Recognitions
Bronze. Silver. Gold. These represent the highest honors a Girl Scout can earn. All three awards give girls the chance to do big things while working on an issue that’s captured their interest in a big way. As girls earn one of Girl Scouts' highest awards, they will change their corner of the world—and maybe even beyond.
Bronze Award - The Girl Scout Bronze Award is the highest honor a Girl Scout Junior can achieve. A girl may pursue this award if they are in the 4th or 5th grade and have completed a Junior Journey.
Silver Award - The Silver Award is the highest award a Girl Scout Cadette can earn. A girl may pursue this award if they are in the 6th, 7th, or 8th grade and have completed a Cadette Journey.
Gold Award - The Girl Scout Gold Award is the highest award a Girl Scout can earn. Once achieved, it shows colleges, employers, and the community that girls are out there changing the world. Girls must be in high school to pursue this award. They must either complete two Senior or Ambassador Journeys –OR- have earned the Girl Scout Silver Award and completed a Journey.
LEADERSHIP & MENTORING AWARDS
Junior Aide award is earned by a Girl Scout Junior who helps a Daisy troop or group work on any of the Leadership Journeys. The complete requirements for earning the Junior Aide award can be found .
The Leader in Action (LiA) award is earned by a Girl Scout Cadette who helps a Brownie troop or group work on any of the Leadership Journeys. For the girls being mentored, it means a chance to learn from teens – some of their favorite people! The complete requirements for earning the Leader in Action award can be found in any of the Brownie Journey Leader guides. Earning the LiA award is a pre-requisite for the Program Aide pin.
The Program Aide (PA) pin is earned by a Girl Scout Cadette who earns one LiA award and then completes a Council-designed leadership course. After completing these first two steps, girls will need to work with younger girls over six sessions. These sessions are in addition to those done for the LiA award.
The Torch Awards – available to Cadette (Silver Torch), Senior (Gold/Silver Torch), and Ambassador (Gold Torch) Girl Scouts. To earn this award, girls must complete a Leadership Journey at the respective Girl Scout level. They must also serve one term in a leadership position at school, church, library, community center, town council, after school club, or similar organization. Additional details are available in the Cadette, Senior, and Ambassador versions of the Girl’s Guide to Girl Scouting.
The Volunteer-In-Training (VIT) pin is available to Senior and Ambassador Girl Scouts. To earn the Volunteer-In-Training pin, girls must learn to mentor younger girls outside of the camp experience by completing a Volunteer-In-Training course and working with younger girls over the course of three to six months.
The Counselor-In-Training pin (CIT) and Counselor-In-Training II pin (CITII) are available to Senior and Ambassador Girl Scouts. To earn these two pins, Senior and Ambassador Girl Scouts learn to mentor younger girls in a camp setting. They must complete a Counselor-In-Training course and work with younger girls over the course of a camp session. The CIT II pin can be earned by first earning the CIT award, then working with younger girls over the course of at least one camp session while focusing on increasing their skill in one specific area – such as riding instruction, life guarding, or the arts.
SERVICE AWARDS
Helping Hands Award - a San Diego Council Service Patch
The "Helping Hands" Award is intended to supplement national GSUSA recognitions and does not call for special training. This award recognizes the value of community service and is the San Diego Council's way of thanking girls for being available to the community and the council to lend a hand when called upon.
Each segment of the award requires 25 hours of service
First 25 hours – earn the royal blue "25" square
Second 25 hours – earn the light blue "50" square
Third 25 hours – earn the purple "75" square
Fourth 25 hours – earn the green arc for a total of 100 hours
This award may be earned multiple times over the course of a girl’s Girl Scout journey.
Community Service Bar - available to Cadette, Senior, and Ambassador Girl Scouts. If you're a community service rock star, this service bar is for you! Start by choosing a non-profit organization – that isn’t Girl Scouts – where you'd like to volunteer, complete at least 20 hours of service. There are three different bars available – one for each level. Additional details are available in the Cadette, Senior, and Ambassador versions of the Girl’s Guide to Girl Scouting.
Service to Girl Scouting Bar - available to Cadette, Senior, and Ambassador Girl Scouts. If you choose to volunteer at least 20 hours with Girl Scouts – outside of your normal troop activities – you can receive the Service to Girl Scouting Bar! Additional details are available in the Cadette, Senior, and Ambassador versions of the Girl’s Guide to Girl Scouting.
LEVEL AWARDS
Journey Summit Awards - available at each Girl Scout level. To earn this award, girls must complete 3 Leadership Journeys at their respective Girl Scout level. This is the highest award a Girl Scout Daisy and Brownie can earn!
Global Action Awards -
MEDAL AWARDS
Medal of Honor - This award is given to a Girl Scout who has shown presence of mind (a clear and calm head) and true Girl Scout spirit in an emergency.
Bronze Cross - This award is given to a girl who has shown extraordinary heroism or risked her life to save another's.