My name is Sydney P. and I am currently an Ambassador in Girl Scout Troop 71613. I have been involved in Girl Scouts for 13 years, since Kindergarten. My parents originally enrolled me, believing that it would be a good experience as I grew up. It turns out that they were right! One of the many opportunities I have had as a Girl Scout was to earn my Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest award a Girl Scout can earn. It is the equivalent of the Boy Scouts’ Eagle Scout. Some of the requirements of the Gold Award include the following:
- The completion of two journeys, which are “multi-session experiences in which girls dig deeper into their interests and use the skills they gain along the way to make a difference in their community”, as defined by the official Girl Scout website. Essentially, they are smaller versions of the Gold Award.
- The creation of a self-sustainable project. This means that the project must continue and exist beyond the Girl Scout’s involvement.
- A minimum of 80 hours spent.
- The inclusion of members of the Girl Scout’s community and experts on the topics relating to her project.
These are just a few of the requirements a Girl Scout must complete to earn her Gold Award.
For my Gold Award, I decided to create a website, titled “TheSydProject.org”, to help survivors of sexual assault, as well as those supporting them. As a survivor myself, I wanted to provide other survivors with the resources I did not have or know about. Additionally, my own experience made me realize that there is quite a stigma and misunderstanding surrounding sexual assault, and I knew that I needed to do my part to change that. Because I am a teenager myself, TheSydProject.org was created with Pennsylvanian teenagers in mind. However, much of the information is universal. TheSydProject.org includes resources, support, and information, in the form of videos, links, and more. My hope is that after visiting TheSydProject.org, individuals will be better equipped to report sexual assault, as well as help others to do so.
Thank you in advance to everyone who takes the time to visit TheSydProject.org. If you feel inclined to do so, I would greatly appreciate you completing the feedback form, which can be found on the “Feedback” page under “Extras”. Your information will remain anonymous, and your feedback is solely for me to better help others.
Thank you again,
Sydney P.
