Think BIG!

I have great belief in the fact that whenever there is chaos,it creates wonderful thinking. I consider chaos a gift."

      --Septima Clark,

      American educator and civil rights activist

I don't remember where I found this quote, but I like the thought it expresses.  Especially as it relates to our Silver Award girls. 

In our Silver Award and Cadette Essentials Trainings, we talk about the Take Action Projects that the girls need to create.  And one thing that is a running theme throughout is the notion that the girls need to start with the issue before they choose a project!

The girl needs to look around in her community, be that school, church, sports clubs, city, county, whatever, and see what piques her interest. Where does she see chaos?  Or a need?  Or a lack of service?  And then she needs to dive deep and figure out what issue she wants to address.  What is the root cause of the issue, and how can she make a change.

And you project advisors/parents/troop advisors need to give her support. Ask the questions, don't take a quick, glib answer as the final say.  Your role is to encourage and support.  The more I hear, the more I learn that all girls are different in the support they need. But universally, those girls who are passionate about their issue, are the ones who are more motivated to do the work. 

Looking for chaos, or an opportunity to make a change, is difficult!  But our girls can do it, with our help and guidance.  They'll need a couple pushes in the right direction, I'm sure, but they can do this.    Have your girls look for the chaos as an opportunity. And let them see the success of a job well done.  
  

Working with the Non-Profit

I had a great chat with a Cadette leader the other day.  She and I had been talking about her 3 Cadette girls coming up with a Take Action Project for their Silver Award. 

They all live in Huntington Beach, and there has been all sorts of debate about what to do about the coyotes that roam the neighborhoods. Some people feed them, some run and hide, and some want to have the city shoot them.  It's a big issue!  And the girls have decided that they would like to avoid destroying the coyotes, and instead, provide education to the residents of HB on how to live with coyotes.

They have their issue identified, and so the girls found a partner in the city of HB.  The city is really interested in getting out literature to educate the residents about coyotes.  So when the advisor was talking with the city rep, in preparation for the girls coming in, she was told that the city would love to have all these boxes of literature distributed around the city. AND they would love to have the girls at the Tuesday market every week, at a booth that would be stocked by the city....and how many days would they commit to?

Whew!  First off, it's great to have a partner so enthused about the prospect of help.  But second, where's the leadership for the girls, if the city just wants delivery service?  So as the advisor and I were chatting, we realized that it was a question to put to the girls:  "How did they want to use their leadership to affect change in their community?"

The girls may choose to do a series of nights at the Tuesday night market.  They may choose to do drop off delivery of literature to the libraries in HB AND present their presentation of why it's important to know how to deal with the coyotes.  Or they may choose to create a video and have it presented to different audiences. If they do choose the Tuesday market, they would have the opportunity to partner with other agencies to provide information to give to the public. But whatever they do, it will be their choice, and they will work together and with their team to achieve their goal.

Great ways to use their leadership to make a change in their community!  I don't know what they're going to choose, or when they're going to do it, but I do know that they are committed to the issue, and they will do what they can.  They will make it meaningful both to themselves, and those they will be serving.

I'll keep you posted!  I'm sure I'll hear more....

How does it Matter?

“When it's all over, it's not who you were.
It's whether you made a difference."
                                          - Anonymous

(This quote is going to get used on the Gold blog too!)  But today, I'm feelin' it for the Silver.  As Juniors, the girls start learning about Taking Action.  They are challenged to think about their Bronze in a new way:  not just giving service, but making a difference in their community.  And that's good!  A good beginning to the notion of Taking Action to make a sustainable change in a community.

And for the Silver,  this may be where the girls have a chance to talk about the parable, "If you give a man a fish, he eats for a day. Teach a man to fish, and he'll eat for a lifetime."  This is where (hopefully) the maturity of the girl and her experiences in Girl Scouting (and in school) give her a way to look at the difference between a service project and a Take Action Project.  Giving a man a fish is a very nice service project. But teaching him to fish, now that's a way to make a difference in a man's life!  And a way to make a difference in many more people's lives, too.

This is all about letting the girl figure it out.  We want her to have the chance to lead, and we want her to work with a team to get more done than she could have, as an individual.  When it's all said and done, the result of Taking Action should make a difference.  She'll need to employ critical thinking skills, leadership skills, and she'll need to dive deep to come up with the issue she wants to address.

Our girls can do it! We need to give them the opportunity and support.  That's how we can make a sustainable difference.

 

Cadette Essentials Training for Advisors

I'd say that every class of Cadette Essentials I've taught over the last couple of years has had its own personality.  I've had the angry class of 35 who came after me with both guns blazing, the class of 15 who just wanted to talk with each other to work out the issues they were having with their girls, and everything inbetween!

We were a very small group this past week.  Only 3 advisors.  I think we sort of created our own "Journey" thru the topics and what they needed to know.  Who would have thought that the first half hour of a Cadette Essentials would be about the Gold Award?  Well, it was, and I think it was all a whole lot clearer to them, once we were done.  It really helped sort of set the stage for what Cadettes do now, as prelude for what they can do next.

Cadettes is all about leaving Juniors (and meetings that feel like birthday parties!) and really having the girls take the job of running their meetings, making their own decisions and working together.  And in a sense, it's all about getting them ready for Seniors and the Gold Award.  All that work with the little girls combined with their hormones, growing up, and changing bodies comes together!

Three years of Cadettes may seem intimidating, but these girls need to go at their own speed. They may need to have a year of hair, nails and chat to get through, while you think they should be doing badges!  Perhaps this is the year for the aMaze Journey?   It's all about the changes these newbie middle schoolers are going through at school.  And you may have a year where it's all about cookies and camp, where they may feel a connection to the Breathe Journey.  Or maybe it's about the Silver.

As we say in training, take the time. There's no rush!  And when each girl is ready, she'll do her Silver. Or not.  Maybe you'll really have to work with the girls to find out what their passion is, where their interests lie?  Perhaps you've been doing it since the first day of 6th grade, just laying it out there....."wouldn't this be interesting as a Silver Award Project?"  The scribe can even keep a list going. Maybe even brainstorm about issues then, and save it.  It may not fall on fertile minds then, but it may later.

Our group of 3 really walked away with a broader sense of the GS program, I think, and understood the larger picture. I hope!  All 3 were excited for the year, and all 3 wanted the best for their girls.  With that kind of attitude, I bet everyone has a great year!





 

Labyrinth for their Silver Award

(Excerpted from the December 11, 2012 GSUSA blog)

Regis Middle School eighth graders Jenna Ampulski, Megan Korbel and Isabelle Canney built a labyrinth and prayer garden at St. Pius X Catholic School to earn their Girl Scout Silver Award.

For 14 months, the trio worked to create a prayer garden and labyrinth at their former elementary school. The project was to earn their Girl Scout Silver Award — the highest a Girl Scout Cadette can earn.

There was a time, they said, it seemed it would never be finished.

“It was more prep work than I realized,” Isabelle says.

They researched labyrinths by visiting examples at Xavier High School and Indian Creek Nature Center.

They raised more than $7,000 by submitting a grant application to DoSomething.org and preparing a PowerPoint presentation for Megan’s mom, Kristen Korbel, to share with area organizations, businesses and individuals.

“There were a lot of businesses that, after we told them what we were doing, just donated the items or sold them at cost,” Megan says.

A landscaper and botanist helped create a design. Midwest Lawn and Landscaping excavated the site at St. Pius X in June, delivering limestone, river rock and pavers to the site.

Throughout the summer, more than 60 volunteers — including Boy Scouts from Troop 42 and Girl Scouts from troops 5049 and 8979 — helped transform an unused courtyard to a peaceful area for reflection and education.

Nice Silver Award Take Action Project!  And a nice way to give back to a school they loved. And for once, I really don't have much to add to the article!  The girls found a need, created a project, gathered their team and used resources wisely.  In some ways, this is closer to a Gold Award Project than a Silver....so I can hardly wait to hear what they do for the Gold!



 

Silver Award Project

(This from the GSUSA blog December 7)

CLINTON TWP. – Township Girl Scout Troop 81285 has been busy performing an important service for the community: Cadet Scouts Elizabeth Kapral, Kathleen Hogan, Daniela Roman and Camryn Burns have been marking storm drains that direct untreated stormwater into the water supply. The girls, who are in grades 6 through 8, are working toward achieving their Silver Award, the highest a cadet can earn in the Scouting program.
In a presentation to the Township Council at its Nov. 28 meeting, Hogan explained that as part of their Silver Award project, the Scouts first had to identify a problem and then develop an action plan to correct it. They chose local stormwater pollution, which they said kills fish, wildlife, contaminates drinking water and closes beaches. “Human activity is largely responsible” for such issues, said Hogan.

“We are trying to educate the public by labeling all drains in the township that lead directly into pathways without treatment,” she said, noting this is required by state law.  To date, the Scouts have labeled more than 200 drains in Clinton Township, but more labels are needed for them to continue the program.
Councilman James Imbriaco said the Environmental Commission is planning to use its budget to purchase about 300 additional markers for the girls to use.

I think I like this project!  Why?  Because it really does meet the requirements of the Silver Award Take Action Project, if I make some assumptions about what the girls also did!

The issue:  stormwater pollution

The root cause:  ignorance or lack of care by the residents

The Project:  educate the residents and label the drains for all to see in order to reduce contamination down the line

The team:  4 girls from a troop. I am hoping that each of the four took a leadership role in this project.  Perhaps one was in charge of publicity - getting the word out.  One gathered information to hand out to residents about the need. One was a liason to the city. And one helped build the team of peers to help.

Their action:  Labeling the storm drains.  It sounds like there were actual plaques that were affixed to the drains.   It sounds like the city helped them with this.  And in order to get more, perhaps the girls took a leadership role in soliciting funds from a grant? or from another city department? to help. I hope they also had information available to the residents about this issue.  Perhaps they used the City Website to post info? or had other articles written by the girls in the newspaper?  or presented the info at school? linked to the school website?  Those actions would have given them a more direct connection to the community they were serving:  not just putting up signs.

Sustainable:  Their work goes on for as long as the plaques are there.  And hopefully, the city took over the care and maintenance of them.  Hopefully, the Environmental Commission was able to build on the girls' work and continue it as an ongoing project.

Global:  What if they could do EVERY drain in their town?  What if every city/town in their county did it?  What kind of impact could that have?  That would be one conversation I would have with the girls, to be sure they understand the global nature of this work.  

   

Working the Silver with the Girls

I have to say, it is truly heartening to hear from leaders who have taken the Silver Award Training.  Most are getting ready to move forward with their girls.  Some are scared to try!  And some just need a little push in the right direction.

I received an email from Michelle this week, saying her girls are ready to start the Silver Process, and could I remind her how we did the big white pages on the wall in training?  I have to say, props to Barb Christenson who came up with this part of the training.  It has been soooo well received! Here's what we do:

Barb used the list in the Red Cadette Girls Guide page 2 for the training:

1. Go on a Journey.  Some of your girls did our Breathe series....

2. Identify issues you care about:  have them think about what issues are important to them as an assignment.

 (page 3 has a great chart. One leader said she was going to have each of the girls bring in that page all filled out. Or at least with the left hand column filled out.  At the meeting, you could have them whittle it down to 5 or 6?  I don't know how many girls are in your troop?)

---  Each of those issues goes on the top of a clean butcher paper.  The girls gather around which one they're interested in first, and fill out info about the issue.  Ex: literacy:  teach kids how to read, set up a tutoring program, etc.  And then maybe have them move to their second choice and add to what's already gone up. You can do another rotation, if you want. Up to you and the girls.
 --- Now, and this will be harder for the girls than it was for the adults!, write down WHO you could partner with. What agency/school/entity would have the group of people you want to help?  For literacy, it could be an after-school program? library? specific class in a specific grade with a great teacher? If you have adults who are good coaches, and won't DO IT for the girls, maybe have them there as additional resources to prod the girls to think about resources. 

I sense this could take a couple meetings to get through!  Adults can do it waaay faster!!!  This is GREAT practice for them to learn some critical thinking and leadership skills, especially if they are going to go on Senior/Ambassador Journeys (especially Girltopia) and ultimately, the Gold.


Wishing all of you only SUCCESS with the process and some GREAT Take Action Projects.

Silver Award Training

Had a SUPER ENERGETIC group in Silver training this week. We had so many attendees, that we had to split into two rooms.  Wow!  I think that's just great!  Close to 100 leader/advisors/parents who want to learn how to best guide their girls through the Silver Award process.  Truly, I hope that means we'll get some amazing Gold Award Projects in the very near future.

In a way, it's all about Taking Action.....first in the Journeys and then for the Awards.  Its a progression through the Bronze, Silver and Gold to ask the girls to do the best they can to make a difference in the world.  Not a collection project, but a Take Action Project that makes a change in the community. And that would NOT be the Girl Scout community!  No more Brownie Play-Days for the Silver.  No more neo-natal cap sewing and dropping off. No more birthday boxes....but MEANINGFUL projects that Take Action to make the world a better place.

And as Shellie pointed out, I'm not putting down Service Projects, in the slightest!  Our girls have big hearts, and you, as their leaders have given them the opportunities to help others. All those Binky Drives, Scouting for Food, Tennis Shoe Collections, etc. are, hands down, GREAT!  And our girls provide valuable service to the community by doing them.

However, Taking Action is bigger, more sustainable, uses more girl leadership, asking the girl to stretch to achieve her goal.  As one advisor said, "I figure if it's easy, she's not working hard enough!"  Or her approved project wasn't big enough.  Or both.

As we say in training, let the girl do the work!  Start with the issue, not the project.  Girls need to use their critical thinking skills to work their way through to a project.  They need to understand what the issue is and what the root cause is.  Critical thinking!  As Lesley Finch says, "ask them to dive deep!" and get involved with the issue.  Look at it from a variety of ways before deciding which issue to address.

We want the Silver Award Take Action Project to stand out!  And we want it to be something that the girl is proud of.  So that one of these days, in a Gold Award Interview, I'll ask, "so, what did you do for the Silver?" and I'll get a great, enthusiastic response.  Unlike the responses I've been getting to an even easier question, "how did you Take Action for your Journey last month???!!!"  But that's for the other blog....

A total LACK of Take Action!

Well, I knew I'd been busy:  plenty of changes in the last month....sold my kitchen, closed my catering business, moved office stuff and props to the house, and worked on Mom's accounts...oh, and volunteered with Girl Scouts!  Whew!  No excuse, but I think I just lost my rhythm of when to blog. Fixing that, as of today!

I was at the GSOC Open House on Saturday. Oh my, but there sure were a whole slew of little Daisies and Brownies!  Fewer Juniors, and only a handful of older girls.  Many of you have heard me at training talking about how my hat is off to all you who work with those little girls!!!  They a are nice, funny, open, and sooo excited about everything, including tying knots.  We had fun, to be sure, sort of like herding cats!!!!

But it was while I was at the Awards table in the lobby, that I heard of a girl's Silver Award Project that was just not up to current standards of Taking Action.  I didn't say anything then, but I've been thinking about it, and wondering why an advisor would have approved it?

This girl was taking the flowers from after Saturday services at her Temple, and re-purposing them into vases/bouquets to take to various hospitals, fire departments, police stations, etc.  She had a very nice piece to say when she did it.   A nice service project, to be sure.  But Silver?  No way.

What issue was she addressing?  "Brightening up someone's day" is not an issue.  

What was the root cause?  Lack of flowers in an office? Why?

And who was her team?  Sounded to me like her Mom and the daughter were it.  Who did she lead?  How did she use her leadership skills to make a positive change in her community?

How did she make a measurable and sustainable difference to the audience she sought to help? 

You leaders/advisors are the ones to hold the girls to the standard!  And if you don't know if something is "good enough" or "appropriate", send me the ideas, I'll let you know!  And if they are not up to snuff, I won't cite your name. But if they're great, I am very happy to put your name and your girls/troop's name in the blog with big props!  

These girls can do it!  We just have to let them (or is that make them?) take the steps do it!

Make a brand new ending

"Though no one can go back
and make a brand new start,
anyone can start from now
and make a brand new ending."
- Marcus Aurelius

I woke up this morning thinking about he Silver Award. (And gardening after the rain, but that's a different blog, somewhere.)  Then I saw this quote when I opened my emails.

We really are asking our Silver Award girls to make a brand new ending.  We're asking them to identify an issue that they care about in their community, and to do something about it!  

The identifying is a critical thinking step that is really important, and one that many of the girls haven't had the practice doing.  It's not just coming up with the solution, but diving in deeper, to look into the issue and find the root cause.  And as we all know, no one can go back and fix where something first went wrong, but our girls can start now, and figure out how to make a change.

They are not only using the three keys to Discover the issue, Connect with how they can Take Action to make the world a better place, but they are also working from within.  The girl has the opportunity to learn something about herself:  to discover what's important to her, and why she needs to connect and why she needs to make a brand new ending.

And along the way, she'll be using skills she's honed since Daisys: to be a girl leader, to learn what she's doing as she does it and to work cooperatively with others. As the Silver Award leader, she will certainly use her leadership skills to lead the group to complete the project.

...and make a brand new ending.  Hail Caesar!

Silver Award - Adult Perspective

Happy New Year!  And what do I start thinking about this New Year?   The Silver Award, of course, but this time from the adult perspective….

What is your adult role?  What should you be doing to support your girls as they get ready for their Silver Award work?

First, take the Silver Award Training Class offered by Council.  This will provide you with some great information as well as a chance to chat with some other advisors.

Encourage the girl to think critically and outside the box.  Binkys for babies, neo-natal caps for preemies and Daisy Play Days are not sufficient projects on their own!  Work with the girls to start on page one of the new Silver Guidelines (in their NEW Cadette Girl Guide).  Don’t start with the end, start with identifying the issue and working from there.

Cheerlead!  Support her work.  Encourage her thought process.  Provide assistance as asked, but really put it back on the girl to go find the answers.  You can help locate the resources, but then back away, and let the girls do the exploring.

She might get stuck!  Answer her questions or help her find those who can provide the information.  You might suggest avenues that she might not be aware of, and you can help her to access these new pathways.

You are her troop leader, and while you can certainly take the training and act as her advisor, I would also encourage her to identify an advisor for her project.  Perhaps there is a troop parent who can take the training and act as the advisor?  Or perhaps this is something that your co-leader would want to take on as her job?  And truly, if only a few of your girls want to earn the Silver, having an outside advisor could work really well.

Girl Role in the Silver Award Project

We talked about the Adult Role last post, so for this one, we'll talk about the girl role.  Again, Karin and Lesley's role description is coming in handy!  Commercial plug:  if you haven't taken the Silver Award Training yet, and your girls are getting ready for this step, DO IT!  It's a couple hours, but truly worth it!

The girls need to.....

Hear the Take Action message; take responsibility for the quality of her project.  Be sure the girls understand that this is not about running a day camp!  This is about identifying an issue in the community that they care about and addressing that need.

Ask for help when needed.  If she's stuck, the girl needs to know that you are a resource for her. You're not there to solve her problem, but to give her clues/leads on where she can look.

Be willing to make mistakes. That's a hard one for many A-type personalities!  But an important skill to learn.  It could be that the girl has found her issue, but missed the mark on how to address it.  Admitting the error, then going back to the central issue and re-thinking it takes support from you.

Educate herself and others on current issues.  As you've heard me say before, start with the ISSUE not the project!  Be a resource for the girl as she examines local issues and picks the one that resonates with her.

Practice public speaking.  Role playing in a safe environment, like Girl Scouts, is a great tool.  Maybe you've already practiced this in your Breathe Journey?  Or maybe the girls have had some practice at school?  Build on what they know, and let them practice.  On whom?  Maybe each other? Maybe a sister Brownie or Daisy troop?  Or maybe with a Senior/Ambassador troop who can make suggestions on ways to improve.  Use your leadership role here to have it be a good experience all around!

Define what leadership means to her.  That's a big one!  Management of time and resources is not the same as leadership, and the girls need to (start) learn that.  They need to learn that leadership is about the big idea, gathering others of a like mind, educating them, and empowering everyone to take action.  Management is about the schedule, agendas and divvying up the work load.  A tough concept for many girls (and adults).  It would be great if they learned it here, so that when they interview with us for their Gold Award Projects, they'll be clear in explaining how they will lead and who they will lead.

Have fun!  This whole Silver Award process needs to be engaging and fun.  I think it helps if the girl is passionate about the issue and project, and while there's work to be done, she's excited and enthusiastic about getting it done.

The Silver Award - Another View

I’m still thinking about the Silver Award, but this time from the adult perspective….

What is your adult role?  What should you be doing to support your girls as they get ready for their Silver Award work?

First, take the Silver Award Training Class offered by Council.  This will provide you with some great information as well as a chance to chat with some other advisors.

Second,encourage the girl to think critically and outside the box.  Binkys for babies, neo-natal caps for preemies and Daisy Play Days are not sufficient projects on their own!  Work with the girls to start on page one of the new Silver Guidelines (in their NEW Cadette Girl Guide).  Don’t start with the end, start with identifying the issue and working from there.

Third, cheerlead!  Support her work.  Encourage her thought process.  Provide assistance as asked, but really put it back on the girl to go find the answers.  You can help locate the resources, but then back away, and let the girls do the exploring.

She might get stuck!  Answer her questions or help her find those who can provide the information.  You might suggest avenues that she might not be aware of, and you can help her to access these new pathways.

And finally, you are her troop leader, and while you can certainly take the training and act as her advisor, I would also encourage the girl to identify an advisor for her project.  Perhaps there is a troop parent who can take the training and act as the advisor?  Or perhaps this is something that your co-leader would want to take on as her job?  And truly, if only a few of your girls want to earn the Silver, having an outside advisor could work really well.

Sometimes, you don't have to look for it!

I posted this week about the great Silver Award Training we had on Saturday, and I mentioned that one of the interests was FASHION.  And the result, after conversations was that maybe that interest topic didn't have a fit for a Silver or Gold Award Project.

Well, I was WRONG! 

I just had a meeting with a good friend, Amy Larson (a GS alum), who is now Director of Development for Working Wardrobes. I went over to see the facility and hear about the new programs that they are offering.  For those of you not familiar with Working Wardrobes, it's a multi faceted non profit whose mission is: "(to) empower(s) men, women and young adults in life crises to confidently enter the workforce with career development and wardrobe services."

When Jerri Rosen first started the program, it was all about a collection of clothes from friends to donate to those in need of professional, interviewing clothing. That nugget of an idea has morphed into 9 full time staff people and 3000 volunteers every year providing not only personal shopping and clothing, but resume building classes, personal care classes, computer access, skill building and more! 

So, my question to Marlo Kirkham, manager, Community Resources (and a GS alum) was, "how can girls in Orange County partner with Working Wardrobes to create a Silver or Gold Award Project with girl leadership to make a difference in the community?"

Just from brainstorming with Amy and Marlo, we came up with some ideas. 
Start a high school club - advocate for helping this community, put on clothing drives, raise awareness, have a fashion show, visit a shelter, adopt high schools and provide prom dresses.

Work with emancipated minors to help build their skills in order to get a job and/or get more education, dress for interviews and the work world, learn office etiquette, find services that can help on an ongoing basis.

Resale Boutique - create a marketing plan and community awareness days, staff those days with volunteers to help serve the men and women who come in.  Solicti donations of appropriate apparel.

Work with the Cinderella Guild and take unsuitable/old fashioned prom gowns and re-make them for girls to wear now.

Create a blog about fashion and what is appropriate to wear when.  Determine how this germ of an idea could grow and become a Silver or Gold Award Project.

The lessons learned?  Never say never!  We adults need to use our resources wisely to reach out to our friends and colleagues as potential partners for our girls' projects. We can present the opportunity, and the girl can use her skills to investigate it and determine whether there's a fit for her.

If you think Working Wardrobes could be of interest to your girls, please ask them to contact Marlo Kirkham 714-210-2460, 3030 Pullman St. Suite A, Costa Mesa 92626

Great Silver Award Training Class Today!

What a GREAT group of Cadette Advisors in the room this morning for the Silver Award Training.  Karin Carlson and Lesley Finch were aided by Barb Christenson and me as we went through the essentials of the highest award a girl can earn as a Cadette:  the Silver Award.

We hit hard on the concept of "raising the bar", and how a Silver Award Project should not look like a regular "collection service project".  All the leaders in the room were able to shout out service projects that they'd done with their girls, and everyone was really clear on what that was.  The newer part was to talk about how a Silver Award Project is a couple steps up the ladder.

There was great discussion about how a Silver Award Project needs to benefit the community, not Girl Scouts. So while it's nice to want to put on a Brownie Playday, that's not Silver quality, any longer!  And to make it more personal, after the break, Barb asked for topics or issues that the advisors thought the girls might like to pursue.  We posted these around the room, and each advisor went to one and worked with their group to first, write down resources that they might consider pursuing for information and/or partnership on their project.

We came back together and reported back. Then broke into groups to have the group pick JUST ONE resource and choose JUST ONE possible project that could be addressed, and how that might look. 
There was engaged and energetic discussion about the root issue could be addressed.  Several groups reported back, one with a really good task list, another with a really good division of labor among the team members.  And finally, the last one to share had a topic that really didn't have an issue to address; it was just a fun thing to do!  But it didn't benefit anyone, or fill a need in the community. What a great exercise for the girls to go through as well!  It could be that their first idea won't work, so they'll need to re-group and come up with another idea.

We talked about how to use the NEW Cadette Girl Guide as the reference for the Silver Award.  It's much better than the downloads off GSUSA, and it's IN the handbook that the girl will have for 3 years!  Both the girl and the advisor can refer back to it on a regular basis to keep on track.

Lesley ended the training with a reminder to reflect and celebrate!  When the girl(s) finish their project, let them enjoy the success, talk about what they could do better, and relish the fact that they took on a project that was tough, and they accomplished it!  They discovered a need, connected with others to make a change, and took action to make the change a reality.

That's mighty heady stuff, Maynard!

The Silver Award

The Silver Award is a BIG DEAL!  And it’s great preparation for The Gold Award Project, if it’s done well!  Truly, this is a perfect time for the adult to guide the girls to take action!  The new Leadership Model emphasizes raising the bar for all Silver Award Projects.

This is a BIG SHIFT.  The Silver Award Project is not just a community service project, making the world a better place for some people in the short-term.  It’s about making the world a better place for measurably more people and for a sustained period of time.

Taking Action involves identifying an issue, understanding the root cause and creating a project that is sustainable with an impact that is measurable. And there must be a global element:  talk about how the project could keep growing bigger in the future.

What is a Silver Award quality project?

Creating a Daisy Day Camp is not one.   The girl needs to look outside her troop/council.

Collecting blankets for the homeless. That’s a service project. What could make it a Silver quality Project?  Have the girl identify the root cause of the issue. (Lack of blankets is a result, not an issue.)  Map her community to see what organizations serve the homeless population and ask what the need is.  Perhaps there’s an education piece that can go along with collecting blankets?  Participation in a social services fair? Create a binder with instructions so that the organization can duplicate efforts in the future. Creating flyers of information. 

Collecting/making hats for neo-natal babies at CHOC.  A nice service project, but what’s the root issue? Poor pre-natal care?  Homeless/underserved women without information about how to carry full-term babies?  Have the conversation with the girl to create a project that’s sustainable. Perhaps training other girls how to sew the hats would be a piece.  The girl needs to talk with CHOC to identify the need and fill it, using her leadership!

Self Esteem and Bullying

I was reading “Ask Amy” in the LA Times because the title was “Adults need to help bullied girl”.  She gave a great answer about how the 11 year old girl’s parents should jump right on the issue, and talk with her school.  And the school should get the bully’s parents involved as well.  She went on to say that the parents should “get her involved in activities to build and bolster her self-esteem…Girl Scouts, music and theatre will help her to feel more confident.”

She also said that “…friendship is an ideal antidote to bullying.  Help to foster friendships at and outside of school.”

She was right,  Girl Scouts would be perfect for this girl!  We say that one of the key things about having troop meetings and troop events is that we create a safe environment for our girls.  And this girl definitely needs to feel safe.  And she needs to build up her self-esteem.  Have confidence in herself and who she is.  A couple years of Girl Scouting, making new friends and establishing new relationships, earning some badges, taking a Journey like Amaze that talks about this subject, etc. and she will have a great chance to move forward with who she is going to become.

And maybe she’ll earn the Silver Award.  What an accomplishment!  To go from being a bullied 11 year old to a girl who will learn how to discover, connect and take action to make the world a better place.  Maybe her root issue to address will be bullying and how much it hurts.  Maybe she will search her community for what support is available for kids who are bullied.  And maybe she will find a way to share her story with others, teaching them the signs of bullying, and showing other girls where they can go for help.  And offering her Girl Scout experience as a pathway for others.

How would she make this sustainable?  Maybe she creates an interactive play that can go on the road to different schools?  And maybe she can script it so that others can perform it as well.  And she can use her leadership to make a difference. 

I hope the girl in the article found her way through this tough time, and that Girl Scouting helped play a positive role in her life.  

Training at council

Saturday was my first Cadette Essentials Training in the daylight!  Council put together a day of training for all the levels. PLUS it was a day to pick up the new RED CADETTE GIRL GUIDEBOOK that I had pre-ordered.  It was great to have it for show-and-tell during the class.

We talked a little about how to use the great binder, and how important it is for each girl to have her own, and what she can do with it.  Why not put a copy of the Group Agreement in the front?  Barb suggested adding the packing list for overnights.  Another leader suggested including the yearly calendar that the girls would come up with at the start of the year.  Great ideas!  How else could the girls use these new Girl Guides?

There was quite a discussion about the new Silver Requirements.  One leader had stepped down from being an 01, and offered to be the Silver Advisor for girls in the troop. What a great idea!  Not all the girls will want to do a Silver Award Project, so she can help guide those who do.  What a great way for a leader to still participate in a meaningful way.

Karin Carlson and I were emailing about how important it is to get the girls started on the right foot for their Silver Awards Projects.  Don't start with the project, but start by using the Silver guide and identifying issues that the girl(s) are passionate about.  Have them do the research, and work through the great worksheets to identify a need in the community, reach out to others to help, and create a great Project that really does make the world a better place!

Starting with this experience, then moving on to a Senior Journey, really gets the girls ready for her GOLD!  But that's a different blog......