Our Project...
Inspired by a bench at our own school, we decided to spread the message of friendship and compassion by building Friendship Benches and donating them to schools on Oahu.
We started by brainstorming our idea and then split up the work between the four of us. Each of us figured out what we would be in charge of and created a project plan - a list of tasks and a timeline to get it done. Together, we earned our Girl Scout Silver Award!
Our bench builder, Pomai, was in charge of researching bench design options, getting the materials and organizing the assembly of all of the benches. Our group had a workday to assemble, paint and decorate the benches. To earn her Girl Scout Gold Award, Pomai taught kids construction skills and built more benches for Hawaii schools. See her Gold Award Project updates here.
Our fundraising leader, Lauren, was responsible for finding the money needed to pay for our project. She connected us with the Second Step Hawaii program of the Coalition for a Drug Free Hawaii and organized our group presentation. We pitched our idea and the organization agreed to be a community partner and pay for most of our material expenses to build 4 benches! We were able to make each bench for about $130.
Our school outreach leader, GG, was in charge of finding schools that were interested in having a bench, scheduling meetings with the school and students, and developing a presentation. We were able to meet with Kindergartners at Kalihi Uka School. She also helped to start programs at Waikiki Elementary School, Lincoln Elementary School, and St. Andrew's Priory and taught them how to use the bench. To earn her Girl Scout Gold Award, GG developed presentations and curriculum for schools. See her Gold Award Project updates here.
Our project sustainability leader, Haley, was responsible for building awareness of the project. She created a video to spread the excitement about the bench and developed our website. We met with many Kindergarten and first grade students and confirmed directly with the source - playing with friends is one of the best parts about being in school! See our video here. To earn her Girl Scout Gold Award, Haley developed a Friendship Bench Program All You Need to Know! Guide to help any school or organization implement a Friendship Bench Program at their location. See her Gold Award Project here.
Working together, we are building friendships bench by bench!
We started by brainstorming our idea and then split up the work between the four of us. Each of us figured out what we would be in charge of and created a project plan - a list of tasks and a timeline to get it done. Together, we earned our Girl Scout Silver Award!
Our bench builder, Pomai, was in charge of researching bench design options, getting the materials and organizing the assembly of all of the benches. Our group had a workday to assemble, paint and decorate the benches. To earn her Girl Scout Gold Award, Pomai taught kids construction skills and built more benches for Hawaii schools. See her Gold Award Project updates here.
Our fundraising leader, Lauren, was responsible for finding the money needed to pay for our project. She connected us with the Second Step Hawaii program of the Coalition for a Drug Free Hawaii and organized our group presentation. We pitched our idea and the organization agreed to be a community partner and pay for most of our material expenses to build 4 benches! We were able to make each bench for about $130.
Our school outreach leader, GG, was in charge of finding schools that were interested in having a bench, scheduling meetings with the school and students, and developing a presentation. We were able to meet with Kindergartners at Kalihi Uka School. She also helped to start programs at Waikiki Elementary School, Lincoln Elementary School, and St. Andrew's Priory and taught them how to use the bench. To earn her Girl Scout Gold Award, GG developed presentations and curriculum for schools. See her Gold Award Project updates here.
Our project sustainability leader, Haley, was responsible for building awareness of the project. She created a video to spread the excitement about the bench and developed our website. We met with many Kindergarten and first grade students and confirmed directly with the source - playing with friends is one of the best parts about being in school! See our video here. To earn her Girl Scout Gold Award, Haley developed a Friendship Bench Program All You Need to Know! Guide to help any school or organization implement a Friendship Bench Program at their location. See her Gold Award Project here.
Working together, we are building friendships bench by bench!