Journeys

Have you gotten the new Girl Scout materials?  I am waiting on mine to arrive.  I am anxious to see what has been developed and how we will implement it with three Girl Scout levels.  I know that there are 5 badges linked to each Journey.  

We have decided that we are doing the Daisy Flower Garden, Brownie Quest, and Junior Agent of Change this year.  Did you know there are meeting plans created for the Journeys that include the badge work?  Check out this site.  
http://gsnetx.org/Default.aspx?tabid=463 
Click on the one you need, and it downloads in PDF.

We would love to hear how your meetings are going and what ideas you have for implementing the new materials, Journeys, and fun additional events.

First Meeting of the Year

Have you had your first meeting yet?  We did at the beginning of September, and it was so much fun.

We began our meeting with a "get to know you" activity.  Another troop disbanded and the girls wishing to stay in Girl Scouts joined our troop.  We were so excited to meet 4 new girls.  The girls had fun getting to know each other and the leaders.

GSNETX had shared information about 9-10-11, a service project.  We discussed ways to help end world hunger and conserve energy while at the meeting.  We communicated with the girls beforehand, so they each brought their 10 food items.  We will weigh our food and then donate it to our local Food Pantry.

We enjoyed nachos and fruit before ending the night with two ceremonies.

We never held a Bridging Ceremony at the end of last year for our two girls going to Juniors.  The new girls joining us never had a ceremony either, so we held a Bridging Ceremony.  It was a simple ceremony with speaking parts by the "Brownie Leader" and the "Junior Leader," the girls crossed an imaginary bridge, and ended with everyone singing "Make New Friends."

We then had a Rededication Ceremony so our girls who are remaining as Daisies and Brownies could take part as well as our new Juniors.

What did you do for your first meeting?

Working with Volunteers

In the past few months, I have seen two organizations struggle to work with volunteers in a respectful manner.  Those who volunteer do so for various reasons, but those I hear most are to spend time with their child/loved one or because they have had experience with the organization, feel passionate about it, and want to give back.  Sometimes these volunteers work within the organization at a more basic (and very important) level while others strive to be on boards or committees.
I encourage all those involved to remember that everyone is a part for a reason.  Everyone is giving of his/her time, energy, and expertise. Everyone has a voice and should be heard, no matter what level they volunteer.  Organizations should not be completely run by the board or committee, and voices should not be silenced just because a few want to be "in charge."

The most valuable volunteers in an organization are those who know the organization/program, were a part of it for years, and are passionate about it.  In Girl Scouts, former Girl Scouts can be a great asset, not only to the girls in troops, but to new leaders learning the organization.  Girls who grew up in Girl Scouts and earned their Gold Award have a passion that is hard to explain and should be built upon.

Service Units who are struggling to find leaders, visit your local college/university.  Members of campus organizations need volunteer hours, but also, you can tap into girls who are new to the area who were Girl Scouts back home.  They can be part of an organization with which they are familiar in a new area.


Good luck working with your volunteers.  Remember, they are human and would like to hear a little appreciation every now and again.  Treat them as you would want to be treated.

Planning For the Year

Have you begun planning the 2011-2012 year? 
Not having the new materials reminds me of starting a new school year without the new curriculum.  I am a planner.  I like to spend time looking through all the resources, making decisions about the year, deciding what trips we will take & which events we will attend, and setting a tentative, yet firm, calendar. 

When looking at the year, I create a document that looks like a lesson plan.  My document includes the date of meeting, plan for meeting (activities, crafts, etc.), materials needed, plan for dinner/snack, and notes about upcoming events to discuss with parents.  I tend to plan as detailed as possible for the first semester, make changes as we go, and then build the second semester closer to December.

My co-leader and I have not planned our year yet, but we are seriously considering beginning with one of the Journeys and work through it until we can add the new materials to it.  We will have a tri-level troop this year, so we will work to keep everyone on their level but doing activities/crafts that tie the levels/Journeys together.

So . . . have you planned your year yet?  What plans do you have?

Summer Plans

What are your troops doing this summer?

We will be having our Bridging Ceremony later this summer.  We have two wonderful young ladies bridging from Brownies to Juniors.  The end of the school year was so busy that we have moved it back just a little.  It will be fun for the girls to get together.

Now is a great time to catch-up on training.  Leaders, are you attending any training this summer?  Need help or have questions?  Just give me a shout.

I would love to hear from any readers out there.

Spring and Big Decisions

Spring meetings and re-registration are coming to an end.  I can't believe the end of May is already here.

How have you celebrated the end of another Girl Scout year?

What was your end-of-the-year ceremony like?

What plans do you have for the summer?

Are you planning to return next year?  Plans already in the works?

We just held our last Service Unit Team and Leader meetings.  I made a difficult decision, but I have stepped down from my Service Unit Team.  There are various reasons, but overall, I will miss the work I have been doing.  I have enjoyed working with leaders as they begin/continue their journeys.

Overnight Fun

This past Friday night, I took 4 girls and a new Girl Scout volunteer on an overnight event at a Natural Science Museum and Wildlife Sanctuary about an hour from our home.  It was a Service Unit event, but due to busy schedules, only around 30 girls (Kindergartners through 4 grade) and 15 adults took advantage of the fun.

I just cannot describe how much fun and perfect the event was for our girls.  The girls, one being new to the group, got along wonderfully.  They absolutely enjoyed themselves and all the experiences.  We loved the cool weather as we hiked around 3 miles total on Friday evening and Saturday morning. They got to experience nature, see a blackland prairie, wetland, raccoons, a bat, and so much more.

After such a great event, I can't wait to plan more fun for the summer.