I can't wait to
On my honor, I will try
To serve God and my country,
To help people at all times,
And to live by the Girl Scout Law.
My own Girl Scout career was very short and not very memorable, but when I was asked to write about the Girl Scouts of North East Ohio, those words came back to me.
I remember wearing my Girl Scout uniform to school on the days we had meetings. I was so proud to wear it, especially when asked about my badges. I wanted my little girl to feel that same sense of pride, but I had no idea where to start. Sadly, unless a flyer comes home from school, posted on Facebook or emailed to me, I have no idea what’s going on.
I wanted to work with GSNEO, because if I had trouble finding information, other moms may as well. Why did I not just go to the Girl Scout website? I guess I was waiting on a flyer like it was the 90’s.
Where to Find a Troop
Once registered, it took no time to find Daisy troops in our area and the troop assigned to her school. I later found out that her BFF’s mom is the troop leader and we go to PTA meetings together! The pieces were coming together and my kindergartner was on her way to becoming a Daisy!
Had the day and time for her troop's meetings not worked for us there were other troops to join or I could have started a troop.
The uniforms look the same and the core values are too, but these are not the same Girl Scouts of the past.
Yes, Girl Scouts still go camping and sell cookies but the opportunities offered are relevant and go beyond my expectations. For instance, there is a new program with the National Park Service called the Girl Scout Ranger program. Girls learn about their area’s National Park and create a unique experience while earning badges and patches.
Changes in the Girls Scouts are also reflected in the badges that are offered now.
- Naturalist badges invite girls to explore the outdoors.
- Digital Art badges help girls build valuable technology and computer skills.
- Science and Technology badges connect girls to favorite science topics like video game development, the physics of roller coasters, and the technology used to create new fabrics.
- Innovation badges encourage problem-solving using scientific methods from fields like anthropology, engineering, graphic design, and business.
- Financial Literacy badges prepare girls for a financially sound future.
Never to Late to Join!
So much of what I learned about today’s Girl Scouts make me wish I continued. But, it’s never too late to join! Not only do they have new troops starting all year long but adults can join too. I even joined the Girl Scouts, again.
To be fair, in order to be a volunteer moms and dads have to join. Girl Scouts also perform a background check after paying the dues, but that does not mean that I wouldn’t have joined anyway.
I hope RD will learn to support her fellow Girl Scouts and carry these lessons into womanhood. Of course, making a fire would also be helpful even if she just learned to code one on the website she created.