Gold Award Girl Scout Address Safety, Youth Gathering Space
CHAPMAN, Kan. — Girl Scouts of Kansas Heartland congratulates Nicole B. for becoming a Gold Award Girl Scout, a designation she earned by creating an activity space at the Chapman 4:10 Irish Den where students could have a safe space to hangout, relax, and spend time after school.
The Gold Award is the mark of the truly remarkable — earned by a high school Girl Scout who works to address an issue she’s passionate about in a way that produces meaningful and lasting change. Whether it’s on a local, national, or global level, Gold Award Girl Scouts provide innovative solutions to significant challenges.
“Gold Award Girl Scouts don’t just change the world for the better, they change it for good — and Savannah embodies everything this achievement stands for," said Rolinda Sample, chief executive officer of Girl Scouts of Kansas Heartland. “Nicole addressed an issue that’s important to her — creating an inclusive, safe space for students to go to after school — for her Gold Award, and we congratulate her on this momentous accomplishment.”
With a passion for her community, Nicole knew she wanted to help serve her community members and make an impact on their lives with her Gold Award. Many Chapman students go to the 4:10 Irish Den after school when they are waiting for sporting events or after-school activities to begin, waiting on their parents to pick them up, or to just spend time with friends. Although the space is suited for this type of usage, there weren’t many activities for students to do during their time at the 4:10 Irish Den.
Nicole created a plan to build and implement a new shelving and organizational space within the den that would hold various board games and activities. Along with the fun, new activities for the youth to do while waiting, Nicole also researched various “Stranger Danger” programs, adapted one that would suit the community best, and created programming and information so the students could learn how to maintain their own safety. She also distributed the Stranger Danger programming to the Chapman school district and other nearby schools so they could also use the information in their classrooms.
“With my project I wanted to provide local students with board games and activities so they could stay out of harms way after school and to help promote and encourage social involvement with other students,” Nicole said. “It’s my hope that for the future, these children will be able to maintain their own safety while still having fun.”
