The Power of Advocacy #6 - Ambassador Journey - WRITE LETTERS - TELL GSUSA WHAT WE WANT

Prepare Your Pitch
This is part of my pitch and I am asking for your help.

Now is the time for us to take this to the next level.  Below are two different levels. I encourage you to hand write both letters and mail them to Ms. Chavez.  This is a great opportunity for a troop meeting, etc.

Although, I would love to have you send them to me -- and we send them to her together -- I think it is a bigger impact to get a lot of mail.

So send them, but, keep track how many your troop sends.  Then POST it.

Share this anyway you can!
We don't know if they will change - but, let's give it a try.  The Girl VOICE is important.

(Your Return Address)

(Your City, State, Zip)

 

Girl Scouts of USA

420 Fifth Avenue

New York , NY  10018-2798

 

November   , 2013

 

 

Dear Ms. Chavez,

 

            My name is _________________ and I am a (insert program level) Girl Scout.  During my Girl Scout career I have collected fond memories.  Many of which are from Girl Scout camp.

            I feel that Girl Scouts camps are a huge part of what Girl Scouting is to girls.  Just like when you were a girl.  As well as a big part of who I am.  I can’t believe that so many councils are selling their camps.  This is wrong.  I realize that you feel that this is not a GSUSA issue – but, I disagree.

            These camps are closing because of lack of use – this is because councils do not understand the importance of the camp pathway.  And the staff are not supported by GSUSA with camp pathway materials, marketing tools, guidance or even an opportunity to facilitate best practices or popular camps among councils.  The camps aren’t getting used because councils do not know how to program, market and effectively run their camps.

            GSUSA has the responsibility to support councils who lack the training to manage, program and market their camps.

            INSERT YOUR CAMP TESTIMONY – WHY DID YOU LIKE CAMP – LEARN AT CAMP.  IS A CAMP IN YOUR AREA CLOSING?

 

 

 

            Please evaluate the staff and support GSUSA could offer to councils including a place on PEARL that they could post successful camp descriptions, camp outlines and marketing materials.  This would be a low cost, immediate demonstration of support and collaboration amongst councils.

 

Yours In Girl Scouting,

 

(YOUR NAME)

(your email address)

(Your Return Address)

(Your City, State, Zip)

 

Girl Scouts of USA

420 Fifth Avenue

New York , NY  10018-2798

 

November   , 2013

 

 

Dear Ms. Chavez,

 

            My name is ____________________ and I am a (insert program level) Girl Scout.  Currently, the troop pathway includes the Girl Experience handbook and as a )insert program level) – I realize that the Journeys and Badges are very limited at this level.  From middle school – high school there are only 4 outdoor/environmental badges available for us to earn.  The prior edition 2001 copyright had 17. 

            I ask you to bring back the C/S/A outdoor, camping IP’s.  From 1948 to 2001 the number of outdoor activity badges were plenty and available for all kinds of weather and regions of the country.

            The Girl Experience is also limited in the way we earn higher level awards.  Currently, the Journeys offered to not appeal to all girls who are currently in Girl Scouting.  The C/S/A levels should be about leadership retention and GSUSA and councils need to focus on retention.  By offering unique programming and outdoor opportunities is the way Juliette would have wanted us to help develop these skills.

            INSERT YOUR GS story

 

 

 

 

            I ask you to consider the development of a C/S/A outdoor journey.  The cost of this could and should be minimal.  The outdoor outfitters who target women would be willing to sponsor such an initiative.  The manual should ONLY be for the girls and should be available ONLINE only.  This would allow for immediate implementation, reduce initial outlay and the manual can be updated with links regularly.

 

 

Yours In Girl Scouting,

 

(YOUR NAME)

(your email address)

Girl Topia - Take Action Project

I have finished my Girltopia journey. The take action project for this journey was by far the hardest, yet the greatest project I have ever helped put together. For this journey I was supposed to put together and implement a take action project to better someone’s lifestyle.

            So I took the trip to Ghana to its highest and planted trees with the Ghana Girl Guides. Planting trees was a great experience but putting together the project was an experience in itself as well.

            I contacted the various contacts at the World Association Girl Guides and Girl Scouting to get a contact in Ghana – the first was in March.  It was very frustrating over the next few months trying to get the Ghana Girl Guides and then to get a contact in the area of the country that we would be located. I didn’t know that it would be close to four months before I be able to actually get the plan in place. We emailed a little back and forth and found a date for the planting that worked. That’s when I wrote a grant from WAGGGS and a mini grant from Discover Green. As part of my application process – I was asking about the budget – what were going to be the cost.  I got deeply discouraged by the numbers I received from my Ghana contact.  To the point I was sure the project wasn’t going to happen.

            I let the adult who was leading my trip know and she got a hold of Mr. Gordon, our transportation connection and a great communicator.   He  was willing to check on the numbers and to contact our contact and see if we could make it work  He gave us reasonable numbers and even ordered trees. I was so glad that I asked for help and that the project was a success!

            We planted our trees within grounds of a small school center. 80 trees planted with 40 girls from the US, Ghana and Hong Kong .  This tree planting helped with the ecological development as well as provide homes for native wildlife and food for the people.  “We cannot trust that the adults alone will save our future. We have to take our future in our own hands.”

            Felix Finkbeiner

Girltopia - Session 7 - How Will We Lead the Way?

"Vision without action is merely a dream.  Action without vision just passes the time.  Vision with action can change the world."  This quote by Joel Barker is in the Adult Guide for the Girltopia Journey. 

It really helped me see what I had been doing was more than "How Will We Lead the Way" -- it was the Vision and the Action...

As the new student member of the City of Pflugerville, Parks and Recreation Commission - I am excited about the possibilites.  Last night was my first meeting -- I had questions and even more I requested that  items be on the next meeting agenda:
1.  Neighborwoods
2.  It's Our Park Day
3.  Mayor's Mile Buddies

I thought you might like to READ my speech that I gave to City Council.

I am Sarah Young and being the Youth Director for Discover Green I feel that I am in a unique position to serve on the Parks and Recreation Commission. And you are in a position to do the best for the city by putting me in the position.

Why? 

Because, I have two years left in high school and a proven interest in the community  

Not looking at this as a way to "pad" my resume before college applications.

In the last three years I have been involved in marking 2525 storm drains. The last 25 where marked in August 2011,

Because my mother has not been able to get city staff to order more drain markers.     

From January - April 2012, Discover Green has held

o    22 events in Pflugerville, with a total of

o    528 volunteers with 425 youth volunteers

o    We have planted 796 trees

o    Picked up 143 bags of trash estimated at 20 pounds per bag

o    We have educated 715 youth as part of educational outreach 400 thru NaturePfest that Discover Green facilitated for the city.

o    1 play house was painted

o    75 trees were mulched

o    And 1467 volunteer service hours  

In the rest of 2012, I am continuing my Ecological Restoration project where so far we have planted 750 trees along trails after removing invasive ligustrum with a group I started “The Trail Tamers”. 

4 years ago – the city started the Neighborwoods project providing street trees to area subdivisions – the city only completed 2 of the 3 promised years – I AM WRITING a GRANT and as part of my Gold Award project and COMPLETING THE 3^rd YEAR! Another 500 street trees.

I am working with Bruce and Jim to run the first “It’s My Park Day” during Family Volunteer Day in November – where each park will be adopted by a group of volunteers who will mulch trees, remove invasives, plant native trees and do a trash pick up!

Finally, I will continue to train other teens thru the Eco-Inspiration Coach training – last year I trained 50 youth – 10 lived and went to school in Pflugerville.

Since the dissolving of the city Arborist position and the minimal use of the Tree Care advisory board, the trees that the city invested in during the last 4 years, need their own Lorax. 

We need someone to speak for the trees; we need someone who will make sure that the hundreds of thousands of dollars spent on trees in the last 4 years are not wasted because of it not being a

"priority" to elected and appointed officials.

It's time to make the RIGHT choice for Parks and Rec commission, not just the way it has always been.

In the words of the Lorax,

Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not.

                               

Girltopia - Session 5 - Advocacy - What Would You Do?

           Advocacy was a foreign word to me. My mom tried to explain it but I still did not get what it meant. Then my mom had a great idea, I could watch the movie Erin Brockovich. Now this movie definitely is not G rated, nor is it PG, but it is a great movie. It taught me about what advocacy was, through a movie about a true story.

            In this movie Mrs. Brockovich is determined to help a small town, living next to a large company, get what they deserve. She was not a lawyer, nor did she fully understand how court and jury worked. But she stood up for these people anyway.

            Through this movie I learned that advocacy is standing up for someone or something through an important cause, no matter the cause. And now that I know what advocacy means, I can truly say that the Lorax was a true advocate.      

Session 7 - Sisterhood Knows No Boundaries

Advocacy - some folks are paid to be an advocate, others just do it because it is the right thing to do.  Last month - the movie "The Lorax" was released.  I went with my sister on opening day.  As I reflect and think about this part of the Journey - I realize that The Lorax was an advocate - he would have been a GREAT Girl Scout.  My mom serves on the city of Pfllugerville Tree Board and in definately an advocate for youth involvement in the community.

It has been a year and a half since Pflugerville dissolved the Arborist position. And since then there has not been good maintenance of the trees of Pflugerville. There are many I see that need to be remulched, or unstaked, or de-gatorbagged. No one in Pflugerville is willing to step up and speak for the trees.

But I will. I decided to become Pflugerville’s Lorax. And to do so, I have applied for the Pflugerville Parks and Rec commission, so that I can speak for the trees where it counts - with those who make the decisions. I want everyone to know that having an Arborist is very important and that dissolving the position completely was a very bad idea. The trees need a speaker, and I will be able to help.