Girl Scout Madison Duffy knew that most teenagers don’t bother with sunscreen and like to go to tanning salons, unaware of the dangers. She took action by creating a Melanoma Awareness for Teens project, which has resulted in her earning the highest honor in Girl Scouting for a high school student, the Girl Scout Gold Award. Five percent of all skin cancers result in melanoma, which causes 71 percent of skin cancer deaths.
Duffy, 17, of Concord, a junior at Concord High School, worked with advisor Sharon Bean of the Concord Regional Technical Center to educate students and others about the need for sunscreen and regular skin checks.
“It makes your skin pretty,” Duffy said, “but it can cause death and all these other things from melanoma. So it’s not really a pretty thing.”
She had three areas of focus. She created a peer-to-peer education presentation that trained select students to present in their health classes. She created a flyer about
the dangers of melanoma that was distributed at Meet the Coaches Night each season. A public Instagram account she created, @Melanoma.Awareness.Teens, will reach
an even wider audience.
She also added an information table with handouts at the HOSA Future Health
Professionals fall rally at the University of New Hampshire, which more than 500 students attended.
“For prevention I approached my athletic director at school to confirm if the school can get sunscreen and make it available for kids that play sports outdoors in the
first aid kits,” she said. “They did not have it in their budget for this school year, but I was able to get 300 sample bottles donated by Cotz Skin Care.”
Her work will be sustained through her high school, as the peer-to-peer presentation will be used in the future and the athletic director will promote melanoma awareness. She also plans to continue her partnership with New Hampshire HOSA and host a booth at their State Leadership Conference in March.
Having spent well over a year on her work, Duffy said she has gained leadership skills,
including improving communication and public speaking skills, problem-solving and
collaboration with others.
Her advisor said Duffy definitely achieved her goal and expanded her reach through a “really effective” Instagram page.
“As a melanoma survivor myself,” said Bean, “I think it is incredibly important to begin
educating people, especially young people, about the signs and symptoms of melanoma and the importance of early detection. Madison did a wonderful job bringing attention to this issue and helping others learn how to recognize potential warning signs.”
The New Hampshire legislature agrees, and honored Duffy with a certificate of Resolution
from the Senate on March 12, presented to her in person at the New Hampshire State House. She also received a certificate of achievement from the House.
Duffy has been a Girl Scout since kindergarten, enjoying friendship, travel, STEM, the outdoors, and opportunities to expand her skills. She has earned the Girl Scout Bronze and Silver Awards on her way to Gold. She loves camping and selling cookies, raising money
for her many activities. She and her troopmates are planning for a trip, possibly to Myrtle Beach, to cap off their senior year. This accomplished Girl Scout is at the top of her class, junior class President, HOSA NH State Secretary, a member of the National Honor Society, Tri-M Music Honor Society, German American Partnership Program, and is on the varsity field hockey team and Nordic ski team. Currently in the Licensed Nursing
Assistant Program at Concord Regional Technical Center. She is planning to go to college for nursing to become a nurse practitioner.
Gold Award Girl Scouts don’t just change the world for the better, they change it for good. The Gold Award is earned by girls in grades 9–12 who demonstrate extraordinary leadership in developing sustainable solutions to local, national, and global
challenges. Since 1912, Girl Scouts have answered the call to drive lasting, impactful change. They earn college scholarships, demonstrate high educational and career outcomes, and are active in their communities.
Madison Duffy has answered the call to drive lasting, impactful change, and her Gold Award is a testament to her remarkable dedication to improving her
community and the world.
About the Girl Scout Gold Award:
- Gold Award Girl Scouts on average spend one to two years on their project.
- A Gold Award project must be sustainable after the girl’s involvement ends.
- The average age of Gold Award Girl Scouts is 17.
- Since 1916, more than one million girls have earned the Gold Award or its equivalent.
- Gold Award Girl Scouts are entitled to enlist at a higher pay grade when they join the
military. - University research indicates that noting you are a Gold Award Girl Scout on a college
application is influential in the admissions decision-making process. - Seven young women from New Hampshire and Vermont earned their Gold Award in
the 2024-2025 membership year as part of Girl Scouts of the Green and White
Mountains.