Girl Scout Gold Award

The Girl Scout Gold Award is the highest award a Girl Scout can earn. 

It’s a prestigious honor that recognizes leadership, skill, and a lasting impact on the community. 

Purpose of a Gold Award Project:

• Encourages girls to identify a problem in their community and create a sustainable solution.

• Shows initiative, planning, and leadership skills.

• Demonstrates the ability to make a measurable impact.

• Requires a minimum 80 hours 

Maria Petkovits: Girl Scout Award Project: Water Safety Activity Workbook and Video

Problem:

According to the CDC, there are over 4,000 unintentional deaths by drowning in the United States each year.  Even though there is information out there on water safety, it is scattered, not compiled into a single comprehensive reference for each access.  Much of the information is geared towards adults but it is so important to inform the children as well.  Children learn and retain knowledge best by having fun.  My mission is to make water safety information more available to the whole family.

Solution:

My gold award project consists of life saving water safety information that can save a life.  It can be used as a reminder to parents and a learning tool for children. The activity fun book is designed for parents and children to review together. It contains water safety information for pools, beaches, lakes and rivers. It provides discussion items, and provides games and activities to work on to reinforce the importance of water safety. I also developed a water safety brochure and a water safety video.

Maria is a member of Suffolk County Girl Scout Troop 334 and Service Unit 12.  She has been a competitive swimmer for nine years and has been a member of her high school varsity team since joining in the 7th grade. Maria works part time as a lifeguard and a swim instructor where she continues to bring her interest in water safety to as many people as possible.