Our national convention team included (front, left to right) Girl Scouts Roni Nelson, Marycruz Resendiz, Elizabeth Hosie, Elena Crespo, Zoë Navapanich, Gabriela Silva, Shannon Linder and Cristina De Almeida Amaral; (back row) Meera Kota, Mariana Quintanar, Marina Lemly, Anamaria Ancheta and Ellen Allison.

November 2014

World changers return from national convention

Just back from GSUSA’s triennial conference in beautiful Salt Lake City, we’re even more fired up for Girl Scouts!

Board Chair Debbie Rider led our contingent of official delegates and representatives-at-large, as we joined 5,000 other Girl Scouts from around the globe to trade stories and best practices while gaining new resources. (See photos.) Celebrity presenters like Robin McGraw and Elizabeth Smart wowed us with their insights … as did our local Girl Scouts, whose convention experience included a three-day leadership institute. The girl delegates took the floor to express their views on making the world a better place, speaking with conviction and intelligence beyond their years. All of these exemplary young women will apply their learnings by developing Take Action projects in their communities, addressing topics such as teen violence, gender equality and body image.

Another key takeaway from convention was the critical need for more adults to step up to participate. CEO Anna Maria Chávez unveiled user-friendly online toolkits and training systems designed to help new volunteers.

She also announced a renewed focus on our organization’s popular outdoor programs. This election season, the Girl Scouts in your life can exercise their civic duty and vote on our next set of Outdoor badges. (Polls close Sunday, Nov. 30!)

Jo Dee C. Jacob
Chief Executive Officer

Imagining Girl Scouts in politics
According to the Girl Scout Research Institute survey Running for a Change: Girl Scouts and Politics, while girls are interested in government and often engage in school leadership and civic causes, few envision themselves pursuing careers in politics. Media stereotypes and other factors lead most girls to view the political arena as a man’s world. These findings correlate with the nation’s disproportionately low number of female politicians, notes Anna Maria Chávez in a Washington Post article, as “girls can’t be what they can’t see.”

Supreme encounter: Meeting Justice Sotomayor
Thanks to Judge M. Margaret McKeown (a member of our Cool Women Class of 2004 and former Girl Scout who earned the equivalent of the Gold Award), several Girl Scouts recently met the first-ever Latina Supreme Court Justice. During her visit to San Diego, Associate Justice Sonia Sotomayor delivered the keynote address for a National Association of Women Judges convention, where Girl Scout Troop 5260 presented the colors. Justice Sotomayor visited with the girls before taking the stage, and acknowledged them during her speech. Sotomayor also chatted with a group of teen Girl Scouts (pictured) at a University of San Diego School of Law event.

Girl Scouts who met Justice Sotomayor included (left to right) Miranda Ng, Katrina Schaber, Girl Scouts San Diego Program Director Jen Nation, Elizabeth Haack, Briajah Payton and Reagan Cloutier.

Hot off the press: Giving Wisely
Get the scoop on Cabin 3 construction … discover how Girl Scouting prepared Gold Awardee Marchelle Meza for a future in molecular research … explore why camp is far more than s’mores … get tips for reducing your income taxes …read about National Philanthropy Day honoree Lori Walton … and take a moment to salute our 2014 Promise Circle Award recipients, Jan and Wayne Loftus. Find these and other stories in the fall issue of Giving Wisely, our bi-annual newsletter.

Venturing around the world
Making memories in Peru
Troop 1121 recently took the trip of a lifetime! Together, the girls selected a destination that would provide an authentic cultural experience: Peru. After planning and saving $11,000 over three years (from Girl Scout cookie proceeds and other fundraising efforts), they set a course for Lima, Paracas, Cuzco, the Sacred Valley and Ballestas Islands. The troop stayed in rural village homes, playing with children, sampling native cuisine, learning about Peruvian agriculture and languages, and observing textile-making and fishing. Attending a parade and festival, whitewater rafting and viewing spectacular sights by boat and horseback rounded out their itinerary. Check out the pictures!

Troop Tripping workshops
Want to globetrot with Girl Scouts? Learn about chaperoning opportunities for Girl Scout troops and groups during a workshop at Rancho Buena Vista High School (Saturday, Nov. 15, 8-11 a.m.) or our Balboa Campus (Tuesday, Nov. 18, 6-9 p.m.). Required for leaders planning major domestic trips and all international travel, this training session covers group and safety management, paperwork, fundraising tips, timelines, itineraries, and addressing girl and parent expectations. Register online; for details, contact Iris Gerber, (619) 610-0741.

Who do you know? Seeking volunteers!
Volunteer adventures beckon
Girl Scouts can do anything they dream up … as long as they have volunteers to lead the way. Together, they can climb Mount Whitney, dig for fossils, master photography, snorkel or explore careers in aviation. Please take a moment to reach out to your circle of contacts and let them know they can change girls’ lives — and their own! Read on for special November incentives.

Earn $50 for recruiting new leaders. (We have rewards for them, too!)    
Scroll through your phone, then call, text or post the word to prospective Girl Scout leaders in your sphere of influence: Now is a great time to join Girl Scouts. As part of the national Invite-a-Friend campaign in November, we’re asking adult members to enlist other caring individuals to start Daisy, Brownie or Junior troops. As thank you gifts, the veteran volunteers will earn $50 in GSUSA merchandise, while the new leaders receive a start-up kit of the Girl’s Guide to Girl Scouting, Journey set and badge activity kit. (Of course, those rewards pale in comparison to the bigger prize: the joy of Girl Scouting!) Find details here.

Interactive training for new volunteers and girls
Here’s a great way to help put newcomers on the road to leadership: Invite them to a “learn-by-doing” Girl Scout training on Sunday, Nov. 16, 2:30-5 p.m. at our Balboa Campus. Hosted by volunteers from East County, the workshop combines Girl Scouting basics with hands-on lessons and teambuilding. Optional: Bring girls to enjoy a day of science experiments and other fun activities. To learn more, contact Ana Luisa Ponce, (619) 610-0715.

Now read this: Gold Awardee builds literacy
For her Gold Award, entitled Siblings Sharing Stories, Girl Scout Alex Kelly of Kensington created a novel approach for boosting literacy in low-income and second-language homes. Working with the San Diego Council on Literacy (SDCOL) and other organizations, she developed curriculum and led a series to empower older students to read to their younger sisters, brothers and cousins. Alex’s lessons included educational games and making shelves to hold books donated by READ/San Diego. “In my 29 years of literacy work, no one has ever come up with a concept like this one. I intend to share it with national literacy groups,” said SDCOL Chief Executive Officer José Cruz. (See North Park-Kensington News article.)

Happy birthday, Juliette!
Members of the Sunrise Valley Service Unit were among those celebrating the Oct. 31 birthday of Girl Scouts’ founder, Juliette Gordon Low. To mark the occasion, they hosted a booth at downtown Ramona’s annual Safe Trick-or-Treating festival. As reported in the Ramona Sentinel, these Girl Scouts are always up to great things — including sprucing up the Welcome to Ramona sign, collecting donations for foster youth, connecting seniors to loved ones through technology, and making Christmas stockings for military personnel. They also find time to just be silly and have fun, as they will at their upcoming Glow Dance.

Ramona Girl Scout Troop 8008 rocked out at last year’s Glow Dance. Pictured are Emma Van Zandt and Daniela Romero.

• Stuff the Bus and Drive Away Hunger — Saturday, Dec. 6
• Cookie Rally — Friday, Jan. 23
• Finish Chelsea’s Run in Partnership with Girl Scouts San Diego —
  Saturday, March 7
  

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About Girl Scouts
Founded in 1912, Girl Scouting provides the nation’s best leadership experience for girls. Through Girl Scouts, girls discover themselves, connect with others, and take action to make the world a better place.

Girl Scouts San Diego provides activities for 43,000 local girl and adult members, trains volunteers, and maintains two camps and four program and service facilities.

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