A Different Bronze Award Controversy

A Different Bronze Award Controversy

The Girl Scout Bronze Award debuted in 2001, twenty-one years after the Gold and Silver Awards.

August 15, 2024

1–2 minutes

One lasting story of the 2024 Paris Olympics likely will be the confusion and controversy surrounding the women’s gymnastics floor exercise results.

Bronze awards seem to somewhat problematic.

The Girl Scouts faced their own Bronze Award controversy that lasted from 1980 to 2001. The problem? There was no Bronze Award.

The Gold and Silver Awards were introduced in 1980. The Silver Award replaced First Class as the highest award for Cadettes. In fact, the original prerequisite for the Gold Award was to earn either First Class or the new Silver Award.

The Gold Award concept traced back to the Golden Eaglet award available from 1919 to 1939. It was the highest girl award overall, reserved for Seniors.

For All Girls

The new recognitions are awards, not ranks. While Eagle Scout is a cumulative process, a girl could join Girl Scouts and still accomplish the “metal awards.”

As the Silver and Gold Awards grew in popularity, Junior Scouts asked, “What about Us?” At least one troop decided to Take Action. They contacted GSUSA national headquarters and made a convincing case for their age level.

Just for Juniors

Along with new uniforms and new handbooks, in 2001 Junior Girl Scouts had a new pin for their sash: the Bronze Award.

Both the design and structure of the new award resemble those of the Silver and Gold requirements of the time: a combination of badges, signs, and a leadership project.

Typically the Bronze is earned by entire troop. Girls then apply those leadership skills as Cadette teams working on the Silver, then solo for Gold.

I don’t know if Jade Carey was ever a Girl Scout, but Dominique Dawes, a three-time Olympian has been a tireless supporter of both girls and Girl Scouting, especially on the topic of mental health.

3 responses to “A Different Bronze Award Controversy”

Rosemary Schmid

August 15, 2024 at 2:04 pm

I like this history report. Have you done anything in detail about the Girl Scout Roundup in Michigan? I attended. ALL my memorabilia was thrown away without my permission! I would love details to fill in my memory. My name then was Rosemary Krider from Lawrenceburg, IN I don’t remember my troop number. Leaving this note in case someone I met there reads this. Find me on Facebook. Now in North Carolina.

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Chiara F Ferraris

August 15, 2024 at 6:03 pm

Interesting story.. On the other hand, the switch from Ranks to awards is not good for GS. A Boy Scouts can say he is an Eagle Scout. A Girl Scout can state that she earned an Award (probably one of many in her life). She is not a Gold GS.

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SLoomas

October 10, 2024 at 2:29 am

The program levels from 2001 are exactly how I would arrange them after the 7 years of being a very active troop leader and SU officer. I feel like we didn’t have time to truly get the full experience of Brownies (COVID was part of it), but we REALLY could manage Juniors. As I have learned, that was the last times that my girls had a wealth of badges, especially when incorporating retired ones, that were interesting, engaging, clear, and that wasn’t stem badges that are impossible to do in any meaningful way while sitting in a church rec center in rural America.

Covid has now allowed technology to reign in every sphere. Even poor schools have weird, techy curriculums. Everyone is learning coding. They are sick to death of it. And I am tired of having to use my phone to look up all of the things they need for a badge. But I digress…

After 1 year, my girls were just not ready to take on a Bronze Award. It was a very challenging process. For me. Juniors being a 3 year level would give an extra year of practicing maturity and critical thinking before conducting a community needs assessment, windshield analysis, etc. How do I know this? BECAUSE THOSE ARE THINGS I DO FOR MY JOB. haha.
I consider Ambassadors a throw away year. What even is the point of it if you can earn the crowning glory award two years earlier? The name doesn’t fit as it is. It sounds…goofy. If Ambassadors must stay, create a new, bigger, Capstone award for them.

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