212 Local Girl Scouts Honored for Earning the Gold Award, the Highest Award in Girl Scouting

LOS ANGELES, June 7, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles (GSGLA) recognized 212 Girl Scouts for earning the highest honor in Girl Scouting at their Gold Award Celebration on June 4 at the Pasadena Civic Center. GSGLA celebrated the largest Gold Award class in the nation for the 12^th year in a row, with 212 Girl Scouts contributing over 20,000 hours implementing sustainable change in their communities. Projects focused on reducing carbon footprints, introducing underrepresented groups to technology, raising fentanyl awareness among teens, and managing mental and physical health, to name a few. To earn the Gold Award, Girl Scouts in 10^th – 12^th grades spent 80+ hours identifying an issue, working with local leaders to address the problem, and took action that led to measurable change.

"One of the hallmarks of the Gold Award is that the project must create sustainable change," said Theresa Edy Kiene, chief executive officer of GSGLA. "These 212 Girl Scouts propel the whole Girl Scouts movement forward, making the world a better place and proving they are the leaders that communities, campuses, and workforces need."

Girl Scouts who achieve the Gold Award distinguish themselves through their perseverance, while setting them up for college scholarships and career opportunities. According to recent research, Girl Scouts who earn the Gold Award are:

• More likely to fill leadership roles and more civically engaged than non-Girl Scout peers.
• Seventy-two percent of Girl Scouts said earning their Gold Award helped get a scholarship.
• Gold Award Girl Scouts entering any of the U.S. military branches will immediately rise one rank.

About Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles 
Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles (GSGLA), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, serves more than 33,000 girls in partnership with more than 17,000 adult members and volunteers throughout the communities of Los Angeles County, and parts of Kern and San Bernardino counties. GSGLA is the largest girl-serving nonprofit agency in Los Angeles, with programs in entrepreneurship, life skills, outdoor, and STE(A)M, building girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place. Backed by the worldwide Girl Scouts movement that includes 1.5 million members and millions of alumnae, Girl Scouts in our council lead the way as they find their voices and make changes that affect the issues most important to them. 

To learn more, visit www.girlscoutsla.org 

SOURCE Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles