Wilhelmina B. Earns the Girl Scout Silver Award

Her Silver Award Project: Leadership by Example

Wilhelmina B. has always enjoyed working with younger children, and with 4 younger siblings, she has plenty of experience. She also is interested in math and science. Even at this age, she recognizes that girls are often discouraged from and have difficulty with these subject areas. She knows girls “can do it” and likes to encourage them to succeed.

When Wilhelmina joined Girl Scouts at 12 years old, she offered to help with younger troops and quickly became a regular assistant for her mother's Brownie Girl Scout troop. The following year she took on a small group of Daisy Girl Scouts under the supervision of her mother and the assistant troop leader. She also volunteered at the Branch Day Camp as the science station lead Program Aide (PA).

For her Silver Award project, Wilhelmina wanted to focus on encouraging girls to enjoy math and science and to be the best they can be, showing children they can grow up and make a difference. She titled her project Leadership by Example and worked with several groups of girls at different age levels. She was able to work in the volunteering she was already doing as well as take on some special roles to round out her project.

In the 2005-2006 Scout year, Wilhelmina worked with her Daisy Girl Scouts to earn their petals. Some of the things she taught them include respecting authority and the value of friendship. Her Daisy Scouts visited a fire station and discussed the roles of various community figures such as firemen, policemen and paramedics. She helped them paint flower pots and plant flowers that represent friendship.

In the spring of 2006, she helped a group of Junior Girl Scouts prepare to bridge to the Studio2B program. She helped them earn their first IP (Interest Project – the Girls 11 to 17 equivalent of a badge) and taught them about the new level of scouting they'd be experiencing.

In the summer of 2006, Wilhelmina volunteered again as a lead PA at Day Camp. She organized, planned, prepared and taught science badges for Brownie and Junior level girls. She also worked with girls who had just completed their PA training, teaching them the skills they would need to take on a position as lead PA in the future.

Wilhelmina made a difference to many girls during the year she worked on her project. She demonstrated leadership through her actions and taught other skills along the way. She continues to work with many of the same girls.

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