I have been working on my Girl Scout Gold Award project, called Connecting Youth to Youth, for the past two years and I’m excited to share it with you all now.
Just as a little background, the Girl Scout Gold Award project is the highest award a Girl Scout can earn (similar to the Eagle Scout Award in Boy Scouts). A Senior Girl Scout can complete her Gold Award by having worked at least sixty hours on her project as well as completing prerequisites before she begins the project work.
For my project, I spent a week in Johannesburg, South Africa, in September 2005, filming the Publik Kreativity Drama Krew, a drama group that creates and performs skits, dances, and songs with the idea of raising awareness of AIDS in an engaging and inspiring way. This group is amazing and they are such great actors, dancers, and singers.
I also spent a week in Luebeck, Germany, in December 2005, filming Rebecca, a German friend of mine, and her friends. I got to know Rebecca better, go to school with her, and I got to know lots of her friends very well.
Lastly, I filmed a group of high school students at the California School for the Deaf in Fremont, California in June 2006. This was a great experience as well for me considering that these amazing students live so close to me yet are seen as so different because they are deaf.
When I am awarded my Gold Award I plan to have in some way successfully connected all of the groups I filmed with each other as well as the viewers of my documentary with the groups in the documentary. The main reason for my interest in this project is that I want youth my age to be more aware of other youth in other countries. I think youth and people in general would enjoy finding the many similarities they have with others in other countries and cultures and would be able to connect through their similarities. At the same time, youth need to be aware of the differences between everyone. These differences shouldn’t divide and separate people but create awareness of everyone’s uniqueness.
I currently attend Foothill College in Los Altos Hills (this is my fourth and last year there) and I have been a Girl Scout since fourth grade. I’ve been quite involved in Girl Scouts, completely patches and going to camps; currently, I’m mainly working on my Gold Award project. I earned my Silver Award (a Cadette level award) in eighth grade. My project was organizing a holiday party for kids of ages from five to fifteen at Haven House in Menlo Park, a transitional homeless shelter for families.
In school, I have taken many classes in digital video, French, English, leadership, and math, all of which have helped me with this project. Traveling to parts of South Africa, Russia, Germany, France, England, Japan, and most recently Ecuador (July 2007) has given me many eye-opening and exciting experiences, many of which I filmed for my Gold Award project.
I am engaged in helping people my own age and everyone become more aware of the world around us. My involvement with leadership activities and social activism through organizations including New Global Citizens (formerly Youth Philanthropy Worldwide), Leaders Today, Foothill College, and Girl Scouts has helped me understand and contribute to the world.
Dear Cassie,
I LOVE YOUR MOVIE! It does a SUPER job of communicating the hopes, dreams, and excitement of young people in different cultures in a way that brings us together instead of driving us apart.
I’m really glad that you had the opportunity to connect with each person in your movie and that you are now sharing your movie with others!
Lots and lots of love, hugs, and kisses,
Mom
Comment by Benay Dara-Abrams 12.01.07 @ 7:41 am
Wow, Cassie — even though I had nothing directly to do with this project whatsoever, I feel almost like this is a wonderful “suprise ending” to our class together on ePortfolios last year. For here is a project which explodes the very boundaries of what an ePortfolio can do and be and say: first technically, since you’ve embedded such a high-quality, polished video inside your original blog; second socially, since you’ve reached so far beyond the horizons of your own life to connect with others across the globe; and third on an emotional level, since your work is so genuinely moving and motivating. I loved those interviews with deaf students most of all. Brava!
Comment by Scott Lankford 12.01.07 @ 12:17 pm
CASSIE!!! The documentary’s pretty darn amazing. You did a really good job!
Comment by Anisha 12.01.07 @ 5:05 pm
Lovely work Cassie. Glad we had a chance to see your documentary even though we missed the screening.
Marianne
Comment by Marianne Balin 12.01.07 @ 10:03 pm
Hi, I saw the documentary. I saw the previous film work during the Foothill Video Festival two years ago!! I recognize some of the clips from that and I think you did a nice job editing!!
Comment by Tomoko 12.02.07 @ 12:42 pm
That just put a huge smile to my face -it is truly an inspirational video and I am glad everything turned out perfect!!! You’ve told me about this “documentary” idea since the academy like 2 years ago and I can say you definitely took action on it.
What I really enjoyed about your video is the message behind it -I think it also reflects on our experiences at the academy with everyone coming from different places around the world and bringing in their own perspectives on social issues. With that, I miss both you and Rebecca A LOT! So that is why I will be calling you sometime before Christmas for a LONG chat.
xoxoxo miss you lots!!!
Tiff
Comment by Tiff 12.02.07 @ 1:36 pm
Hi Cassie,
What a WONDERFUL Blog and videos you’ve put together here. I thoroughly enjoyed the videos, especially the “More…” with the lovely music. All-in-all I think this is one of the most enjoyable Blogs and websites I’ve visited. I couldn’t take it all in on first visit, but I’ll be back to enjoy it some more.
Cheers,
Van Shackelford
Comment by Van 12.03.07 @ 10:51 am
Cassie- What a fantastic documentary! I am so glad that I got to see it and I will share it with many others! You are a super star in so many ways- filmaker and visionary being only two. I am so happy to know you , dance with you and work with you. I am excited to know your many adventures to come. Congratulations on the award and this fantastic film!
Love,
Monica
Comment by Monica 12.03.07 @ 12:52 pm
Cassie!! You are so incredible! You accomplished such a huge project and goal of yours! I am SO proud of you!! I’m so glad I got to see it!! xoxo miss you tons!!!
Heather
Comment by Heather 12.03.07 @ 2:00 pm
What an amazing video! You did a GREAT job showing the unique differences that can separate young people….. yet the it is the differences can bring them together. I am going to show my daughter this video….it is very inspiring.
Comment by Christine 12.04.07 @ 6:51 pm