Gold Award Spotlight: Reaching New Altitudes

Girl Scout Ambassador Lauren from Newport News recently earned the Girl Scout Gold Award, which is the highest honor and achievement in Girl Scouting. For her project, Lauren wanted to create an opportunity for local youth to gain knowledge in the fields of aviation, aerospace and STEM (science, technology, engineering and math).

She created lesson plans to teach children in local community groups about the fundamentals of flight, the importance of STEM as a whole and about resources they can use to pursue interests in STEM, including local museums, events and summer camps. Lauren led activities that allowed children to build airplane models, see things fly and learn about aviation history.

Lauren chose this project because she recognizes a trend in education that focuses on children passing standardized tests, rather than encouraging children to pursue innovative thoughts and be challenged in the fields that interest them. By creating opportunities for children to be engaged in STEM activities, Lauren gave the children that she worked with experience, education and intrigue in the STEM fields.

“As a military child, I’ve always liked aviation,” Lauren said. “My teachings will lay a foundation for youth to build on their understanding of aviation and the role it plays in their everyday lives.”

The Gold Award requires girls to identify an issue in their community and carry out a Take Action project to address the matter through leadership work. Nationwide, less than 6 percent of eligible Girl Scouts earn the Gold Award, which adds Lauren to an elite group of female leaders across the country with the honor.

Ban Bossy

Girl Scouts of the USA CEO Anna Maria Chávez will be featured on the cover of Parade magazine this Sunday along with Facebook COO and Lean In author Sheryl Sandberg and former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. These powerful women are looking to change the conversation about girls and leadership with a new campaign to Ban Bossy.

When it comes to girls' ambition, the pattern is clear: girls are discouraged from leading. When a little boy asserts himself, he's called a "leader," yet when a little girl does the same, she risks being called "bossy"- one of the many ways we inadvertently hold girls back. The Ban Bossy campaign is designed to drive national conversation about girls' leadership, as well as provide girls, troop leaders and parents with practical tips about how to encourage girls.

In fact, according to a study conducted by the Girl Scout Research Institute, while most youth (82 percent) agree that girls and boys are equally good at being leaders, 52 percent also agree that "girls have to work harder than boys in order to gain positions of leadership."

You can access a portion of the article that will appear in Parade here. The complete article will be available in print and online on Sunday, March 9.

Virginia Legislative Day 2014

On February 27, 2014, a delegation of girl and adult members from Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast attended an annual Virginia Girl Scout Legislative Day in Richmond. A “milk and cookies” reception was held in the morning at the General Assembly Building where state delegates and senators had an opportunity to visit with various Girl Scout staff, volunteers and girl members from throughout Virginia. There are a total of five councils that serve Girl Scouts in Virginia. Introductions in the House and Senate followed the reception.

A special visit with Virginia Secretary of Education Ann Holton was held in the afternoon to discuss Girl Scout program initiatives in science, technology, engineering and math, as well as a new initiative that addresses bullying – Be a Friend First. This annual event allows Girl Scouts on leadership tracks who are interested in advocacy to speak with legislators and to help Girl Scouts promote efforts that create positive change in girls’ lives.

Left to right: GSCCC CEO Tracy Keller, Girl Scout Cadettes Zoe and Lily from Chesapeake, Girl Scout Junior Sianna from Norfolk, Virginia Secretary of Education Ann Holton (a former Girl Scout), Girl Scout Ambassador Megan and Girl Scout Seniors Anne and Amanda from Virginia Beach, and CEO of Girl Scouts of the Commonwealth of Virginia Viola Baskerville.

Commission on the Status of Women

Last fall, Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast received notice that we are one of four Girl Scout councils selected from across the country to send a delegation of four local Girl Scouts to the 58th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) in March in New York City. Girl Scouts Morgan, Baillie and Reid from Virginia Beach and Emilia from Seaford were selected through an application process by GSCCC to represent the Council at this special session of the United Nations.

The CSW is an annual event dedicated exclusively to gender equality and advancement of women. During the session, delegates work together to identify challenges facing women, discuss progress made in gender equality and make decisions about setting global standards for the worldwide empowerment of women. At this session, delegates will primarily focus on this year’s theme: elimination and prevention of all forms of violence against women and girls.

Through participation in this opportunity, Morgan, Baillie, Reid and Emilia will gain a renewed global perspective on women’s issues. By educating them about the importance of gender equality and empowering them to work towards advancement of women worldwide, these girls will return from the CSW and share their passion for these issues to create a positive change in their communities and beyond. Stay tuned for information about events and activities these girls will be hosting in our area to share what they’ve learned.

GSCCC is dedicated to offering globally-focused programs for girls throughout the year. From travel opportunities to special workshops, there are a numerous ways for girls to be involved in global leadership activities. Check GO! for upcoming opportunities.

The trip is being generously supported by Dr. Lucy’s, a manufacturer of gluten-free, allergy-friendly cookies based in Norfolk, Va.

The girls leave on March 7, so check back soon to get live updates from New York.


From left: Dr. Lucy, Reid, Eileen (adult chaperone), Baillie, Emilia (via Skype),
Kaitlin (adult chaperone), Morgan, and Julie of Dr. Lucy's.

Be Your Own Kind of Star in Girl Scouts!

Sing! Dance! Perform! You can be your own kind of star in Girl Scouts! On Saturday, April 5 from 1 to 4 p.m., Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast will be hosting talent showcases at Pembroke Mall in Virginia Beach, Patrick Henry Mall in Newport News and Southgate Mall in Elizabeth City. No matter what your talent is, all girls are invited to come out and join the fun.

This event is designed for girls and their families to learn more about becoming a member of Girl Scouts. Currently registered members of Girl Scouts may attend and participate by bringing a friend who registers to become a Girl Scout. Girl Scouts who add a member are eligible to receive a Power of One patch. The new Girl Scout will also be eligible to receive the patch. Learn more here.

At the event, there will be entertainment from Young Audiences of Virginia, including Atumpan, The Talking Drums and North Carolina Marionette Theatre. Girls can enjoy fun, hands-on activities and explore booths to learn about opportunities with Girl Scouts and community partners. There will also be meet and greets with talents from WAVY-TV 10 and FOX 43 at each location.

In Girl Scouts, there are always new opportunities for girls to have new experiences, where they make new friends, challenge themselves to try new things and have fun! These talent showcases are an opportunity for girls to build and show their courage and confidence as they take center stage and shine.

Girls of all ages may participate in the talent showcases in individual or group performances. Register to be a part of the show by filling out this form. Everyone is invited to come join the fun and learn more about becoming a member of the nation’s premier organization for girls.

This event is being generously sponsored by FOX43, WAVY-TV 10, Young Audiences of Virginia and Tidewater Family Magazine.

 

 

World Thinking Day 2014

Girl Scout Juniors Alaina and Leilani from Troop 795 stand by

their Nicaragua display during the World Thinking Day

celebration at Pembroke Mall on February 15.

On Saturday evening, Pembroke Mall was abuzz with international flair, as Girl Scouts in Virginia Beach hosted an event in honor of World Thinking Day, which is celebrated internationally on February 22 by Girl Scouts and Girl Guides in 145 countries around the world to give thanks for their international friendships with one another.

Each Girl Scout troop that participated in the World Thinking Day event selected a country and created a display with information about the history, traditions and culture of the country. Girls were given passport books and had the opportunity to visit the displays, learn about the countries and receive stamps in their books. Many of the Girl Scouts dressed in traditional outfits to represent the country that they researched. They also created SWAPS, which are small keepsakes that Girl Scouts exchange, to represent their country and trade with fellow Girl Scouts. From German pretzels made of pipe cleaners to Turkish beads on a pin, Girl Scouts enjoyed visiting the international displays and trading SWAPS with one another.

The Girl Scouts also participated in a parade of flags through the center of Pembroke Mall, and student volunteers with Norfolk NATO Festival set up a booth to talk to Girl Scouts about their native homes in Germany, Canada and the United Kingdom.

The theme for this year’s World Thinking Day is based on the United Nation’s Millennium Development Goal 2, which is to achieve universal primary education, and is especially focused on making sure girls have access to education. In support of this theme, Girl Scouts in Virginia Beach collected new and gently used books at their World Thinking Day event to be donated to REACH, Inc., an organization that supports literacy needs of homeless and at-risk youth living in shelters in South Hampton Roads.

Girl Scout Sydney from Troop 819 stands by her troop's

display about Mexico.

Black History Month Read-a-Thon

Girl Scouts Jordan and Marvetta
read about Coretta Scott King at the
Read-a-Thon hosted by their troop.

A group of 10 Girl Scouts from Troop 329 gathered at the Dr. Clarence V. Cuffee Library in Chesapeake on February 8 to host their second annual Black History Month Read-a-Thon for children in the South Norfolk community. The girls, who are in grades 3 to 6, carefully selected their favorite Black History Month books to read to children at the library. They also set up reading response activities for the children to make character puppets out of brown paper bags, write about what they learned from the book and draw scenes from the stories they heard.

The Girl Scouts, who invited all children at the library to participate in the Read-a-Thon, also set up stations for children to decorate key chains, make snowflakes, play games and win prizes. The Girl Scouts were each responsible for setting up and running the stations.

Through this project, Girl Scout Troop 329 is addressing the issue of illiteracy that is affects people around the world. In the United States, some 30 percent of all 17 year olds are functionally illiterate. By offering children the opportunity to participate in activities that reinforce literacy skills through fun and interactive experiences, Girl Scouts are working to make an impact on this issue by making reading and writing fun activities.

Girl Scouts Catori and Anaiya work on paper bag puppets
after reading stories about famous African Americans.

Literacy has been a fundamental part of Girl Scouting's informal education program activities since its founding over 100 years ago. This is just one of the many benefits of the Girl Scout Leadership Experience. Research shows that girls with enriched literacy skills, such as those obtained in Girl Scouting, attain higher levels of education, as well as higher-paying and more satisfying jobs, and are more likely to hold leadership positions in their communities. Girls who are reading at or above age level are also less likely to engage in risky behaviors.

At Girl Scouts of the Colonial Coast, we recognize that the ability to read, write and communicate has never been more crucial. If girls and women are to thrive in this information age, they must become lifelong learners so that they will have the ability to build knowledge and skills. This fall, our Girls Who Read Lead membership campaign helped us to share the ways that Girl Scouts continues to place a high priority on giving girls the opportunity to develop good reading skills. This includes badges and awards that girls can earn from completing Girl Scout Journeys, such as It's Your Story- Tell It!

To learn more about how Girl Scouting supports academic achievement and engagement, read the Girl Scout Research Institute's study, Linking Leadership to Academic Success: The Girl Scout Difference.