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Gold Award Spotlight: Digital Empowerment Workshop
Gold Award Girl Scout Sarah from Troop 1004, a 2025 graduate from Bruton High School in Williamsburg, Virginia, saw an important need in her community and took action to make a lasting impact. Her project focused on helping others gain the skills and confidence they need to navigate today’s technology-driven world.
“My Gold Award project aimed to help bridge the digital divide by empowering senior citizens and individuals with accessibility challenges to use computers confidently,” Sarah explained. “Many in these groups struggled with technology due to physical limitations, lack of education, or the fast pace of new advancements. These challenges often lead to isolation, difficulty accessing resources, and less participation in a digital world.”
Sarah created and led a series of hands-on workshops at Edgeworth Park at New Town senior independence facility in Williamsburg, Virginia. During the sessions, she taught computer skills and introduced practical tools and resources that participants could continue using long after the workshops ended such as, how to use accessibility features, discovering reliable sources for information, the many helpful features of a cell phone, and how to use voice commands.
“Through this project, I hosted workshops that empowered individuals to adjust their computers to meet their needs by teaching versatile computer skills and introducing useful tools and resources they could rely on for ongoing support,” she said.
Sarah described her sessions as “a supportive environment where participants could ask questions, practice in real time, and build confidence, directly filling the gap of accessible education and guidance that had been missing.”
By the end of her project, Sarah helped her participants feel more connected and capable in a digital world that often leaves some behind. Sarah earned her Girl Scout Bronze Award as a Junior and her Girl Scout Silver Award as a Cadette. Through her leadership, compassion, and dedication, this Gold Award Girl Scout exemplifies what it means to be a changemaker.
