Proficiency Awards and Insignia

Girl Scout Troop 183 offers a comprehensive program that focuses activities on completing awards while learning new skills, delivering community service and developing leadership opportunities.  Our long range planning each year includes having the girls identify awards they would like to earn.  The girls work with adult advisors to organize how they will complete the requirements during troop meetings and outside events.  Awards are presented at Court of Award Ceremonies and an End of the Year Ceremony to celebrate successes.

GSUSA rolls out 10 New Interest Project Awards!

"The Girl Scout community's voices echo throughout these new Interest Projects - in the topics they cover and the way they are structured.  In response to suggestions GSUSA received, these new Interest Projects:

• Building on the great learning experiences girls and volunteers have developed around the country
• Respond to girls' interests with fun, new topics
• Engage girls in setting goals
• Emphasize learning and applying new skills
• Maximize girls time and effort
• Offer options for awards (patch, certificate, charm, pin...)

The requirements for these new Interest Project Awards are available online at www.studio2b.org

To assist the troop members in planning their goals, each girl completes an Individual Development Plan.  The troop member identifies what they want to achieve and the troop adult advisors can help them work towards those goals. The form is completed by the girl and reviewed with the troop advisor.

Girl Scout Program Standard 9
Girl Scout awards acknowledge a girl's accomplishments and attainment of specified requirements.  Leaders work in partnership with girls to decide when awards such as badges, pins or patches have been completed.  At all times adults play a key role in stressing the quality of the program experience over quantity of awards.

Adult Troop Leaders - Girl Scout Troop 183 & Sr. Patrol Leader, Emily H.
Ceremony - June 2001

Proficiency Awards
These awards are designed to help you develop your skills to the fullest potential.  Moreover, when you complete award requirements, you are entitled to receive a badge, charm, pin, or patch as a symbol of your accomplishments.

End of Year Court of Awards Ceremony, June 2000

Participation Patches and Pins
These are insignia whose focus is on participation, not prescribed requirements.

Suzi in her Badge Vest

Juliette Gordon Low once said as she awarded badges to a group of Girl Scouts:  "Every badge you earn is tied up to your motto ' Be Prepared.'  Badges are not awards for something you have done once or for an examination you have passed.  They are not medals to wear on your uniform just to show what a smart girl you are.

A badge is a symbol that you have done the thing it stands for often enough, thoroughly enough and well enough to be prepared to give service in it.  You wear the badge to let people know that you have earned it, can show someone else how to do it and are proud of your accomplishment."

Dawn in her Badge Vest

The following guidelines may help you as you choose what awards to work towards:

• Choose activities based on your interests, not because a friend chooses one for you.
• Do not judge a recognition by its name.  Read the requirements to find out what it really contains.
• You can work by yourself, with a partner or with the troop.
• Shortcuts shortchange you.  Bending the rules or taking the easy way out may earn you the recognition, but will deprive you of a quality learning experience.
• Focus on quality, not quantity.  Earning more patches does not make you a better Girl Scout.
• Seek out mentors or community resources in the area you are pursuing.
• Keep a record of the work you complete in your troop journal.
• No double-dipping - work completed for one recognition may not be applied to others.

So many exciting opportunities await you - the sooner you begin the sooner you'll enjoy them!

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Adapted from the Cadette Girl Scout Handbook, Safety-Wise 2000 and Girl Scout Ceremonies book.