Scouts may be the most visible when selling colorful boxes of cookies or Christmas trees, but the hard work and service projects behind the scenes aren’t always obvious. Both Girl Scouts and Boy Scouts offer pinnacle awards for youth in their programs: the Gold Award for Girl Scouts and the Eagle Scout rank for Boy Scouts.

In Pendleton’s Troop 700, Scoutmaster Karl Farber has performed three Eagle ceremonies and there are currently four scouts working toward the Eagle rank. Becoming an Eagle Scout means persevering and being dedicated to Scouting.

“You have to go through all the ranks and all of those have stages, they have certain skill sets you have to learn,” Farber says. “All the way through, you’re earning merit badges, which are skills that you learn through years of scouting, and then those go toward Eagle.”

The Gold Award is the highest honor for older Girl Scouts. Three Eastern Oregon girls are actively working to become Gold Award Girl Scouts, two in La Grande and one in Hermiston. Unlike the Eagle Scout path, there is no defined way to advance through the Girl Scout program. The program focuses on a “girl-led” approach, allowing scouts to make step-by-step decisions on what they learn and how much they do.

“Gold Award Girl Scouts show extraordinary leadership and make a real and lasting difference in their communities,” says Shannon Evers, CEO of Girl Scouts of Oregon and Southwest Washington. “Girls in our council have addressed hunger, homelessness, traffic safety, mental health and so much more through their projects. They’ve shown themselves and the world what they’re capable of.” Achieving the Gold Award unlocks greater opportunities, Evers adds, including access to local and national scholarships, standing out on college or job applications, and entering the military at a higher rank.

Three members of Pendleton’s Girl Scout Troop 51413 are working on their Silver Award – the highest honor for girls in grades six to eight. Scouting builds courage and confidence, says Andrea Park, co-leader of the troop. “The girls choose which merit badges we complete and what we focus on. The Bronze, Silver, and Gold awards are opportunities for them to see a need in the community and develop a plan to help them take action and make difference. They are excited when they see their ideas develop into reality.”

The Eagle Scout and Gold Award require significant work and a culminating final project organized and completed by the scout. Current and recent projects include building and installing benches along the walking path at McKay Park (Eagle), installing helmet racks for Little League baseball (Eagle) and raising awareness of the importance of bees, including building and placing bee boxes and starting hives (Gold). With all of these projects, success often requires parental support and encouragement, especially with younger scouts.

That can mean helping them prepare to succeed before each meeting. Farber notes, “When they’re 12 and 13 years old, that takes a little bit of guidance, but as they get older, it’s their responsibility. Kids are learning a lot of good skills, outdoor skills, leadership skills.”

Being a supportive parent can be as easy as getting the scout to a meeting on time with any materials they need. But support does not mean doing the project work for the scout and that can be hard for some parents. To build leadership skills, however, scouts must learn how to lead on their own.

In Eastern Oregon, scouting opportunities exist for those in kindergarten through age 18, with adult volunteer opportunities available. To get involved with Girl Scouts of Oregon and Southwest Washington, visit www.girlscouts.org/en/get-involved.html. For those interested in the Boy Scouts of America Blue Mountain Council, visit bluemountainscouts.org.

To be eligible for the Eagle Scout rank, a scout must:

• Have been active as a Life Scout for at least six months.

• Have earned a minimum of 21 merit badges, including specific required ones.

• Hold positions of leadership within their troop.

• Complete a significant community service project. The project must:

o Benefit the community or a nonprofit organization.

o Demonstrate leadership.

o Require a significant number of hours to complete.

o Be approved by the Eagle Scout Board of Review.

To be eligible for the Girl Scout Gold Award, a scout must:

• Be in ninth to 12th grade.

• Have completed two Senior or Ambassador Journeys, or have earned the Girl Scout Silver Award and completed one Senior or Ambassador Journey.

• Research an issue in her community or world.

• Develop a unique project that is sustainable and addresses a root cause of the researched issue. The project must also:

o Take at least 80 hours to complete.

o Allow the scout to lead a team of volunteers.

o Have a realistic budget and resources outlined before the project begins.

o Has a national and/or global link.

o Be approved by the regional Girl Scout Council.