Good Morning! Here’s the Monday Morning Blog!
How was your week? Did you hear from that teen in your life? Did you reach out to them?
I had the pleasure of sitting in our family room with our oldest son as he’s learning how to play the guitar. It made me think about what my parents went through listening to me and my brother practicing our instruments. I listened to him play the same thing over and over and when he got it, we celebrated together. What a fun moment!
National Women’s History Month
I’ll be focusing my posts this month on women who have done inspiring things or made contributions to our country’s history.
Founded by a woman, the teen resource I’m talking about today continues to educate and empower young women in our country. The Girl Scouts of America.
Girl Scouts of America
According to Wikipedia, Girl Scouts of America is a youth organization for girls in the United States and American Girls living abroad.
The organization was founded by Juliette Gordon Low in 1912 after she met with the founder of scouting for boys. She created a group called Girl Guides in England in 1911 and brought the idea to her hometown Savannah, Georgia and created a troop for the girls there. In 1915, Girl Guides became known as the Girl Scouts.
The organization prepares girls to empower themselves. It promotes compassion, courage, confidence, character, leadership, entrepreneurship, and active citizenship. There are many activities for the girls to participate in to acquire life skills and receive badges for their participation and accomplishments. Each of these badges are displayed on a sash worn with their Girl Scout uniform.
Though their participation in these activities, they visit some really fun and interesting places. I was involved in the creation of a program that taught a local group of Girl Scouts about Aviation and helped them earn their Aviation Badge. We created a three-part day at a private airport where they learned about the elements of flying, met Elizabeth “Betty” Strohfus, a Woman Airforce Service Pilot, and they each were able to go out onto the ramp to touch, sit in and get a ride in a small plane. Each of these segments fulfilled a requirement for the badge. So, if the girls completed the day, they also received a badge for their sash.
Girl Scouts and STEM
Last week I talked about women who used their knowledge of STEM principles to do great things like help build the Brooklyn Bridge and make key contributions to the Computer Science field. Here is a link to it in case you missed it. STEM Women Pioneers.
In Girl Scouts, some of the activities are set up to learn about STEM principles and earn badges for it. the program we created for the Aviation badge would qualify. According to their website, some of the badge categories which utilize STEM subjects are
- Digital Art – badges help girls build valuable technology and computer skills
- Science and Technology – badge connects girls to favorite science topics like video game development, the physics of roller coasters, and technology used to create new fabrics
- Innovation – badges encourage problem solving using scientific methods from fields like anthropology, engineering, graphic design, and business
Is Girl Scouts for teens to get involved in?
With the name Girl Scouts, one may ask if there is a way teens can become involved. The answer is Yes. It has groups for girls in grades K-12. High Schoolers involved in Girl Scouts are in groups called Senior or Ambassador. They not only become mentors for younger scouts or camp counselors, but they also work on projects that impact the community and themselves. If you are interested in checking it out, here’s a link to their website Girl Scouts of America
It’s not just about the cookies…
Even though, they sure are good.
It is that time of the year again to purchase your cookies and support the Girl Scouts of America. What’s your favorite kind? I’m a peanut butter patties fan myself also known as a Tagalong. Did you know that some of the cookies have two different names like my favorite? That’s because they have two different bakers making the same cookie. Due to trademarks, they each must bake the same cookie under a different name.
Interesting thing about the cookies. Over the weekend we had one of the neighbor girls come to our door to sell us some cookies. My dad was always a fan of buying from the kids who take the time to go door to door. We bought four boxes and it warmed my heart. Not only to have the opportunity to support the scout who came to our door, but it also reminded me of my dad. Doing what he would have done to support the cause.
Girl Scouts is a great resource for teens. Involvement in the organization helps girls meet new friends to learn and enjoy amazing experiences with. If you are looking for a group to join, this may be the one for you. I’m glad to have been a part of the process by helping those scouts gain their aviation badge. Not to mention the multiple troops of scouts we are helping by purchasing all those cookies.
What experiences have you had with the Girl Scouts? Have you tried any of their cookies? Are you now or have ever been a Girl Scout? Please let me know in the comments below.
Looking for a great teen read?
Paul Jones takes us through what it was like starting his freshman year of high school without his best friend, who recently moved away. As the school year continues to unfold, he shows us how he’s affected by the peer pressure those new friends provide and its consequences.
The first book in The Way Series, The Hard Way, is available for purchase on the books tab of my website. Here’s a link to it. The Hard Way
Have a great week!
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