You have the power to improve your community through action.
Ready to help your community and earn one of the highest awards in Girl Scouting? Cadettes can work in a small group of up to four Girl Scouts or work on their own. To earn the Silver Award, you will research an issue you care about, make a plan to address it, and then take action to improve your community.
PLEASE NOTE: Your project should make a difference and have a lasting impact! The following projects will no longer be approved:
- Little Free Libraries and Blessing Boxes or other projects that ONLY focus on donation drives and the collection of items. There must be sustainability beyond the library/box build, and the project should focus on education for the community.
- Beautification and renovation projects are considered community
service projects because Girl Scouts are a workforce rather than
having a sustainable long-term impact. Planting flowers outside a
community center, painting the walls of a meeting space, cleaning up
an already established hiking trail, or similar projects will not be
accepted.
- This includes building-only projects like benches, picnic tables, bridges, and other similar community service projects.
- Creating a pollinator garden or building an animal habitat are community service projects. Please keep in mind that education projects about conservation topics are encouraged, but creating a garden or habitat without education or sustainability will not be approved.
- Make-and-donate projects such as making blankets, calm down kits, or hats for babies and donating them to hospitals, schools, or other community centers don’t meet the project requirements. While helpful, donations don’t identify and address a root cause, and they provide immediate but not long-term relief. So, make-and-donate projects are not sustainable and will not be accepted.
For more information, check out Girl Scout of the USA's Highest Awards FAQ.
You can become a Silver Award Girl Scout if you:
- Are in sixth, seventh, or eighth grade
- Are a registered Girl Scout Cadette
- Have completed a Cadette Journey
- Attended a Girl Scouts Western Pennsylvania Silver Award Training
How to earn the Girl Scout Silver Award
- Find an issue you care about.
- Build your Girl Scout Silver Award team or decide to go solo.
- Explore your community and think of how that issue affects your community.
- Choose a Silver Award project that can lead to lasting change.
- Develop your project. Fill out the Silver Award Project Proposal form to let council staff know about your project AFTER deciding on a project plan but BEFORE starting your project.
- Make a plan and put it into motion.
- Reflect, share your story, and celebrate. Don’t forget to complete and submit your Girl Scout Silver Award Final Report by September 30 of the year you graduate 8th grade.
More Information
Forms and Resources 
Workshops and Training
Higher Award Committee Interest Form
Questions? Email us at customercare@gswpa.org.
