Gold Award Spotlight: The real truth about nutrition and physical fitness

Isabella Devita has earned the Girl Scout Gold Award, the highest honor and achievement a girl can earn in Girl Scouts.

Through her project, “The real truth about nutrition and physical fitness,” Isabella aimed to teach the youth in her community about health and wellness. With the help of her jiu-jitsu coaches, she was able to hold sessions about safe exercise techniques and created flyers with information about healthy eating habits.

“Obesity is a problem in the U.S. The importance of eating healthy and exercising can allow you to have a longer life span because it reduces heart disease, diabetes and other illness. If students know how to take care of themselves they will feel good about themselves,” she explained.

She wanted to make it easier for kids to understand the importance of living a healthy lifestyle. Along with the exercise classes and flyers, Isabella plans to keep her Facebook account dedicated to exercise and her YouTube account active to improve the sustainability of her project.

Girl Scout Summer Bucket List

Have you registered or renewed for the 2020 membership year? Have fun with us this summer when you continue your Girl Scout adventure with these summer bucket list items. If you've registered or renewed, you've already completed the required activity! All you have to do is complete three additional, optional summer activities to get a Summer Bucket List patch.

Required activity:

Register or renew for the upcoming 2020 membership year.

Optional activities—Complete at least three:

1. Visit a Girl Scout Retail Shop
Bring along an adult and visit a GSCCC Retail Shop to ask for your Get Outdoors Challenge sheet. Make sure to take pictures as you complete various items on the sheet and post them using the hashtags #gscccsummerbucketlist and #gsccc. If your account is private or you do not use social media, email your photos to customercare@gsccc.org with the subject line “Summer Bucket List.”

2. Decorate a Flat Juliette
Print and decorate a Flat Juliette so that she can accompany you on your summer adventures. Take a picture and post it using the hashtags #gscccsummerbucketlist and #gsccc. If your account is private or you do not use social media, email your photos to customercare@gsccc.org with the subject line “Summer Bucket List.” Flat Juliette can be downloaded here. Print her on cardstock or laminate her to help keep her in tip-top shape throughout your adventures.

3. Attend a Girl Scout event
Girl Scouts Love State Parks- Join in with Girl Scouts from around the country to show your love for our state parks! A Leave No Trace and/or community service activity will be offered at York River (July 13th), Chippokes State Park (July 13th), and Jockey's Ridge (July 14th).


Registration, which includes the Girl Scouts Love State Parks patch, is free for the first 100 girls. After that registration will be $3. Patches will be mailed after the event.

Healthy Habits Healthy Families- Healthy habits for a healthy community begins with you. Become aware of how your healthy choices affect your lifestyle, relationships and community. This fun and health awareness day in partnership with the City of Chesapeake Police Department will be a day you won't want to miss! The deadline to register is 9/19 and the event takes place on 9/28.

For additional events, or to register for those listed above, check out the GSCCC event page.

4. Find another Girl Scout
Ask around and see who you know that was (is) a Girl Scout. Take a picture with them, or find a GSCCC staff member, post it, and use the hashtags #gscccsummerbucketlist and #gsccc. If your account is private or you do not use social media, email your photos to customercare@gsccc.org with the subject line “Summer Bucket List.”

5. Say "thank you!"
Community service is something Girl Scouts know a lot about! Participate in a community service project by creating a thank you card and delivering it to someone in your community who helps you. It could be a librarian, a police officer, your teacher, or anyone else that you want to say thank you to. Take a picture with the card recipient and post it using the hashtags #gscccsummerbucketlist and #gsccc. If your account is private or you do not use social media, email your photos to customercare@gsccc.org with the subject line “Summer Bucket List.”

6. Get social with us!
If you’re under 13, talk with your parents and ask them to follow us our social media accounts. We share lots of great stories, events and inspirational messages all year long.

Facebook
Twitter
Instagram
Pinterest
Youtube
LinkedIn

7. Complete a Girl Scout Activity Pack
Complete a Girl Scout activity pack and document the activities by posting a photo using the hashtags #gscccsummerbucketlist and #gsccc. If your account is private or you do not use social media, email your photos to customercare@gsccc.org with the subject line “Summer Bucket List”.

Choose any of the kits and have fun trying out all of the activities from games, experiments, and more! Activity Pack 1, Activity Pack 2, Activity 3.

8. Invite your parents to join!
Girl Scouts is a family affair and many parents really enjoy spending quality time with their girl through Girl Scouts! We encourage an adult in your family to register as a troop volunteer. There are many volunteer positions available to suit your strengths. Learn more about volunteering.

Once you have completed your activities, send an email to customercare@gsccc.org and let us know which three activities you've completed. Don’t forget to include your name! We’ll send you a certificate that you can bring to either of our retail shops to pick up your Summer Bucket List patch.

Need help? Are you looking for more information? Have a specific question about this activity or need assistance with registering/renewing a membership? We are just a phone call or email away. Contact our Customer Care team at customercare@gsccc.org or 757-547-4405.

The importance of civic education

GSCCC staff and volunteers gathered to watch the
livestream on civic education

Guest blog written by GSCCC Marketing and Communication Intern Rebecca Schamel.

I attended a viewing of a livestream event called “Preparing the Next Generation of Informed and Engaged Citizens.”  The purpose of this event was to stress the need for more education in the field of civics to our young people so they will have a better understanding of how government works and how they can be involved.  After-school programs such as Girl Scouts, can offer girls a way to learn more about civics and the importance of being well informed about local, state, and national government.

            

The livestream event had an amazing panel of bipartisan women. Chelsea Clinton, vice chair of the Clinton Foundation, was the moderator.  In addition, there were four other panelists to give voice to the importance of civics in our society and schools. Panelist included: Secretary of the U.S. Senate Laura Dove, who started her career as a page and held other positions until she became the Republican Secretary in 2003; New York Attorney General Letitia James, the 67^th attorney general for the state. James was the first African American woman to hold citywide office in New York. James is an advocate for the city’s most vulnerable communities.  Chief Education Officer at iCivics Dr. Emma Humphries, is helping children become interested in learning about civics through interactive and engaging learning resources. Gold Award Girl Scout Lauren Hoaglund was the final person on the panel.  She has been involved with Girl Scouts since the third grade and she created a Gold Award project to educate middle and high school students about civics. She hoped this project would inform them about government and encourage them to consider running for office someday.

            

According to the Annenberg Public Policy Center, only 32 percent of Americans can name all three branches of government, and 33% of Americans cannot name any branches of government.  Panel members agreed that this must change.  Youth and adults need to understand the issues that affect our lives, our communities, and our nation. Chelsea Clinton said, “For a long time I have been concerned about some of the statistics you have heard about earlier.”  She pointed out this affected those who had been excluded from government; indigenous Americans, people of color, girls and women.

She went on to say, “The Girl Scouts are leaders, risk takers, and innovators. We empower girls and women with a robust civics education and toolkit.” She told the story that at age three she was at one of her father’s campaign rallies, waving the American flag and handing out stickers. “Because that is what you can do when you are 3 or 4 years old.”

Gold Award Girl Scout Sofia Richardson said, “I’m excited to be here today to learn more about how civic education prepares girls like me to be active participants in our government and to stand up for issues that we care about in our communities.  At Girl Scouts when girls learn about the role government plays in our lives, we are empowered to make positive changes and fill a responsibility to our country and its’ future.”

As a college student, I think it is very important to know how civics affects everyone. Through civic education, girls can learn how important it is to vote, community issues, and get to know the people who run for office.

2020 Summer Camp Theme Contest

Want to win a free week of summer camp for 2020? Then enter our second annual Summer Camp Theme Contest!

We received some great ideas last year and we can't wait to hear YOURS!

Girls and/or troops can help create a girl-led summer camp week for 2020 by submitting their ideas. The winner will receive that week of camp for free! Entries will be accepted online or on paper applications which will be available at summer camp and Council offices in Summer 2019. Click here to enter.

The contest runs June 1 through September 15, 2019. Click here to view more details.