at her local animal shelter. She identified the need for better-marked trails to help volunteers and visitors navigate the area more easily. Her project involved cleaning up existing trails, adding new ones, naming them, and creating a detailed map with mileage information. She also developed a pamphlet for new volunteers to help them understand the shelter's rules and...
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Ep 140 Empowering Survivors: Elizabeth's Gold Award Project on Abuse Awareness
Hearts Of Gold - Reflections from Gold Award Girl Scouts
Full transcription available at http://heartsofgoldpodcast.com/ We had the pleasure of speaking with Elizabeth, a freshman in college who recently completed her Girl Scout Gold Award project. Elizabeth's project, titled "Wisdom Wings," aims to support survivors of sexual abuse by providing care packages to police stations. These packages include stress toys, journals, pens, and informational pamphlets to help victims navigate the reporting process. Elizabeth shared her personal connection to the project, revealing her own experience with abuse as a child and the challenges she faced in...
info_outlineFull transcription available at http://heartsofgoldpodcast.com/
Amelia developed an app called Historic Lamont, a location-aware walking tour app that highlights the hidden historical gems of her hometown, Lamont, a suburb of Chicago.
Inspired by a limited-availability walking tour from the Lamont Historical Society, Amelia wanted to make local history more accessible to everyone in her community.
Amelia shared fascinating historical facts she uncovered, such as the local metro station witnessing President Lincoln's funeral train and being a site of the Lamont Massacre.
She detailed the technical challenges she faced, including learning a new programming language and navigating Apple's stringent App Store approval process. Despite these hurdles, she successfully launched the app with the help of various community members, including the Lamont Historical Society, her history teacher, and students from her school's Historical Honor Society and Art Honor Society.
Amelia also discussed the extensive community involvement in her project, estimating that over 1,000 hours were collectively invested. She emphasized the importance of starting early and being thorough in the Gold Award application process. Amelia's project not only made local history more accessible but also significantly boosted her confidence and skills, from writing professional emails to public speaking.
Looking ahead, Amelia plans to attend the University of Chicago, majoring in computer science and possibly history or economics. She has already dabbled in AI and machine learning and hopes to integrate these fields with her historical interests. Amelia's story is a testament to the transformative power of the Girl Scout Gold Award, and she encourages other Girl Scouts to pursue their projects with dedication and passion.
More About Amelia:
Amelia Dunkin is a recent graduate of Lemont High School. She has been a dedicated member of the Girl Scouts for 12 years, progressing from Daisy to Ambassador. Throughout her involvement, she both attended and served as a counselor at her local Girl Scout summer camp. Amelia's Girl Scout journey culminated in earning her Gold Award through the development of an app called *Historic Lemont*, a location-aware iOS app designed to highlight the rich but often overlooked history of her town.
In addition to her work with the Girl Scouts, Amelia was actively involved in various academic and extracurricular activities throughout high school. She participated in several honor societies, co-captained the Mathletes team, and played varsity on the Scholastic Bowl, Academic Challenge, and Bowling teams. She also volunteered with Special Olympics and the Northern Will County Special Recreation Association, where she is now employed.
This fall, Amelia will attend the University of Chicago, where she plans to major in Computer Science and History. She aims to pursue interdisciplinary studies, particularly in the field of machine learning.
Key Takeaways from this episode:
- Community Involvement: Amelia's Girl Scout Gold Award project, the Historic Lamont app, was supported by various community members and organizations, including the Lamont Historical Society, local history teachers, and student groups, highlighting the importance of collaboration in community projects.
- Learning and Growth: The process of creating the app taught Amelia valuable skills, including coding in a new programming language and navigating the app submission process, which contributed to her personal development and confidence.
- Encouragement for Future Girl Scouts: Amelia emphasizes the transformative experience of pursuing the Gold Award, encouraging others to take on the challenge as it can significantly enhance their skills, self-perception, and community engagement.
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Editing by https://www.offthewalter.com/ Walter’s YouTube channel is https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCt0wFZRVaOpUd_nXc_8-4yQ