Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles (GSGLA) announced that Girl Scout Kennedy W., a recent high school graduate from Da Vinci Communication High School, and Girl Scout Mishari P., a recent high school graduate from Morningside High School, have earned Girl Scouting’s highest honor, the Gold Award.
To earn the Gold Award, Kennedy addressed the lack of swimming education and accessibility in underserved communities. Her project, “Swimming for Life,” aimed to advocate for swimming as a necessary life skill and sport, emphasizing water safety and the high drowning rates among minorities.
Kennedy educated the community about the historical reasons for limited swimming access and provided information on free and low-cost swimming lessons. She personally offered swimming lessons to children, encouraging them to continue their education in less competitive winter sessions.
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“I ensured the community was aware of swimming as a necessary life skill and an underrepresented sport,” Kennedy shared.
In addition to her presentations, Kennedy created video content on swimming awareness and distributed flyers with QR codes linking to a directory of local swimming pools and lessons. She spent countless hours in local parks and libraries, engaging with parents and children to promote the importance of swimming education. Her project made swimming lessons and water safety education more accessible to children in her community, aiming to reduce drowning incidents.
To earn the Gold Award, Mishari addressed the rising costs of youth activities, lack of available opportunities, and a decline in mental health after sports injuries as well as the pandemic. Quarterly, she hosted Sports and Beyond Days, free of charge for inner city families to participate in recreational sports, art, photography, gaming, and more.
Mishari put a strong emphasis on trying new things and providing mental wellness tips during all programming.
“My Gold Award is sustained beyond my involvement by encouraging the Parks and Recreation Department to continue Sports and Beyond Days at local parks to give the inner-city youth an opportunity to thrive at sports and or learn new things.”
Mishari created a website for families to explore extracurricular activities in their communities and resources to help them improve their alethic and mental outlooks. Local organizations that she partnered with including Beyond the Rim, will continue to contribute to the upkeep of the site and provide free events.
Gold Award Girl Scouts become innovative problem-solvers, empathetic leaders, confident public speakers, and focused project managers. They learn resourcefulness, tenacity, and decision-making skills, giving them an edge personally and professionally. As they take action to transform their communities, Gold Award Girl Scouts gain tangible skills and prove they’re the leaders our world needs.
The 2024 Gold Award Girl Scout class identified issues in their communities, took action, and found or created solutions to earn their Gold Awards, addressing real-life problems such as environmental sustainability, racial justice, mental and physical well-being, and gender inequality in STEM.
To learn more about the Girl Scout Gold Award, visit girlscoutsla.org/goldaward.
