What is a Service Unit Highest Award Celebration? It’s a ceremony that recognizes a Service Unit’s Highest Award recipients who have earned the Girl Scout Bronze, Silver, and Gold. This event can also recognize those who have earned the Cadette Program Aide Award, Counselor-in-Training (CIT), Counselor-in-Training II (CIT II), and Volunteer-in-Training (VIT). Descriptions of these mentoring awards can be found in GSNI’s Teen Mentor Leadership Guide.
Girl Scouts of Northern Illinois believes these events provide empowering experiences for Girl Scouts, membership retention opportunities, and the opportunity for community engagement. We find that local celebrations provide the opportunity to invite families from the entire service unit, community members, local celebrities, Board members. GSNI staff, former Gold Award Girl Scouts, and the local media.
GSNI provides funding allocations for these events! Funds can be used for things such as room rental, food, printing, and decorations. GSNI also provides event coordinators with a planning packet that includes tips for planning the event, forms necessary to receive council funding, and sample event scripts and invitations.
This event can:
- Be done as part of a Bridging Ceremony
- Take place even if your service unit does not have a Gold Award Girl Scout
- Happen at a Service Unit Day Camp, Camporee, or Twilight Camp
- Be planned in conjunction with an already scheduled service unit event
- Be completed in about 15 minutes, depending on the number of honorees
Each Service Unit Manger should have received a Highest Award Service Unit Ceremonies planning packet from GSNI Member Support. If not, you can also find it on the GSNI Recognition Page by scrolling down to Service Unit Recognition/Resources for Girl Recognition.
If you have any further questions or would like individual forms that can be edited specifically for your event, please contact customercare@girlscoutsni.org with the subject line: Service Unit Celebration.
