Girl Scout Bronze Award Learning Session Outline

Learning Objectives: By the end of the session the participant will be able to: 1. Describe the Bronze award and why it’s important to earn it. 2. Explain the value of facilitating the Girl Scout processes of Girl-Led, Learn by Doing, and Cooperative Learning throughout the girl’s work on the Bronze 3. Describe how the Bronze award fits into the GSLE. 4. Define the steps taken to earn the Bronze award.

Agenda: The Girl Scout Bronze Award The Bronze Award in the GSLE Girl/Adult planning: Letting Girls Lead The Steps 

Take a Journey

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Build the Team

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Explore the Community

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Choose an Award TA Plan

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Plan Your Project

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Do Your Project

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Evaluate & Report Your Project

Thanks go to Beata Ball and Amy McCall for designing this learning session. GSCP2P Tramsey 8/2012

Est. Time

Content (What) Participants sign-in

3

Method/Process (How) Sign in, make a name tag. Write expectation for course on a sticky note. Take True/False Bronze award test. Welcome and introductions

Introduction Session Overview

Review expectations; share agenda, objectives, explain Parking Lot

Objective 1: Describe the Bronze award & why it is important. Description of Bronze award

Possible answers:  Only Girl Scout Juniors can earn it  Highest award Girl Scout Juniors can earn  Opportunity to develop leadership skills

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Importance of the Bronze award 3

ASK: You’ve all heard about the Bronze award. Who wants to share what they know about the Bronze award?

ASK: Why is it important for girls to earn the Bronze award? Participants answers may include:  Learn team work  Develop critical thinking  A good introduction to the award process for Silver & Gold awards

2

Supplies Needed Sign-in sheets/ pens/sticky notes, true/false tests Session handouts, Bronze Award Adult Guide, Parking Lot sign

Objective 2: Describe how the Bronze award fits into the GSLE. The GSLE keywords

ASK: Who remembers the three keys of the Girls Scout Leadership Experience? May need to prompt participants to get the keys of Discover, Connect, & Take Action. Pass out stickers/prizes for correct answers. ASK: How do the three keys apply to the Bronze award? Let’s start with Discover.

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Let participants give their own ways that the 3 keys apply to the award process. Answers may include:  Discover their communities, what needs exist in their communities, what needs they’re interested in changing or helping with  Connect with each other as a team, people in the community,  Take Action to make changes in their communities, improve her leadership skills, be the best she can be SAY: The Bronze award is a great way to reinforce the three keys of leadership.

3

Stickers/prizes for correct answers

Objective 3: Define the steps taken to earn the Bronze award. The steps to the Bronze award

SAY: Let’s see a show of hands of who knows which steps to take to earn the Bronze award. Show the blank pyramid and pass out the strips of paper with the steps printed on them.

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SAY: These are the steps to the Bronze award. Let’s see how quickly you can put them order on the pyramid. Give them a minute or two to put the steps in order on the pyramid. Go over the answers as you go. Step 1

Complete a Junior Journey & the Take Action project. ASK: What is the difference in a community service project and Take action project?

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Possible answers from participants:  Service addresses an immediate need  Take Action makes lasting change Step 2 3

Build your Bronze award team. ASK: One of our Girl Scout Processes is Cooperative Learning. What are some of the values and benefits of working as a team?

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Blank pyramid, strips of paper w/ steps printed on them

Step 3

Explore the community. SAY: In order to find out what the possibilities for projects are, girls need to find out what’s going on in their community or what’s not but should be. Their community can be their neighborhood, hometown, the county in general or the Girl Scout community (troops nearby, service unit, etc.).

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Step 4

ASK: What are some ways girls can ‘explore’ their communities to discover projects?. Some ideas may be:  Field trips  Conduct interviews Choose a community-based project. ASK: WHO chooses the community-based project? (the girls!)

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Copies of the Bronze Award Guidelines for Girls

ASK: What is YOUR role in helping them find and select a project? (Emphasize that the girls need to be the ones leading this discussion with only guidance from the leader. Leader’s role is to allow and encourage girl planning, our “Girl-Led Process) SAY: Put yourself in the girls’ shoes. Using planning ideas worksheet, break into groups to choose a project. Allow 5-6 minutes to fill in the worksheet. Each group 30 sec. to tell what project they chose.

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Planning ideas worksheets

Step 5

Plan the chosen project. Staying in the same groups and using the Planning Chart from the Girl’s Guidelines, give the groups 3-4 minutes to fill in the chart. SAY: This is a quick example of how choosing & planning goes. It will probably take the girls longer to choose & plan their award project, but remember, the project needs to be girl-led! If money earning is needed, this would be an appropriate time to do it. Copies of our policy & paperwork are in the hand out.

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If there are questions specific to Bronze award money earning, they can be addressed, but for questions about general policy or money earning ideas the participants need to be referred to their service unit manager or banking specialist. Again emphasize that the girls need to take the lead on this. They will learn just as much, if not more, from their mistakes as from their successes. Step 6 1

Do the project! EXPLAIN:  20 project hours per girl  Project hours include planning time (though not choosing)  Travel time, if applicable

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Planning Chart from the Girl’s Guidelines

Step 7

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SAY: Now that the girls have finished their project have them evaluate it. What worked? What didn’t? How would they do it differently? ASK: Why is evaluating important? What do the girls learn from it? How does it foster the process “Learn by Doing?” Let each participants have a chance to give at least 1 reason why they think the evaluation step is important. EXPLAIN: Girls fill out their reports. You fill out the leader’s report & turn it in to the Council office (included in the girl packet & session handout). Answer any questions in the Parking Lot as well as any that didn’t make it to the Parking Lot.

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Review the Learning Objectives. Close by asking each person if she is more comfortable with the Bronze award process and how to facilitate it. Course evaluations.

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Course evaluations