The key to success: GRIT!

What is grit and why is it so important to our (and our girls’) success? Grit is a combination of persistence and resilience that is not related to talent or IQ. People with grit can accomplish things that seem almost impossible.

We all know them. The girl who refuses to give up on the high ropes course (despite her fear of heights) and finally (after multiple attempts and falls) conquers the course and her fear. The leader who sticks with her girls (through their hard middle school drama years) supporting them and coaching them until they grow into passionate adults who know they have the skills and the work ethic to make a difference in the world. These women and girls all have one thing in common. It’s not their natural talent or their high IQ. Rather it’s their work ethic and ability to roll with the punches: they are gritty!

So how do we build grit in our girls? According to a study at Stanford University the answer is: Mindset! What’s that? The Thrive Foundation defines mindset as “an attitude toward your own abilities, be they intelligence, skills, talents, or aptitudes.” According to Dr. Carol Dweck there are 2 main mindsets:

• The fixed mindset: You believe that your personal qualities are fixed and that you have been given only a certain amount of talent, intelligence, ability, and/or character. You are either good or bad. Have a lot or a little. You can improve around the edges, but either you have it or you don’t.
• The growth mindset: You believe that your personal qualities are things you have worked hard to establish including talent, intelligence, ability, and/or character. You believe that although many people differ in the initial amount of talent, aptitudes, and abilities, everyone can change and grow through hard work and experience. (Dweck 2006)

The growth mindset by another name could be called learning by doing (experiential learning). It says the more I practice, the harder I try (and fail), the more I grow and the more successful I become. This is a pillar of the Girl Scout program and having this growth mindset (being gritty) directly contributes to success. The Thrive Foundation (and Girl Scouts) believes that caring adults “can help youth acquire a growth mindset through modeling it in their own lives and encouraging youth to work hard to improve their abilities, including their intelligence, their moral character, their talents and their interests.” Can we be that role model? Can we be gritty for our girls? We think we can. Let’s help our girls grow up with grit by showing them the way!

 

Preparing to serve the Girl Scout Way!

Now that you’ve identified your community problem and its root cause through Community Mapping and investigation it’s time to brainstorm ways to help with that problem, find community members to collaborate, and put together a plan of action. This is step 2 of service learning and its the step where the girls’ innovation, creativity, and community contacts come into play.

Discuss with the girls possible ideas for making an impact on your chosen community need. Remind them that making an impact doesn’t necessarily mean they have to completely fix the problem, but that through their efforts the need has been lessened and their project will have a sustainable impact. Not sure what that means? Check out our post Service or Take Action for a more detailed explanation.

Your project could make a global impact:

Or it could be a simple public education piece to increase community awareness:

No problem is too big if the girls are passionate about it and committed to finding people to help them make a difference. Adults should help the girls choose the idea that is most feasible given their budget (for money-earning tips and guidelines check out Girl Scouts of Central and Western Massachusetts’ Money-Earning 101), time frame, and the girls’ abilities but be sure not to limit them. It’s amazing what girls can do when they’re determined! This is where all of the interviews, research on how other communities have tackled this problem, and their list of community resources from stage 1 will come in very handy. This step may also include developing a common vision, timelines for success, a project budget , or whatever method makes the most sense to your troop for keeping them on track to complete the project in the time available. Once the planning is done, you’ve hit step 3:Take Action! Stay tuned for our September of service blog arc wrap up next week for tips on steps 4 and 5: reflection and demonstration.

Act Now for Next Year!

Now is the time to being planning for an experience of a lifetime for the girls in your group.  The reason for planning now is to inspire girls to re-register next year, start planning and budgeting in advance for big trips or projects and give plenty of time to execute the plan and achieve the girls’ goals.  

Girls will love to brainstorm ideas for their future troop experiences.  Here’s an easy process to use with girls to get you going:

Materials Needed:

• Large paper to visually record the groups ideas
• 2014-2015 Calendar
• Markers
• Journey Descriptions: It’s Your World-Change It, It’s Your Planet-Love It, It’s Your Story-Tell It or use this summary.
• Use the Badge Explorer to let girls check out their options.
• 2014 Summer Camp Brochure
• Program Opportunities Book: Remember that events change each year so you will have to revisit this in the fall to make plans final.
• Information about highest awards if you have Girl Scout Juniors and above.

1. Debrief the past year: Talk about some of the fun things that you did this past year in Girl Scouting.  Was there anything they wanted to do that they didn’t get to?
2. Brainstorm: Hang large sheets of paper with the below titles around the room then take them through each topic letting them brainstorm ideas.

• Awards and badges: Talk about the different Girl Scout Journeys available to girls and use the Badge Explorer to help girls find topics that interest them.
• Take Action and service:  How would the girls like to connect with their community?  They don’t have to choose a project now, they just need to save some time in their schedule to investigate, plan and implement a project.
• Trips and outings:  Where do they want to go this year?  Are there places they need to go to help them earn a badge or learn a new skill?  Is there a trip that would compliment their chosen Journey?  Are there other Girl Scout events in the community, service unit or council that they would like to attend with their sister Girl Scouts?  What about summer camp?
• Traditions and holidays:  What are some of their favorite Girl Scout traditions?  Are there traditions that they would like to learn more about like Girl Scout Thinking Day?  Are there other special holidays they would like to observe like Women’s History Month?
• Logistics:  Where should they meet?  Is this location still working for the needs of the troop?  How will the troop share responsibilities like food, snack and supplies?
• Money Earning and financial literacy:  How will the troop earn money to support their projects?  How will the Girl Scout Cookie Program work into their plans?

3. Decision Making:  After gathering all of the ideas on large paper, allow the girls to vote on their top choices. Now you will have agreed upon activities from each element of a troop experience.  Everyone will have an investment in helping these choices come to fruition since they provided input. Using the calendar, have the girls place their choices on the calendar.  With younger girls, the adult may have to do the calendar scheduling, but don’t underestimate the girls input even at a young grade level. 

Spring Into Camping

The weather may not know it yet, but it’s springtime. Spring is a wonderful time to re-engage your troop after the long, cold winter. If you’re planning on sending your girls to camp this summer, spring is also a great time to get girls connected with the outdoors so they are acclimated and excited about spending time outside!  Here are some ways to get girls outdoors:

• Start the season right exploring the outdoors by moving your meeting outside.  After this long winter, girls will welcome the change of scenery.
• Encourage parents to do outdoor activities with first time campers before they leave for summer camp.  You may even have an outdoor enthusiast on your team who would like to teach an outdoor skill to the girls.
• Visit a local park in your neighborhood.  You could even have your bridging ceremony or start one of the naturalist legacy badges found in The Girl’s Guide to Girl Scouting.  Find out more using the Badge Explorer to find more info.
• Attend a council-sponsored activity at one of our camp properties. This spring, we have program opportunities for all age levels to get girls outdoors and engaged in the natural world.  Some of these events include: Archery (JR-AMB), Climbing Wall (BR-AMB), Outdoor Daisy Nature Day (DA), Intro To Canoeing and Canoeing (JR-AMB), Geocacher (JR) and Letterboxer (BR).  To learn more, check these out on eBiz and get registered.
• Sign up for Council Operated Troop Camp (COTC) at Camp Whip Poor Will. COTC is for troops, with a camp trained adult, that want to spend a fun and adventurous weekend at camp. This year’s theme of “Get out and Play” will feature a glow in the dark evening program, crafts, cooking any many outdoor activities. Space is limited, so register today!
• Don’t forget that there are many other resources out in your own community that offer quality Girl Scout activities. This is just the beginning of a long list of community partners that can be found in our 2013-2014 Program Opportunities book including: True Heights Outfitters, Cincinnati Parks, Brukner Nature Center, Hancock County Park District, Metroparks of the Toledo Area, Toledo Zoo and Wood County Park District. Research your local community for more.

 

How to Have Fun with Purpose

Check out this awesome video that does a great job of explaining the role of volunteers in implementing the three program processes: girl-led, experiential learning, and cooperative learning.