Journeys & Take Action Projects
Discover Journey resources and review Journey options at girlscouts.org. The Badge Explorer highlights a brief description of each available Journey. The online shop links you to the Journey guides available to purchase; these are girl-focused workbook resources. Log in to the Volunteer Toolkit to explore full meeting plans with timelines, meeting aids, and activities.
Girl Scout Journeys
Girl Scout Journeys 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. While badges show the world you’ve learned a new skill, Journey Awards say, “I found a way to make a difference.” During a Journey, Girl Scouts do hands-on activities, connect with experts, and take the lead on a Take Action project with their community. Once a Junior, Cadette, Senior, or Ambassador completes their Journey, they’re ready to drive lasting change in their communities by going for their Bronze, Silver, or Gold Award.
Take Action Projects
Take Action Projects are service learning opportunities for Girl Scouts, and a place to practice problem-solving leadership skills. Completing a Journey Take Action project is a prerequisite to completing a Highest Award Take Action project.
What’s the difference between a community service project and a Take Action project?
Community service projects come from the heart. Community service projects are acts of kindness and important ways to help something or someone right now. They are commonly short-term projects that almost always multiply efforts that are already in place. Examples include collecting food for an existing food pantry, providing clothing or toiletries to people who have suffered during a disaster, cleaning up a rundown playground, or picking up trash at a park, forest, or beach.
- A short-term effort that helps something or someone fulfill an immediate need
- Done FOR the community
- Joining an existing effort to solve a problem
- Done as part of an existing team (usually as a volunteer)
- Working toward a goal that’s set by others
Girl Scout Take Action projects address an issue by tackling the factors that cause or contribute to it. As you may expect, these projects have a far-reaching influence. They’re designed to change something for the better—forever. Projects associated with Journeys and the highest awards (the Girl Scout Bronze, Silver, and Gold Award) are Take Action projects.
- A long-term project with sustainable and ongoing influence that addresses a root cause of an issue
- Done WITH the community
- Creating a unique initiative to address an issue
- Creating and leading your own team of volunteers
- Setting the goals and leading a team to achieve them
What is the difference between a Journey Take Action project and a Highest Award Take Action project?
- A Journey Take Action project is topic specific; the project must relate to the Journey and what the troop or the Juliette member have learned along the way. It’s a practice run for the Highest Awards Take Action project. The entire troop works together to complete the Journey Take Action project.
- A Highest Award Take Action project can focus on any topic the troop or Juliette member chooses. They continue to build their leadership skills when they follow their personal passions. A Gold Award is completed by just one Senior or Ambassador Girl Scout, a Silver Award is done by 1-4 Cadette Girl Scouts, and a Bronze Award project is worked on by the entire Junior troop.
What are the four elements of a Take Action project?
Root Cause Analysis
Girl Scouts ask questions and dig down to find out why the problem exists in the first place – this is the root cause of the problem and not just the symptom.
As an example, think about this problem: kids keep tripping over sticks on the sidewalk and skinning their knees. A Girl Scout could provide community service and pass out band-aids for skinned knees, or she could ask, “Why are kids tripping here? Why are there sticks on the sidewalk?” The Girl Scout identifies the dying limb of the tree beside the sidewalk as the root cause. She asks the city to trim the tree, and the problem of tripping and getting skinned knees is solved.
Global Approach
Did the project get community members to come out and support their project? And do Girl Scouts see similarities between themselves and others? Can they look wider than their circle of influence? Consider this progression of awareness:
- Juniors: discuss how other places might have the same problem
- Cadettes: in their planning stage, they research how other communities have solved similar problems
- Seniors and Ambassadors: share out their problem-solving plan and project results for others to replicate
Measurable Impact
Girl Scouts use both numbers and comments. They use both numbers and comments to help communicate their project goals to the community, their target audience, and themselves. When the project is complete, Girl Scouts can answer this question: “We know we made a difference because…” Consider this progression of leadership:
- Juniors: discuss how to measure success
- Cadettes: develop a plan to measure impact
- Seniors and Ambassadors: includes milestones to measure the impact
Sustainable Change
Sustainability refers to the advocacy element of a project, not the objects included. Consider these three ways to create sustainable change: make your solution permanent, educate and inspire others to be part of the change, or change a rule, regulation, or law. Girl Scouts will grow their advocacy skills when they strive to make a change that last. Consider this progression of partnership:
- Juniors: develop an understanding of sustainability and advocacy and try to create a change that lasts beyond a one-time effort
- Cadettes: demonstrate an understanding of sustainability and advocacy and try to collaborate with community organizations and build alliances with mentors to create something that lasts beyond a one-time effort
- Seniors and Ambassadors: their project must include provisions to ensure advocacy and sustainability through committed partnerships
