Sophomore Catie Weahage is a Girl Scout who is actively completing her highest award challenge in Girl Scouts, completing her gold project. Weahage has been a part of Girl Scouts since kindergarten. Weahage is currently ranking as a senior (ranks are as follows: Daisy, Brownies, Juniors, Cadettes, Seniors, and Ambassadors), and after she finishes her gold project, she could go on to be a leader of a troop or similar titles.
In Girl Scouts, there are three major projects that a girl can complete. Weahages says, “ Your first one is your bronze project, then you have your silver project, and gold project; all of these have to be sustainable and be a lasting project.”
She continues, “Your gold project is where you have to meet certain requirements by spending at least 100 hours of service [on] the project. Something has to be done in the community that is able to be sustained and continued after you’ve finished the project.” Weahage described how for a while when she was deciding what to do, she thought of doing something with athletes and mental health possibilities working with a therapy business. However, she is now leaning towards a different path.
Wehage is an artist and currently takes multiple art classes at NH, planning to make a career in her artistic abilities. She says, “I feel like I might switch gears and switch to something art-related because that is the career path I want to go into.” She shared an example of someone else’s gold project, which was “dental hygiene kits for better access to hygiene products. She is working with the dental office she goes to and helps give out and supply kits to those who need it.” When a girl scout completes a gold project, they have to incorporate another organization who is outside of the troop or outside of your family.
For her bronze project, which Weahage completed in third grade, she helped “build a small library in Africa, so the troop gathered 600 or so books together and the troop sent over the books and money to help people build a library.” For her silver project, which Weahage completed in eighth grade, the troop made a blessing box which Weahage describes as “a box where people can leave food or books or anything a person might need and anyone who needs it can use it.” This blessing box is located in Darlington.
When Weahage was younger, she talked about how her troop would have a meeting once every week, and in these meetings, girls would go off of the book about the Girl Scouts. Inside, there are crafts or lessons that will teach the girls different values. Weahage says, “It really just teaches you how to be a good person.” The young troop would also sell cookies to raise money for Girl Scouts and other organizations as well. Wehage says, “now, however, many girls have left, so now it’s only two of us left but we still meet up once a month or so to talk about our progress on our projects.”
Wehage mentions how she thinks “it was a really good thing to be a part of when I was younger; the whole Girl Scout promise is something that helped me be a nice and good person. When I grew up, it definitely influenced me. It makes me take initiative for stuff.” The Girl Scout promise is “I will do my best to be honest and fair, friendly and helpful, considerate and caring, courageous and strong, and responsible for what I say and do, and to respect myself and others, respect authority, use resources wisely, make the world a better place, and be a sister to every Girl Scout.”
Wehage also says “For young girls, [she] would definitely advocate for joining Girl Scouts and really any girl who’s interested. There’s not an age limit for when you join. It’s good to be in a troop and you get to be around all different people and get good leadership and moral influence.”
