Cameron Saunders educates community on human trafficking
The Girl Scouts of Nassau County recently distributed 101 Gold Awards, including one to Cameron Saunders of Westbury, during a ceremony hosted by the United States Merchant Marine Academy. Now in its 100th year, the Gold Award program recognizes the power and dedication shared by an elite group of young women who earn the highest honor a Girl Scout can achieve. Saunders spent more than 80 hours over the past year planning, executing and presenting the results of her project, which aimed to make the world a better place for others as well as herself.
“We are extremely proud to celebrate the achievement of over 100 local young women earning their Girl Scout Gold Award during its 100th year,” said Donna Ceravolo, executive director and CEO of the Girl Scouts of Nassau County. “On average, only five percent of eligible Girl Scouts successfully earn the Gold Award, making Cameron part of an exclusive group of women with the tools to become leaders in the 21st century.”
Saunders used her interest in preventing human trafficking to create her project, Human Trafficking. As something that affects nearly 30 million people worldwide, Saunders made it her goal to educate her community on the importance of being aware of what human trafficking is, as well as informing them on the measures they can take to help prevent it from happening. With the help of Delta Sigma Theta, she was able to create and host the event, Breaking the Silence, to better inform the public. Saunders created a Facebook page and a PowerPoint presentation that was shared with the public via social media and her school’s website, along with additional information regarding human trafficking.
Gold Award projects have positively impacted girls’ lives, their communities and the world for 100 years. Approximately one million Girl Scout alumnae have developed Gold Award projects that addressed local or global issues. After identifying an area of interest, a successful Gold Award recipient performs hours of research and prepares a project proposal to be submitted for feedback and approval to the Girl Scouts Council before embarking on her project. The Girl Scout presents her final conclusions as the last step of the journey.
According to the Girl Scout Research Institute, Gold Award recipients display more positive life outcomes pertaining to sense of self, life, satisfaction, leadership, life success, community service and civic engagement.
—Submitted by the Girl Scouts of Nassau County
