Local Lynbrook Teens Earn Prestigious Girl Scout Gold Award

LYNBROOK, NEW YORK (JUNE 2022) — Girl Scouts of Nassau County recently honored Lynbrook residents Amelia Doyle and Colette Doyle for earning their Gold Awards. The Gold Award is the highest and most prestigious award a Girl Scout can achieve, as it recognizes the remarkable dedication she has for improving their community and the world around them. Amelia and Colette were presented with their Gold Awards at the Girl Scouts of Nassau County's 2022 Gold Awards Ceremony, joining an elite group of 53 young women from throughout Nassau County who earned the highest honor a Girl Scout can achieve.

“The recipients of this year’s Gold Awards have displayed diligence, compassion and altruism in approaching issues facing their communities,” said Randell Bynum, the chief executive officer of Girl Scouts of Nassau County. “Their efforts have not gone unnoticed in their communities and their impacts will leave an imprint for years to come. I applaud them for addressing topics like social justice, mental health, the environment and more, while putting forth solutions to create a better world.”

The Gold Award program is designated for girls in grades 9-12 and is intended to help girls explore civic and social issues they are passionate about pursuing. The process of earning a Gold Award begins with a Girl Scout identifying a civic or social issue, drafting a plan to approach the issue and, lastly, partnering with volunteers or community leaders to implement it. The plan implemented needs to be sustainable and reach beyond the Girl Scout’s personal community.
Amelia Doyle’s project, “Restore the Seas,” educated students about the important role sharks play in their ecosystems as well as the need for ocean conservation to protect them and their habitats. She developed workshops at public libraries and created presentations for local preschools that focused on reducing ocean pollution and caring for marine life. Amelia also organized and recruited members in her community to participate in beach cleanups in Long Beach. Her project will be sustained through her lesson plans, her website and social media, and her high school’s environmental club will continue to hold an annual beach cleanup day. Amelia will be a junior at Lynbrook High School this fall.

For her Gold Award Project, “Exploring STEM Possibilities for Young Female and Underprivileged Students,” Colette Doyle introduced young girls and underprivileged children to STEM to address a lack of educational opportunities. She ran workshops, distributed STEM kits, and made a website for students. She also interviewed women in STEM careers to educate children on these fields. All this was done through local libraries and an early childhood development center. Her lesson plans are sustained through her website for future students. Collette will be a junior at Lynbrook High School this fall.

According to the Girl Scout Research Institute, girls who have achieved their Gold Award, experience greater life success due to a greater sense of self, satisfaction, leadership, life achievements, community service and civic engagement. Gold Award Girl Scouts who enlist in the U.S. Armed Forces may receive a higher pay grade and can receive scholarships or other recognition from most colleges or universities.

For more information about the Girl Scouts of Nassau County and the Gold Award program, visit www.gsnc.org.

###

We Are Girl Scouts: Girl Scouts bring their dreams to life and work together to build a better world. Through programs in Nassau County, across Long Island and from coast to coast, Girl Scouts of all backgrounds and abilities can be unapologetically themselves as they discover their strengths and rise to meet new challenges—whether they want to climb to the top of a tree or the top of their class, lace up their boots for a hike or advocate for climate justice, or make their first best friends. Backed by trusted adult volunteers, mentors, and millions of alumni, Girl Scouts leads the way as they find their voices and make changes that affect the issues most important to them. To join us, volunteer, reconnect, or donate, visit girlscouts.org.