Ep 139 Raising Awareness: Haley's Gold Award Project on Distracted Walking
Hearts Of Gold - Reflections from Gold Award Girl Scouts
Release Date: 06/27/2024
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/
We had the pleasure of speaking with Haley about her impactful Girl Scout Gold Award project. Haley's project focuses on raising awareness about the dangers of distracted walking, particularly in her hometown of Houston, Texas. She observed that many people, especially younger generations, are often engrossed in their phones while walking, which poses significant safety risks.
Haley shared how her project was inspired by the lack of attention given to pedestrian safety compared to the numerous campaigns on distracted driving. She created a website, brochure, and a Public Service Announcement (PSA) to educate students, particularly those in driving schools, about the importance of staying aware of their surroundings while walking.
Haley's project was a collaborative effort, involving her mother, a video creator who served as her Gold Award advisor, and representatives from the Houston Police Department and Metro Rail. Despite the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, Haley successfully completed her project with the support of her team.
We also discussed the roles of a project advisor and a council mentor, and how Haley's advisor, with her video editing skills, significantly strengthened the project. Haley emphasized the importance of choosing a project advisor who can fill in the gaps in your skill set and provide valuable guidance.
Haley reflected on the challenges she faced, including balancing her project with her senior year of high school and overcoming doubts about the project's importance. She shared her favorite memory of the project, which was the collaborative and fun process of editing the PSA video.
In addition to her Gold Award project, Haley talked about her long-standing involvement with Girl Scouts, her experiences with volunteering, and a memorable destination trip to Los Angeles where she learned about filmmaking. She highlighted the importance of choosing a project that you are passionate about and the fulfillment that comes from making a positive impact on the community.
Haley is currently a senior in college, pursuing a degree in computer science with a focus on data analytics. She plans to continue her involvement in volunteer and charity work while exploring her creative interests.
To wrap up the episode, Haley shared her unique way of making s'mores, preferring a lightly toasted marshmallow with a honey graham cracker and a Hershey's bar.
Thank you for joining us today, and be sure to follow or subscribe to stay updated on new episodes. If you have a Gold Award story to share, reach out to us at growandshareatoutlook.com. Catch up on previous episodes on your favorite podcast platforms or watch the full video versions on YouTube.
More About Hailey:
Hi! My name is Hailey, and I'm a proud Girl Scouts of San Jacinto County alum. I've been a Girl Scout from 2009 to 2022, and I've been awarded the Bronze, Silver, and Gold Award. I've also been awarded the Senior and Cadette Journey Summit Award, and the Silver & Gold Torch Award. I'm currently in my senior year of college studying Computer Science at the University of Houston Clear Lake, and I plan on graduating this December 2024.
Website Link: https://www.petextriansafety.com/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/haileyrthomas01
Key Takeaways from this episode:
1. Haley's Girl Scout Gold Award project focused on raising awareness about distracted walking, especially among younger generations.
2. Haley emphasized the importance of finding a project advisor who complements your skills and fills in your weak points to make the project stronger.
3. Haley shared her future plans of pursuing a degree in computer science and working in data analytics, while also expressing a desire to continue volunteering and charity work.
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Editing by https://www.offthewalter.com/ Walter’s YouTube channel is https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCt0wFZRVaOpUd_nXc_8-4yQ