By Jessica Miller
Staff Writer
High school students could do a lot with 80 hours of time; however, not many would choose to devote such a substantial chunk of time to addressing a problem area in their community and completing a project to solve it. However, for juniors Brooke Gleason and Meera and Pooja Nagpal, their Girl Scout Gold Award projects became significantly more important and personal than normal philanthropic opportunities.
The highest achievement in girl scouting, the Gold Award, requires the completiton of a seven-step project that involves solving an issue in order to make a long-term difference in the world. The steps include identifying and investigating an issue, building a team, presenting a plan, taking action, and educating and inspiring others. Sisters Meera and Pooja Nagpal received their Gold awards in the spring of 2014, and Gleason is on her final step of earning her Gold Award.
“The most important aspect of receiving a Gold Award is to create a legitimate and sustainable organization,” Pooja Nagpal said. “It’s not just a volunteer opportunity; it is a commitment that takes hard work and dedication.”
Commonly, Girl Scouts complete their Gold Award projects during their junior or senior year, but due to the hard work and dedication required to complete the project, many Girl Scouts do not have the time to achieve this award. Gleason and the Nagpals were able to balance their schoolwork and complete the time-consuming project at the same time.
“Most members in my troop decided to not work toward earning a Gold Award due to extensive schoolwork and extracurricular activities,” Gleason said.
“Although it is difficult, it is rewarding to know that I can balance my school work and still complete the project.”
Gleason has been working on her project for eight months, making memory scrapbooks for Alzheimer’s patients at Silverado Senior Living Center in Redondo Beach. She has been planning to make a total of four scrapbooks and a template book that will show others how to make the memory books for other patients.
“The memory books don’t cure all of the memory loss, but they do bring the Alzheimer’s patients temporary joy,” Gleason said. “I’m excited to get the chance to read and present the books to them.”
During the summer of 2013, the Nagpal sisters traveled to a rural village in India called Subathu, located in the Himalayan mountains of India. For the four weeks they stayed in the village, Pooja taught young women self-defense and spoke about female empowerment, while Meera taught girls the basics of the English language.
“India is a male-dominated society, where women are usually relegated to the kitchen instead of an office,” Meera Nagpal said. “Providing women with the proper education will allow them to lead better lives in a society where opportunities are extremely limited.”
Gleason and the Nagpal sisters dedicated over 80 hours of their time to complete these projects that aimed to improve the status of an issue in the world, if even in the smallest of ways. The girls have successfully fulfilled the purpose of the Gold Award, creating a lasting difference for something they are passionate about.
“This whole project really changed my perspective on the world and how much one girl can potentially change it if given the right opportunity,” Pooja Nagpal said.
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