Senior Journey Summit Award

The Senior Journey Summit Award is a new "award" in Girl Scouting.  It came out last fall (2011) with the new handbook.  According to the handbook it is awarded if you complete all three Senior Journeys, you'll earn the Leadership Journey Summit award.     

I did it - I earned my Summit Pin and have learned numerous skills. Earning this Summit Pin has made me feel accomplished. By myself I have done three journeys, the Sow what agriculture journey. The Mission Sisterhood communications journey and the Girltopia journey.

             I think other Girl Scouts should go for the Summit Pin. I loved learning, through these journeys, things I couldn’t have through the badges. Girls who love a challenge and extra GS work should try to earn Summit Pin. It was a great experience, challenging and fun and other older Girl Scouts should try to earn it.  

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 8 - Create It

           This Girl Scout Journey asked for me to create a way to express my thoughts through a visual media or a written way. Since I am doing this alone and I don’t paint or sketch. I decided to do poetry and photography, but then decided to just do poetry.

            I use Teen Ink as my platform to share with others because it is a way to show my poetry to other teens and youth my age, what I’m doing and how I’m feeling through my works. They read, rate, and comment on it. This gives me an idea on how they enjoy and see what I see. This site is an easy and constructive site, not once has someone said they hated my poetry, but they have given me feedback on what needs work.

            My piece of poetry I have written for this Journey is posted on Teen Ink; it has gotten 168 views and a few comments. All of them are constructive feedback, positive and helpful. This particular poem has five out of five stars. And really conveys how I think girls scouts is, and how the world would be like, if everyone was a girl scout.

            This is the link to the poem… I hope you enjoy it.

http://www.teenink.com/poetry/free_verse/article/463966/The-year-of-the-Girl/

GirlTopia - Session 3 - How's Our Community Doing for Girls?

So when I drafted the survey -- I was looking specifically in my community of 50k and specifically related to the "offerings" of the Parks and Recreation department.

I was not surprised by the results of my survey -- basically there is almost NOTHING for girls or even teens -- let alone teen girls in the community.

Because I am doing this project in a "Juliette" format - I decided to take my results to the Parks Department.

This worked out well since I had been selected by City Council to serve of the Parks and Recreation Commission.

During my City Council interview -- the Mayor asked me "What do you think we need to do?"  My response was have more activities.  I wasn't well prepared with an example.  However, the next day I found out that the Mayor had run a triatholon.  So I decided that it would be a GREAT idea for the Mayor to start a running club with teens.  HE would run one mile one Saturday a month along our trails wtih the teens.  This would give them a 1 on 1 opportunity to hang out with the Mayor and to exericise. 

When I presented it to the Parks Director and the Parks Commission -- they LOVED it.  We are now working with the Mayor to actually make it happen.

Since I don't really run and government isn't really my thing -- this is going to be a stretch for me to get up one Saturday a month to do this.  BUT, I am excited about seeing this come together.

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.      

Girltopia - Session 6 - What Do Leaders Sound Like

What do leaders sound like?

            After going to the Girl Scouts first headquarters and learning about the beginning of GS, and Juliette’s vision for the girls of America. I got started on thinking if Juliette ever had a vision for all girls everywhere? So the question is, what do you think Juliette Gordon Low would have envisioned as a perfect world for girls?

            I think she would have seen girls be treated as well if not better than men and boys. A better education for all girls everywhere, a better life for those with withering hopes of having a stable one. And most important, an equal respect from everyone. And Girl Scouts, in my opinion, has provided that for those that join. 

GirlTOPIA - Session 2 - What's on Girls' Minds?

During this journey we are to explore different types of creativity.  I am going to explore photography, poetry and maybe songwriting.



No fear, equality, respect

A vision that I see

And a dream that I expect

Will come a reality

Where beauty is forgotten

And wisdom is valued

Where makeup is considered rotten

And where peace replaces feud

Where girls are seen amongst the boys

Where we can talk and discuss

Conversations everyone enjoys

Free from prejudice and free from cuss

A girl utopia is what I envision

And what I believe is possible

A place where I can make a decision

Because in a utopian world there is no obstacle

We can make it a place for all girls

A place of refugee and peace

Make the utopia as perfect as pearls

Where boys amongst girls will cease

GirlTopia - Session 2 - What's On Girls' Minds?

Create-it

            As part of this journey I am supposed to express my thoughts of a utopian world for girls through a creative media. While some girls would sketch a drawing, or plan out a painting, my passion lies elsewhere. I will be expressing my thoughts on a utopian world for girls through poetry and photography.

            Sometimes where you are isn’t necessarily a utopian atmosphere. But evidently friends can help change that. Before I met Grayce I never really was into writing. But she demonstrated positive peer pressure by encouraging me to write and write often. We started out with short stories. Then I changed and decided to try poetry and Grayce helped me. She would always give me positive and constructive feed back. If she found a place that could use improvement she went out there and said it.

            I feel that Grayce made my poetry world a utopia and now whenever I write I feel happy.

Girl Topia - Session 1 - What's It All About? Visonary

Walt Disney was a visionary. He thought of ideas that at first people thought seemed crazy and unattainable. But he turned those people the cold shoulder and did what he thought was right.

One of the ideas of his was EPCOT, or Experimental Prototype of Tomorrow. EPCOT was Mr. Disney’s idea of a perfect city. He worked hard on it; he pitched speeches and ideas to his fellow workers. He made detailed maps on his idea… one map he made was even on a napkin!

His idea was a great idea… a utopian city, were everyone is cast in a beautiful living style. But inevitably, he died before he could execute his plan. His fellow workers and even his brother tried to work it out. But they had a difficult time.

What would it have been like? If Walt Disney hadn’t died before EPCOT was made, would it have been a success or a failure?

Session 1: GIRLtopia: What’s It All About? - Top 10 qualities, values, skills, or talents

Session 1:  GIRLtopia:  What’s It All About? - Top 10 qualities, values, skills, or talents

Visionary – one having unusual foresight and imagination

Top 10 qualities, values, skills, or talents

1. Good communication between two or more people
2. Quick to listen and slow to speak
3. Ability to bend the rules
4. The ability to inspire others
5.  Follow their thoughts regardless of what others think
6. Dedicated to the vision
7. In it for the life
8. dreamer – someone who can dream beyond the ability of others
9. lifelong learner
10. Well established sense of right or wrong – moral compass

Session 1: GIRLTopia: What is it all about?

                This journey is a chance to imagine a perfect world for girls.  I will e creating this vision thru “art” – which for me is photography and poetry. 

            As I look toward my “vision” I am working on an IP called Global Girls. This badge is an old one so it has been discontinued. I am very glad that my mother found this badge for me because it has helped me see that around the world, not all girls are treated as “respectfully” as they are in the US.

            Working towards this badge has “enlightened” me about the issues going on in third world countries such as Afghanistan and India, and their actions toward, not only women, but girls. I learned while working on this badge that in Afghanistan the people there marry off women at such a young age. Most girls are married off at age 8, and then when they reach puberty age such as 11 or 13, they are transferred from their family’s home and village to their husband’s home and village.

            It is not illegal in Afghanistan to marry off girls at such a young age, but in India it is. The law says that the a girl cannot marry until she is 18, due to health issues and diseases that can be obtained if married and exposed to sexual intercourse before they are physically ready for it. But even though the law says so, the people still marry of six year olds and eight years olds. This happens mostly for “family honor” or it is done to mend a feud between families, or even because a man will pay money to marry a young girl. The ceremony of “binding” is done usually in the wee hours of morning when others are asleep. Many people are caught, but not many stay in jail. In both countries this is the decision of the fathers, brothers, uncles – basically the men of the family.  The girls and mom’s have NO say in the decision. Men in third world countries live like kings, while the women have to strive to survive under them.

            As a senior scout – creating a vision of a Utopian society for girls – I feel that if more girls and women around the world are educated about how other girls/women live that it will make it easier for women in those countries to work on getting their own voice.  I feel those countries would benefit from female leaders and those girls would have a voice.  I even added my voice to the WAGGS violence against girls campaign.  http://www.wagggsworld.org/en/take_action/violence -- “In an ideal world for girls, the world will be more ideal for everyone.”

            In the girl “book” for GirlTopia – they refer to Juliette Gordon Low as a True GIRLtopia Visionary --  “I want to appeal to every Girl Scout,” she said, “to  . . . help to make a newer and better world.”

            If you would like to learn more about this subject through this badge, go to http://www.scoutingweb.com/scoutingweb/Documents/Global%20Girls.pdf 

One Journey at a Time?

Who says you only have to do one journey at a time? As I am finishing up the Mission Sisterhood journey, I am rapidly beginning the next journey Girltopia. As part of my beginning of Girltopia I have to research and write about a couple of female artists.

Juliette Gordon Low was not only the founder of Girl Scouts, but she was also an artist. Juliette loved art; she did many different types of art as well. She sculpted and painted. A famous painting done by Juliette was her self portrait.

I do not know much about Juliette Gordon Low as an artist, but I am going to visit her home in eleven days. While I am there I will learn and study her life as not only a scout, but also a painter, and sculptor. I wish to create a painting that portrays scouting throughout the years, and I hope that while I am there, I learn a little more about her time period, and her important role in Girl Scouting.

As well as studying and learning about Juliette’s life and era, I will also work on 4 IP’s that you are only able to work on and earn in Savanna, Georgia. IP’s such as Daisy’s neighborhood, and Savanna’s safari. I look forward to this trip, and I will post about my experience, what I learned and what I did.

Why another blog?

Check out my other blogs: Sow What Journey http://sarahsowwhat.tumblr.com/

 

http://www.100actsofgreen.org/

As a homeschooling Girl Scout I am often doing my Journey's as part of my school work. Which means that I have to plan and implement them myself.

I have been asked to share this with others. My first blog was with the Senior Sow What Journey. Since I plan to earn 5 other Journeys -- this will be the site for all information.