Amanda Matsubara and Inori Kawauchiya from Troop 5325, which meets at the Venice Hongwanji Buddhist Temple, have earned the Gold Award – the highest award in Girl Scouting.
To earn the award, the girls each completed a project of at least 80 hours that addressed an issue and created a lasting change in a community of her choice. The girls were honored during the virtual Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles Gold Award ceremony on Aug. 16.
Amanda partnered with Clover Elementary School to document and preserve teacher Barry Israelson’s play and music about the California Gold Rush. She then went to various Los Angeles elementary schools to conduct Gold Rush workshops. She taught songs from the play and led activities and crafts with a Gold Rush theme.
In addition, she created lesson plans for the teachers at each school so that they could utilize her workshops in the future. The children were excited to learn about California’s rich history through the use of music.
Inori created a collaborative art project at Beethoven Elementary School. Under her guidance, students were taught to make various origami pieces that were then combined to create a piece of art that promotes the value of education. During her workshops, she also taught students about the difficulties children in other countries face in trying to obtain a basic education. Her goal was to inspire the students at Beethoven Elementary to value and take advantage of their educational opportunities.
For more information about their projects, email girlscouttroop5325@gmail.com.
Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, serves more than 40,000 girls in partnership with more than 24,000 volunteers from the diverse communities of Los Angeles County and parts of Kern, San Bernardino, and Ventura counties. Girl Scouts of Greater Los Angeles is the largest girl-serving nonprofit agency in Los Angeles.
Through programs in entrepreneurship, life skills, outdoors, and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math), Girl Scouts prepares girls to practice a lifetime of leadership. To join, volunteer, reconnect, or support, visit www.girlscoutsLA.org or call (213) 213-0123.