The New Girl Scout Year is Here

School has started and recruitment is in full swing. Soon we will see many new Girl Scout faces. This is such an exciting time. There are undoubtedly some questions about the start of a new year.  How do I host a first meeting? What things should my girls be doing throughout the year? How do I find important information? What do the girls need as a uniform?

Have no fear. Over the next few weeks, I will be answering those questions. Also, be sure to check out our September newsletter which will be full of helpful hints to get your Girl Scout year off to a great start! First tip to get you started: The Girl Scout Leadership Experience is built into the Girl's Guide to Girl Scouting and the Journey Books. Be sure to get your copy.

 Emily's invite to join.

Can't wait to see you again!

This week is national friendship week. We are on the lookout for pictures of friends you made in Girl Scouts. Old or new, we don't care. Show us how you met, your story, or where you are now. It's just a little bit of curiosity and a lot of fun! It is always exciting to hear how people met in Girl Scouts and have maintained a 1, 5, 10, 50 year relationship.  I wonder what the longest will be? Be sure to post yours to our facebook wall. 

-Cheers!
  Erin

Friends since Kindergarten

National Friendship Week is just around the corner. Over the next few weeks we will be making lots of new friends as new members join. How great would it be if everyone shared their favorite Girl Scout story or tale of friendship? I spent so many wonderful years in Girl Scouts and met amazing friends. I am so happy to say that I still stay in touch with some and am delighted when I run into one unexpectedly after all these years.

Just recently on one of my trips to camp I ran into a Girl Scout mom who happened to be in my first ever Girl Scout troop. We started as Daisies and her mom was leader, my mom was co-leader. I moved in first grade, but we stayed in touch with my old troop because they were only 15 minutes away. Then as we got older we lost touch, but she is now mom to her very own Girl Scout.

It was such a nice surprise to see her and know that her daughter is now having similar experiences to the ones we had.  Just thought I'd share. Would love to hear your story or even better see it! Feel free to post your pictures to our facebook wall.

-Cheers!
  Erin

Friendship Week

August 5-11 is National Friendship Week. Girl Scouts is the perfect place to make new friends! This is the time of year when school is about to start back up and more than likely there will be new girls joining your troop.  It's awesome that girls get the opportunity to make new friends in Girl Scouts and of course to keep the old friends that they have.
One way to encourage the girls to make new friends is to host a friendship meeting. That way each girl can bring a friend and show them just what fun there is to have in Girl Scouts. Friendship Meeting

Do what you got to do...

Since I have been here I have met some brave little girls. I have also met some on the shy side, but they are coming around for sure. In this council we have over thirty girls that stepped up and said they want to share their Girl Scout story with the world around them. They are our Socialites. These girls are amazing and though shy at first, are really stepping up to the task at hand. They represent the girl population from this council. Some have already had spots on TV, radio, and in the newspapers where their faces beam back at us as a symbol of Girl Scouts of Louisiana-Pines to the Gulf.

They have worked really hard and had to do some practicing. Practice consisting of speaking in front of each other and practice in front of a video camera. That can be quite intimidating. They are refining their public speaking skills and I must say these girls have some potential. In the spirit of teaching them and giving them experience into real life situations where public speaking may come in handy…I invited TV personalities out to speak with them about obstacles, triumphs, goals, and more in the world of media.So far the girls in north Louisiana have done this and the girls in south Louisiana will do have that chance here soon. It was such a pleasure to hear them speak to the girls and see the girls listening so intently. It was obvious they were really paying attention and making mental notes of the advice.

When asked if they ever got nervous, one women said she used to all the time. She assured them that it is only human nature to be a little intimidated by the unfamiliar setting, but that she learned to speak only to the camera early on and now it is like talking to a good friend. I loved that! It was such a little thing really,  so simple. Here was this very successful TV anchor that has interviewed hundreds of celebrities and world figures (she is a Girl Scout alum I might add), and she needed practice to make her better at what she did. She did her best keep it simple and not over think things and then it came naturally to her. She found her courage the best way she knew how and one day…she just wasn’t nervous anymore.

Our Socialites are going to make us proud. I am already so proud of these fun, exemplary young women. Keep your eyes out for them in the media and around your community at recruitment time. They are giddy with the thought of helping to introduce all the wonderful opportunities in Girl Scouting to others.

        

-Erin

Bio-Blitz...lots of life

Check out Program Specialist Katherine Stagg and Thanks Badge II Recipient Gay Brantley on Good Morning ArkLaMiss  and NBC 10 Mornings talking about Bio-Blitz that is coming up this weekend.  I personally cannot wait to see what is in store. Hoping to learn some new things about nature and if not at least spend some quality time outdoors. There will be pictures...don't worry.
-Erin

video making magic

I am trying to make a video. I should start off by saying I have little to NO experience in this area. I can point the camera and click the button, but after that I rely almost entirely on technology to take over for me. Then the processing comes which of course I am spectacular at...upload, order, pick up at the drug store. Easy enough! This video making is I am afraid, foreign territory.  With that said we have tons of pictures from our fabulous 100th Anniversary Celebration and while we have shared the link to the album. I really want to make something the girls can enjoy that coincides with the theme of the event. So please keep your eyes out over the next few days and hopefully there will be an amazing video to view. In the meantime please enjoy the raw data (photos) http://www.flickr.com/photos/gslpg/sets/72157629153627464/.

Discover, Connect, Take Action

You probably recognize these as the three keys to the Girl Scout Leadership Experience. They are not just a slogan or a catchphrase. When put into action leadership is the outcome.

I’ve been thinking about “connect”. We connect with others all the time. We see people we know, we talk on the phone, and we text. But are we really effective at connecting? We live in a wonderful country that values freedom and has fostered the independent spirit. We are told, and we believe, we can “have it your way.” And with the speed of drive-in restaurants and technology, not only do we want it our way we want it now. Yet, we all must live in community and figure out not only what is good for us, but good for the whole. This is what Girl Scouts learn. We learn to be a sister to every Girl Scout, to respect authority, to be honest and fair, and to be considerate and caring. And, we all promise to help people at all times and to live by the values in our Girl Scout Law.

Girl Scouts have been learning to “connect” for almost 100 years. Now we are refining the ability to connect. In the new Girl Scout Leadership Experience girls develop healthy relationships, promote cooperation and team building, resolve conflicts, advance diversity in a multicultural world, and feel connected to their communities.

As adults in Girl Scouting it is our responsibility not only to help girls develop the skill of connecting effectively, but to model it. I’m sure you remember the book by Robert Fulghum, All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten.  Well, all we really need to know about connecting, or having positive relationships with others we learn in Girl Scouting. I challenge all of us to make the world a better place by using our “connecting” skills!