Describe the community core issue you addressed.
My project addressed the issues of child poverty around the world, specifically in third-world countries, and the fact that many people living in more prosperous areas of the United States are often desensitized to and isolated from the current events and issues that are happening on a global scale today. The media covers certain topics, then quickly moves on to keep ratings up and to keep the attention of its viewers. I wanted to bring back attention to those who are neglected and forgotten about, and to offer a small solution to help tackle child poverty and to begin to help heal those affected by it.
Identify your target audience. Provide examples of the skills, knowledge or attitudes they gained.
I wanted to inform children and teens in my own community (Highlands Ranch) about child poverty around the world to broaden their worldview and get them information about how to help a struggling population. I feel that I am very lucky to live in such a wealthy community as Highlands Ranch and sometimes I forget that there are people living much harder lives than I am. I take my life in the US for granted; most children and teens around the world do not have nearly the opportunities and resources that I do. I feel that this project humbled myself and opened the eyes of my fellow classmates and friends to the rest of the world. I wanted people to understand that they should try to be grateful for what they have, and generous to those who are less fortunate. Many countries and global organizations are still working to provide both short- and long-term relief to Haiti. However, much of the public has pushed the issues aside at word of other current events. My hope was to raise awareness once again in my community so that we may network and communicate with others about the issues.
List examples of immediate, near future and long term impact of your project.
Most immediately, my project benefited both the neighborhood families and the students at my school. Through my presentations to certain clubs at the school and with the publishing of my blog as well as advertisement of the website to the community, I tried to spread information about child poverty, Haiti, the issues surrounding Haiti today, where people can find more information, and how a person here in Colorado can help. In the near future, I will take the backpacks with me on my mission trip to Haiti in March, where I will deliver the supplies to the children, the school, and the orphanage. Long-term, my project will hopefully benefit more children in Haiti and others living in poverty around the world through the school supply drives in future years.
What did you find to be the national and/or global links to your issue?
I want to help raise awareness about children living in poverty locally, nationally, and internationally. Education is the first aspect, as it provides a means and a reason for people to help others. I am passionate to help Haiti and children around the world that are living in such horrible conditions. I understand that they need help with education for the kids, medical treatment, orphanage services, training for teachers, shelters for flood and earthquake relief, food distributions for the hungry, etc.; the list goes on and on. So with my project, I take on a small aspect of fighting child poverty, and work to make the impact that I can make, however small or large that may be.
Describe obstacles you encountered and what you did to overcome them.
One of the biggest issues I encountered was relying on others. I didn’t have any idea on how many volunteers I would have show up to have me hand out flyers around neighborhoods or later to help me pick up donations. I also wasn’t sure how much I could rely on my neighbors and community partners to offer donations. Sometimes I had to put in a few more hours of my own personal time and some extra effort to reach out and fill a void, whatever that may be. Another thing that I found to be a challenge was both the cost of shipping and how much space we had available for shipping the backpacks along with all of our other supplies for our mission trip in March. Through generous donations I am able to cover costs to transport everything. With brainstorming and offering alternative options, I have decided with my team leaders Blake and Marci that we will take as many backpacks as possible, and anything we cannot take we will send with the next group, use to send on other trips around the world for struggling children, or ship it to the orphanage’s large storage crate in Florida, which can be sent to Haiti when it is filled.
Describe what steps you took to inspire others through sharing/ "publishing" your project. (website, blog, presentations, posters, videos, articles, and so on).
So far I have made a website/blog that has information about my project as well as child poverty and the information I used, and also has links to websites where people can learn more about global issues such as child poverty in Haiti and how they can help. I made presentations to several clubs at school to spread the information and raise awareness to volunteers so they knew why and how they were helping the Haitian children. Also, on all the flyers I passed out, I put some background context for my project about Haiti as well as an email address and website where people could learn more or go if they had any questions.
What did you learn about yourself as a result of this project that surprised you?
The most surprising thing I learned about myself from this project was the fact that even though I am just one person in a world of billions, I have the potential to change the world. There are endless resources and opportunities available to me, as well as so many people that are willing to help and support me, and all I have to do is start something and get the word out. I didn’t necessarily think that my project or my own ideas would have enough force to really make an impact on someone, but I learned that it’s not about how much I do, just that I’m working towards a positive change and a benefit to somebody else.
What are you most proud of about your project?
I am most proud of the community response and the willingness of others to help. I got a ton of free plastic shopping bags from grocery stores to use to pay out with flyers for donations, as well as discounts and donations for copies of the flyers. I have gotten emails from people asking how else they can help and if I need any more items, and am collecting more donations all the time even weeks after the “official” collection date. I am also proud of the opportunities and interests that I have personally been lead to, including the trip to Haiti to take the results of my projects to the kids themselves. I wasn’t sure if I could go, but have been inspired by the incredible response to finish my project strong and make sure that everything was delivered to where it needed to be and used how it should. I am amazed at how this project has opened doors to more service opportunities, relationships in my community, and ways that I can get others involved.
The following is a list of the 15 Girl Scout Leadership Outcomes. Which do you think you developed through this project?
Please mark all that apply and give one or two examples for each outcome you developed.
Discover
x I developed a stronger sense of self.
x I developed positive values.
x I gained practical life skills.
x I sought challenges in the World.
x I developed critical thinking.
Please give one or two examples of your growth as a leader in this outcome.
I had to truly discover myself and the things that I value with this project, such as patience, compassion, kindness, self-control, and empathy. I learned that, as Gandhi stated, “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” Some life skills I had to develop were public speaking and asking for help from strangers, as well as detailed organization and extensive planning not only to plan out my own project but to make it easy and clear for those who were helping me. I sought one of the biggest global challenges, taking on child poverty, and made my own efforts to at least make somewhat of an impact.
Connect
x I developed healthy relationships.
x I promoted cooperation and team building.
x I resolved conflicts.
x I advanced diversity in a multicultural World.
x I felt more connected to my community, locally and globally.
Please give one or two examples of your growth as a leader in this outcome.
During this project I met so many new and incredible people who a believe I will build a strong relationship with in the future. This includes the members of the clubs at school, who have great potential to do amazing things in life, as well as my team leaders, with whom I have developed my relationship and furthered my connection with them. I had to resolve conflicted between members of groups and clubs that didn’t work well together; I used their own talents and strengths to build off one another and make their volunteering as effective and efficient as possible. I brought global awareness and cultural understanding and diversity to my volunteers and team members, because I informed them about the issues that my project involved and how our efforts were actually helping. I didn’t want people to blindingly show up and be there just to be there; I wanted the volunteers to want to help and to have some background as to why I was doing what I was doing. I think that I built a strong connection to my community because I talked to neighbors and community members and spread information to the public about my project and about child poverty.
Take Action
x I identified community issues.
x I was a resourceful problem solver.
x I advocated for myself and others, locally and globally.
x I educated and inspired others to act.
x I felt empowered to make a difference in the World.
Please give one or two examples of your growth as a leader in this outcome.
The community issue I addressed was the continuing causes effects of child poverty, and the fact that we have isolated and desensitized views of third-world nations because of the media. I had to use the limited ideas and resources that were available to me to solve the problem of how I could help make a difference in the lives of the Haitian children when I was only one girl in a big world. Through my informative presentations and website, I advocate for the children in need all over the world who are forgotten about every day. They need someone to speak for them because their voices are seldom heard. My project has sparked ideas in the Student Leadership and Key Club at my high school and they want to help further my ideas through supply drives and class competitions with donations in the future. They are always asking me about what else they can do to help and how we can continue to advocate for these children. After this project, I realize that I have the potential to spark change. Even though I may not be able to do everything alone, I feel that when one person starts, a chain reaction begins and great work can be done.
I wanted to inform children and teens in my own community (Highlands Ranch) about child poverty around the world to broaden their worldview and get them information about how to help a struggling population. I feel that I am very lucky to live in such a wealthy community as Highlands Ranch and sometimes I forget that there are people living much harder lives than I am. I take my life in the US for granted; most children and teens around the world do not have nearly the opportunities and resources that I do. I feel that this project humbled myself and opened the eyes of my fellow classmates and friends to the rest of the world. I wanted people to understand that they should try to be grateful for what they have, and generous to those who are less fortunate. Many countries and global organizations are still working to provide both short- and long-term relief to Haiti. However, much of the public has pushed the issues aside at word of other current events. My hope was to raise awareness once again in my community so that we may network and communicate with others about the issues.
Specifically, how will your project be sustained beyond your direct involvement?
I have confirmed with two clubs at my school that they will be carrying on a school supply drive either at the beginning or end of each school year. I needed a club to take on this project and provide a means to continue on with community education and donation collection for a part of the world where children have been neglected by the media. For each coming year, the drive can focus again on Haiti or a new location may be chosen. An annual materials drive can happen for a nation and its children, while educating the public on why that location was chosen and how they can help.
I have confirmed with two clubs at my school that they will be carrying on a school supply drive either at the beginning or end of each school year. I needed a club to take on this project and provide a means to continue on with community education and donation collection for a part of the world where children have been neglected by the media. For each coming year, the drive can focus again on Haiti or a new location may be chosen. An annual materials drive can happen for a nation and its children, while educating the public on why that location was chosen and how they can help.
List examples of immediate, near future and long term impact of your project.
Most immediately, my project benefited both the neighborhood families and the students at my school. Through my presentations to certain clubs at the school and with the publishing of my blog as well as advertisement of the website to the community, I tried to spread information about child poverty, Haiti, the issues surrounding Haiti today, where people can find more information, and how a person here in Colorado can help. In the near future, I will take the backpacks with me on my mission trip to Haiti in March, where I will deliver the supplies to the children, the school, and the orphanage. Long-term, my project will hopefully benefit more children in Haiti and others living in poverty around the world through the school supply drives in future years.
What did you find to be the national and/or global links to your issue?
I want to help raise awareness about children living in poverty locally, nationally, and internationally. Education is the first aspect, as it provides a means and a reason for people to help others. I am passionate to help Haiti and children around the world that are living in such horrible conditions. I understand that they need help with education for the kids, medical treatment, orphanage services, training for teachers, shelters for flood and earthquake relief, food distributions for the hungry, etc.; the list goes on and on. So with my project, I take on a small aspect of fighting child poverty, and work to make the impact that I can make, however small or large that may be.
Describe obstacles you encountered and what you did to overcome them.
One of the biggest issues I encountered was relying on others. I didn’t have any idea on how many volunteers I would have show up to have me hand out flyers around neighborhoods or later to help me pick up donations. I also wasn’t sure how much I could rely on my neighbors and community partners to offer donations. Sometimes I had to put in a few more hours of my own personal time and some extra effort to reach out and fill a void, whatever that may be. Another thing that I found to be a challenge was both the cost of shipping and how much space we had available for shipping the backpacks along with all of our other supplies for our mission trip in March. Through generous donations I am able to cover costs to transport everything. With brainstorming and offering alternative options, I have decided with my team leaders Blake and Marci that we will take as many backpacks as possible, and anything we cannot take we will send with the next group, use to send on other trips around the world for struggling children, or ship it to the orphanage’s large storage crate in Florida, which can be sent to Haiti when it is filled.
Describe what steps you took to inspire others through sharing/ "publishing" your project. (website, blog, presentations, posters, videos, articles, and so on).
So far I have made a website/blog that has information about my project as well as child poverty and the information I used, and also has links to websites where people can learn more about global issues such as child poverty in Haiti and how they can help. I made presentations to several clubs at school to spread the information and raise awareness to volunteers so they knew why and how they were helping the Haitian children. Also, on all the flyers I passed out, I put some background context for my project about Haiti as well as an email address and website where people could learn more or go if they had any questions.
What did you learn about yourself as a result of this project that surprised you?
The most surprising thing I learned about myself from this project was the fact that even though I am just one person in a world of billions, I have the potential to change the world. There are endless resources and opportunities available to me, as well as so many people that are willing to help and support me, and all I have to do is start something and get the word out. I didn’t necessarily think that my project or my own ideas would have enough force to really make an impact on someone, but I learned that it’s not about how much I do, just that I’m working towards a positive change and a benefit to somebody else.
What are you most proud of about your project?
I am most proud of the community response and the willingness of others to help. I got a ton of free plastic shopping bags from grocery stores to use to pay out with flyers for donations, as well as discounts and donations for copies of the flyers. I have gotten emails from people asking how else they can help and if I need any more items, and am collecting more donations all the time even weeks after the “official” collection date. I am also proud of the opportunities and interests that I have personally been lead to, including the trip to Haiti to take the results of my projects to the kids themselves. I wasn’t sure if I could go, but have been inspired by the incredible response to finish my project strong and make sure that everything was delivered to where it needed to be and used how it should. I am amazed at how this project has opened doors to more service opportunities, relationships in my community, and ways that I can get others involved.
The following is a list of the 15 Girl Scout Leadership Outcomes. Which do you think you developed through this project?
Please mark all that apply and give one or two examples for each outcome you developed.
Discover
x I developed a stronger sense of self.
x I developed positive values.
x I gained practical life skills.
x I sought challenges in the World.
x I developed critical thinking.
Please give one or two examples of your growth as a leader in this outcome.
I had to truly discover myself and the things that I value with this project, such as patience, compassion, kindness, self-control, and empathy. I learned that, as Gandhi stated, “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” Some life skills I had to develop were public speaking and asking for help from strangers, as well as detailed organization and extensive planning not only to plan out my own project but to make it easy and clear for those who were helping me. I sought one of the biggest global challenges, taking on child poverty, and made my own efforts to at least make somewhat of an impact.
Connect
x I developed healthy relationships.
x I promoted cooperation and team building.
x I resolved conflicts.
x I advanced diversity in a multicultural World.
x I felt more connected to my community, locally and globally.
Please give one or two examples of your growth as a leader in this outcome.
During this project I met so many new and incredible people who a believe I will build a strong relationship with in the future. This includes the members of the clubs at school, who have great potential to do amazing things in life, as well as my team leaders, with whom I have developed my relationship and furthered my connection with them. I had to resolve conflicted between members of groups and clubs that didn’t work well together; I used their own talents and strengths to build off one another and make their volunteering as effective and efficient as possible. I brought global awareness and cultural understanding and diversity to my volunteers and team members, because I informed them about the issues that my project involved and how our efforts were actually helping. I didn’t want people to blindingly show up and be there just to be there; I wanted the volunteers to want to help and to have some background as to why I was doing what I was doing. I think that I built a strong connection to my community because I talked to neighbors and community members and spread information to the public about my project and about child poverty.
Take Action
x I identified community issues.
x I was a resourceful problem solver.
x I advocated for myself and others, locally and globally.
x I educated and inspired others to act.
x I felt empowered to make a difference in the World.
Please give one or two examples of your growth as a leader in this outcome.
The community issue I addressed was the continuing causes effects of child poverty, and the fact that we have isolated and desensitized views of third-world nations because of the media. I had to use the limited ideas and resources that were available to me to solve the problem of how I could help make a difference in the lives of the Haitian children when I was only one girl in a big world. Through my informative presentations and website, I advocate for the children in need all over the world who are forgotten about every day. They need someone to speak for them because their voices are seldom heard. My project has sparked ideas in the Student Leadership and Key Club at my high school and they want to help further my ideas through supply drives and class competitions with donations in the future. They are always asking me about what else they can do to help and how we can continue to advocate for these children. After this project, I realize that I have the potential to spark change. Even though I may not be able to do everything alone, I feel that when one person starts, a chain reaction begins and great work can be done.
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