The Five People You’ll Meet in Girl Scouts

As a Girl Scout leader you introduce girls to new experiences that show them they’re capable of more than they ever imagined. You are their champion, guide, and mentor, as you help them develop skills and confidence that will last their entire lifetime. Your time in Girl Scouts is filled with smiles, excitement, and so many memories made as you help our girls grow strong.

Just like our girls, each of our volunteers brings something special to our organization and we wouldn’t trade any of you! Even with all of our differences, our members share some common roles that don’t make it onto any position description but do add to the amazing crazy quilt of personalities that is Girl Scouts. In celebration of that, here are the five women you’ll meet in every Girl Scouts. Any sound familiar?

1. The Outdoor Adventurer: the original outdoor explorer! If it can be hiked, climbed, or floated in a body of water they’ve done it and can’t wait to show young girls how to build their outdoor skills. Their passion for nature comes through in all they do and they’re dedicated to inspiring the next generation of outdoor women in Girl Scouts.
2. The Girl Led Champion: they believes in girls! They think of themselves as more of a guide than a leader of a troop because they’re dedicated to helping girls discover their strengths, passions, and talents by letting them take the lead. Like our founder Juliette Low, when asked what the girls SHOULD do, their response is always “What do the girls WANT to do?”!
3. The Tradition Keeper: they’ve never met a Girl Scout tradition they didn’t love and they make sure that girls know and honor the legacy of our organization. They’re always excited to share the amazing traditions and history that has made Girl Scouts what it is today and is an awesome resource for younger members and new volunteers!
4. The Explorer: They’re all about exploring new places and new experiences and never turn down an opportunity for adventure. They know their troop trip procedures by heart because their troop is always either on or planning their next trip. Their goal is for girls to leave Girl Scouts with bags full of inspiring, life-changing experiences and memories!
5. The Difference Maker: they’re all about making a difference in the world with Girl Scouts! Their troop never passes up an opportunity to serve others, be it a neighborhood clean-up day, weeding a community garden, or taking the lead on a Take Action project for a Journey or Highest Award in Girl Scouting. They knows that they’re making the world a better place, one day (and one girl) at a time.

    

   Do you agree with our list? See yourself in any of these roles? No matter where you fit in our organization or what role you play, we celebrate your commitment to girls and to Girl Scouts. Thanks to your amazing selves, Girl Scouts can truly say we’re changing the world one girl at at time!Not sure what type of leader you are? Take our fun quiz to find out what type of Girl Scout leader you are!

Putting the “M” in STEM

Problem solving and critical thinking, having the confidence to ask questions and seek out answers, these are all skills we want to help girls build at Girl Scouts. Whether she grows up to become a mechanic, a neurosurgeon, a cosmetologist, or a stay-at-home Mom she’ll need to solve problems and STEM activities (science, technology, engineering, and math) give girls excellent opportunities to practice those important life skills.

One of the major building blocks of STEM is math. And yet if you ask many youth (and adults) they’ll tell you that they’re just not good at math.

So how do we change the way girls (and adults) experience math? How do we change the perception that women are bad at math and encourage our girls to love the dreaded “M” in STEM? Here are some awesome tips based on recent research to help get girls excited about math.

1. Start Young! Girls start losing interest in math and science during middle school so this is when she needs enrichment activities that make math fun. She can explore the world of fractions by doubling a favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe,  play online math games, and do hands-on experiments at a local science center or events like Putting the “M” in STEM that give her time to tackle math focused projects.
2. Show Her She’ll Use It! It’s almost impossible to get through a day without using math. We’re serious. We all use numerical and logical thinking every day. When we’re measuring ingredients to bake a cake, deciding what to buy at the grocery store based on our budget, or calculating the batting average of our favorite baseball player we’re using math and logic to do so. Point this out to your favorite girl the next time she’s using math without realizing it.
3. Encourage Her Work!  Praise her when she keeps trying to master a concept, especially when it’s hard. Having confidence in one’s ability and believing that hard work and effort can increase intelligence are associated with higher achievement in math and science among girls.
4. Show Her Math Is Helpful! Girls are typically more interested in careers where they can help others (e.g., teaching, child care, working with animals) and make the world a better place.Showcasing to our girls how mathematics has changed the world and can improve the lives of people, help the environment or make a difference will encourage them to explore these fields.

Need some help conquering a math anxiety? Check out this Tedx Talk from a high school math teacher for some great advice.

Math can be fun, useful, and it will continue to make the world a better place. And we need girls to be a part of that! So don’t delay, inspire your favorite girl to be a problem solver of the future by learning to enjoy math today.

State of the Girl Or How Are We Doing?

Today, there are 2.7 million Girl Scouts—1.9 million girl members and 800,000 adult members. More than 59 million women in America today enjoyed Girl Scouts during their childhood—and that number keeps on growing as Girl Scouts of the USA and councils across our nation continue to inspire, challenge, and empower girls everywhere. That’s a lot of people and an amazing legacy!

With such a long legacy and a large membership have you ever wondered what girls in our own council of Western Ohio are doing in Girl Scouts? We’re so glad you asked. Here’s just a few highlights from our program effectiveness results from the 2014-2015 membership year that show how girls are discovering, connecting, and taking action in Western Ohio!

What do girls say about DISCOVER? 

Why is DISCOVERING important? It’s one of the reasons to choose Girl Scouts. According to the 2015 GSUSA survey “Girl Scout Voices Count” having opportunities for girls to do a variety of different activities were extremely/mostly important for 95% of GSWO parents/caregivers when choosing Girl Scouts.

How do we help our girls discover more? We give them opportunities to seek challenges. Girls need to be encouraged to try things, even when they know it’s not going to be easy. This is true grit and it can be done anywhere! Daises and Brownies can find out more about unfamiliar people and places at World Thinking Day, older girls can test their mettle  on our challenge course or master a new skill by earning one of our skill-building badges.

What do girls say about CONNECT?

Why does CONNECTING matter? According to the New York Times, “Teaching Peace in Elementary School” a kindergartener’s ability to share, cooperate and help other children nearly always predicted nearly 20 years later [in a Penn State and Duke study] whether a person graduated from high school on time, earned a college degree, had full-time employment…,etc.

How do we help our girls connect more? We promote cooperation and community connections. Working together is such a part of life and an important skill for our girls to succeed. So we need to help them practice with group projects where each member has a role, games that take team work to succeed, and activities that require girls to work together to reach a common goal. Service to others is a great way to help them feel more connected, especially when the adults talk with them and help them identify those connections. Brownies can participate in more community-wide events like walk-a-thons or community-clean-ups, Cadettes and up can make connections as they earn their Service to Community Bar. The more connections they make, the more they grow!

What do girls say about Take Action?

Why is ACTING important? According to a non-Girl Scout study from 2014 by the Pew Centers for Research 92% of sampled parents and 89% of teachers said problem-solving is extremely important or very important (more important than critical thinking, communication, creativity, etc.) in assessing student performance.

How do we help our girls ACT? Teach them how to identify and impact community needs! Girls of all ages can explore what it means to see a need and take action by completing the take action Journey award for their age level. We can encourage Daisies and Brownies to speak up when they see a problem. Juniors, Cadettes, Seniors and Ambassadors can practice researching in books or online, getting community input, making a plan and asking for help as they pursue the Highest Award for that grade level.

Want to learn more about how we’re doing? Join us for our annual State of the Girl – a review of our program effectiveness results from the 2014-2015 membership year. Learn more about how our council’s girls and volunteers are feeling and what they are doing!

Register for one of the webinar offerings below by clicking the appropriate link based on what works with your schedule. Each webinar will cover the same content. No special equipment needed, just an internet connection.

 2/23/16             7:30-8:30pm

https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/9008625693637375746

This webinar will open at 7 pm and begin at 7:30 pm; It will conclude at 8:30 pm.

 2/25/16             10-11am          

https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/6717933954654683650

This webinar will open at 9:30 am and begin at 10 am; It will conclude at 11 am.

2/25/16                12-1pm

https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/7680100087447123202

This webinar will open at 11:30 am and begin at Noon; It will conclude at 1pm.

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar. We’re excited to share with our members what the girls and adults in our council have shared about how they feel and how we’re all doing as we strive to fulfill our mission of building girls of courage, confidence, and character here in Western Ohio. Together, we’re making the world a better place, one girl at a time. If you have any questions, please contact the Customer Care Hotline at 1-888-350-5090 or email us at customerservice@gswo.org.

 

Top 10 Reasons to Buy Girl Scout Cookies

Buying Girl Scout cookies does a world of good. Here are our top ten reasons to buy these delicious treats!

10. Girl Scout cookies are delicious! Choose from eight tasty varieties, including the best-selling Thin Mint and the new, gluten-free Toffee-tastic. There’s bound to be at least one flavor you can’t resist.

9. You’re supporting the largest girl-run business in the world and fueling tomorrow’s business leaders. Eighty percent of all female business owners participated in the Girl Scout Cookie Program.

8. Your support stays local. All of the net revenue raised through the Girl Scout Cookie Program—100 percent of it— stays with the local council and troops.

7. You’re helping girls learn a lifetime of skills and confidence. The Girl Scout Cookie Program is much more than selling cookies. Girls learn 5 valuable skills—goal setting, decision making, money management, people skills, and business ethics—aspects essential to leadership, success, and life.

6. You make adventures possible with every box. Troops decide how to use the funds they raise, including funding projects that will improve their community, attending camp, once-in-a-lifetime travel, and much more.

5. There’s a calorie free option – Operation Cookie! If you have food allergies, are counting calories, or are not a cookie eater, donate boxes to Operation Cookie. You’ll double your giving efforts by supporting Girl Scouts, who keep their earnings, and by sending a taste of home to military personnel serving overseas. Troops can also choose groups like local food banks, Ronald McDonald House, or homeless shelters to receive donated boxes of cookies.  Last year, our council donated nearly 94,000 boxes through Operation Cookie.

4. They’re American made. Girl Scout Cookies are produced by members of American Labor unions. They are made with American-grown agricultural products and wrapped in American-made packaging materials.

3. It’s easier than ever to get your hands on a box. In addition to the traditional methods of taking orders, you can now place orders through a program called, “Digital Cookie,” where a Girl Scout you know can invite you, via email, to purchase cookies online with a credit card through her personalized website. Traditional booth sales begin March 4 and run through the end of March. Visit girlscoutcookies.org to find the closest Girl Scout Cookie booth in your community.

2. They’re only available once a year. Girl Scouts participate in many activities throughout the year and work on many projects. The cookie sale is just one of those activities. And because only girls may sell Girl Scout Cookies, their market availability is limited to the six- to eight-week period when they are engaged in the program (January 8 through the end of March).

1. Your purchase means a party for your taste buds and life-changing support of girls doing big things. If there’s anything that can make cracking open a box of fresh Girl Scout Cookies even better, it’s knowing that you’ve contributed to helping empower girls with the skills, strength, abilities, and drive they’ll need to become accomplished women who benefit themselves, their families, and their communities.

This year, consider getting “one more box” to help girls reach their goals. 

About Girl Scouts of Western Ohio
In partnership with more than 13,000 adult volunteers, Girl Scouts of Western Ohio serves more than 42,000 girl members in 32 counties throughout Western Ohio and Southeastern Indiana. A United Way funded agency, all Girl Scouts activities are supported by adult volunteers using girl-led, hands-on, and cooperative learning practices. Chartered by Girl Scouts of the USA, we build girls of courage, confidence, and character, who make the world a better place. For more information, call 888.350.5090, visit gswo.org, or follow Girl Scouts of Western Ohio on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram.  

6 Tips to Reach Your Cookie Goals!

Everyone take a deep breath and give yourself a pat on the back for surviving the initial order phase of our council’s cookie sale. You’ve been championing your girls throughout the sale and teaching them important skills like business ethics, money management, and customer service. Mission accomplished, right?

But what if your troop (or daughter) hasn’t reached her cookie goal yet? How can we encourage our girls to go beyond the initial order taking and really stretch to reach the goal they set at the beginning? We’ve got some great tips to help you reach for the stars (and your cookie goal) this cookie season. When girls put their minds to it and work together they can do anything!

1. Ask. Then ask again. Ask at delivery. Ask two weeks after delivery. According to Little Brownie Baker’s advice on How To Sell More when customers are asked multiple times, they buy multiple boxes. Maybe Aunt Jane only wanted 4 boxes when you asked her in January but a week after cookie delivery your cousin may have eaten all of her favorites before she got to them and she really needs some Thin Mints.
2. Try Digital Cookie. This was a pilot this year and there were some issues that have been worked out as the sale goes on so if you were hesitant to test it out, now is the time to reach out to grandma in Florida! Girls can take girl delivery orders until March 14, 2016 and shipped/donated cookies through March 27, 2016. If you haven’t gotten your Digital Cookie email, contact the Customer Care Hotline at 1-888-350-5090 or email us at customerservice@gswo.org.
3. Sign up for a Cookie Booth! You can sign up for a council-sponsored booth on eBudde or you can try a non-traditional cookie booth and set up a non-council sponsored Cookie Booth. Need more information on booths? Check out page 21-22 of the 2016 Girl Scout Cookie Book.
4. Bling that Cookie Booth! Already got your booth set up but unsure how to really get people to notice it? Have no fear, we’ve got some great ideas from Little Brownie Baker that can really help you make that booth pay off. If you take a photo and upload it to Girl Scouts of the USA Facebook page your troop might even win $250. See page 18 of the 2016 Cookie Book for more information.
5. Bundle the cookies! Tie several kinds of cookies together with ribbon and make it part of your sales pitch. Say things like “would you like to buy 4 boxes of cookies for $20” or “3 boxes for $12”. You can even give your bundles fun names like the Chocolate Lovers Trio (Thin Mints, Tagalongs, and Samoas) or the Girl Scout Classics Bundle (Do-Si-Dos, Trefoils, and Thin Mints).
6. Encourage Gift of Caring. Who doesn’t get a warm fuzzy feeling when they give to others? Share that feeling with your customers by promoting a Gift of Caring option. You can put together a troop Gift of Caring donation by choosing a charity or community group and letting customers know any boxes donated to that group your troop will deliver to them. Not ready to set up your own Gift of Caring? Promote Operation Cookie, where girls collect donations of cookies for military personnel serving overseas. By selecting “Cookie Boxes Donated” on their cookie donation order form, people can offer a taste of home to military members and their families stationed abroad. They donate the cookies and then we work with Heroes in Action to finalize the logistics and get the cookies delivered to grateful soldiers. Don’t forget to make booth signs that tell customers about this choice.

Feeling ready to dive back in and help your girls reach those cookie goals? Use our tips and you’ll be a cookie goal getter pro!

Venture Out-An Outdoor Resource

The great outdoors: a place of adventure, wonder, and immense potential for Girl Scout fun. Girls have been exploring the outdoors with us for over a hundred years and thanks to the More Than S’mores research from the Girl Scout Research Institute we know that Girl Scouts benefit immensely from their time outdoors. But what if you’re not an outdoors woman? Or you just want to do some advance trouble shooting before taking a group of girls on an outdoor adventure?  We’ve got you covered with our resource called Venture Out! made possible by the Elliott Wildlife Values Project.

What is Venture Out? It’s a new online adventure, created by volunteers and council/GSUSA staff, that lets Girl Scout volunteers learn and explore different ways to get girls outside. They’ll encounter the kind of challenges (and successes) that only the outdoors can bring: bad weather, encounters with wildlife, distracted girls, new discoveries and life-changing events. Along the way, they’ll find tips for getting girls outdoors, plus real-life stories and advice from other volunteers. It’s interactive, filled with possibility, and learner-led – just like Girl Scouts!

Want more hands-on training and experiences before venturing out with your girls? Or just want an experienced outdoors person to help on your first outdoor adventure with girls? Try out some of our outdoor events (they’re dark orange on our calendar) and learn from some pros. You’ll test out your cooking skills at Campfire Cooking, learn the skills you need to explore the wilds at Backpacking Basics, or spend the weekend at camp with our qualified staff during Council-Operated Troop Camp. Feeling ready to head out on your own but still want some extra skill building before you go? Attend an upcoming Troop Camp Training where you’ll plan, implement, and evaluate a camping trip with girls and understand the safety standards and guidelines for camping and related outdoor activities. Our staff and volunteers will help you develop skills to be used and taught to girls that will get you ready for a positive, fun and safe outdoor experience. Options include Overnight Course, Two Part Course, Troop Camp Training, or Campin Fever. Check Ebiz adult training event list to see what spring dates are scheduled.

Sound like a good time? Then what are you waiting for? Get your girls outside and let the adventure begin!