tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78759008459353295882024-03-21T20:54:12.276-07:00Gold Award - Raising the BarSeal Beach Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12993380086551173833noreply@blogger.comBlogger98125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875900845935329588.post-84621146024364192532013-02-13T15:10:00.002-08:002013-02-13T15:10:40.845-08:00JUSTICE Journey<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>(Do you have an 11th or 12th grade girl interested in completing an Ambassador Journey? Anne Rizzacasa and I will be offering one this summer, and we're looking for girls! The attached info is our preliminary info. We would love to have feedback, so that we can fine tune the Journey. We're excited to offer this Series to our Ambassador girls.)</i></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><span><span style="font-size: small;"><i> </i></span>JUSTICE Journey Series 2013</span></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b><i><span> Here's our
<u>tentative plan</u> for the Series:</span></i></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">5 - 4 hour sessions during the summer</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span> </span>(potentially
Sundays June 23 and 30/July 14, 21, 28)</span></span></div>
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Wednesdays instead<span style="font-size: small;">, same weeks</span>)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1 - overnight at Laguna Beach Scout House July 17-18</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1 - Sunday afternoon in the fall (girls to choose) to come back
together to celebrate the completion of their Take Action Projects and <span style="font-size: small;">present</span>
awards.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Meeting place:<span> </span></b>Anaheim or Irvine. Still working on
it....</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Field Trips</b> -
most included - going for a variety of experiences to find the issues that the
girls may want to get Justice for. Contacting potential businesses to host a
session and provide information.<span>
</span>Big use of girl's interview skills. Consens<span style="font-size: small;">us building. Sitting at every stone<span style="font-size: small;">, and hearing all sides.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Optional side trips</b>
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<span> </span>Still trying to get that together</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Included:<span> </span></b>snack and beverages, transportation
for trips, Journey book</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Who:<span> </span></b>11th and 12th graders, including
incoming 11th graders</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Will they earn the
award in the 5 sessions?<span> </span></b>No.<span> </span>We will do the work that leads up to
the Take Action Project, which the girls will do after our sessions.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>What will the girls
do? </b><span> </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Search for Justice for the earth</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Search out environmental issues, then identify the one(s)
they want to address</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Do the research to support their position</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Create an "Equation for Justice" - "a
definition of environmental justice and an</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span> </span>equation
for achieving it."</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It's about environmental justice, and what it means to each
girl</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Then they invite people to think big.<span> </span>And inspire others to make a
"daily </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span> </span>commitment
to justice."</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The Take Action Project is a presentation of their Justice
for an issue</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Series put on
by:<span> </span></b>Ann Crane and Anne
Rizzacasa</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">949-254-5620 cel Ann</span> </span></span></div>
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</span></span>Seal Beach Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12993380086551173833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875900845935329588.post-67506651557906785612013-02-07T08:00:00.000-08:002013-02-07T08:00:05.971-08:00Who's a Procrastinator?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiFPFC27SoMxJQUIo1jLQDNIhMJ07NT1VDD2BzuhzEvAg53nokPUO3QNkFVEGVADtYCcjiPD-4GlAX6tjotvsF-dmEgVOfV3hE-Yl1r6yE7OIjmTXbcwVzp2mD84KfVCu70-QhAaOLqhw/s1600/take+action.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiFPFC27SoMxJQUIo1jLQDNIhMJ07NT1VDD2BzuhzEvAg53nokPUO3QNkFVEGVADtYCcjiPD-4GlAX6tjotvsF-dmEgVOfV3hE-Yl1r6yE7OIjmTXbcwVzp2mD84KfVCu70-QhAaOLqhw/s200/take+action.JPG" width="200" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>“There are some who give up their designs<br />when they have almost reached the goal;<br />While others, on the contrary,<br />obtain a victory by exerting, at the last moment,<br />more vigorous efforts than ever before.”<br /> - Herodotus</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Oh my, but does this sound familiar? Do our girls ever wait til the last minute, give it the big push, and finish at the very, very, VERY last minute? Of course some do!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So what do we do? We advisors for these wonderful high schoolers? Maybe we make sure that we're not the girl's troop advisor AND Gold Project Advisor AND parent! If at all possible, 'tis better not to do it all! Everyone I've talked to about this has been adamant: find someone else to work with the girl on the Gold. That way the parent isn't nagging about cleaning her bedroom, finishing homework AND working on the Gold!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">And maybe that could help the procrastination? I can only hope that the girls will be a little more proactive working with a non-parent. What will get a high schooler to do something done in a timely manner? Carrot and stick? Rewards? Acknowledgement and encouragement along the way? Small goals that lead to big achievements? Pep talks? Yes/no/maybe so? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Wouldn't it be nice if we project advisors were there to encourage, help facilitate, work together on deadlines and hold the girl accountable? I think so. We want to be sure that the girl doesn't give up before reaching the goal. And we want to be equally sure that we all don't turn gray, hoping for the last minute push!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>Seal Beach Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12993380086551173833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875900845935329588.post-44660753605275030222013-02-04T08:00:00.000-08:002013-02-04T13:22:44.646-08:00Work Together<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaVYJX5KjV1D9gOaYf94NjYecsyWT1CydgUMu92RYiNOZKN_cLYvrwgtkewAisGIMalIc9aISKuiEYfRx6kTCTBl7FmHicuC92KKzjvAvW6WCv9PVKwZNiLDU8mY6bgD9zsd07bxISm9o/s1600/coop+learning.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaVYJX5KjV1D9gOaYf94NjYecsyWT1CydgUMu92RYiNOZKN_cLYvrwgtkewAisGIMalIc9aISKuiEYfRx6kTCTBl7FmHicuC92KKzjvAvW6WCv9PVKwZNiLDU8mY6bgD9zsd07bxISm9o/s200/coop+learning.JPG" width="200" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>“People who work together will win,<br />whether it be against<br />complex football defenses,<br />or the problems of modern society.”</i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i> - Vince Lombardi, coach, Green Bay Packers</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">One Gold Award Take Action Project at a time! Yes, that's how we're going to win: working together! And as in football, there is one leader, and s/he has responsibility for the team to achieve the goals set forward. Okay, that's it on the football analogies! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Our girls need to lead their team to success! That's why it's one girl, one Take Action Project. There needs to be one girl who has a clear vision of the problem and the plan to fix it. And she needs to be able to communicate it to others. Get them to catch the passion and all work together to succeed.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The girls need to think big! And then whittle down the idea to something doable. Something meaningful. Something they have real passion and concerns for. Sometimes, in our Gold Award Interviews, we see girls with tons of passion, but no focus on an issue. These are the girls that we coach, give ideas to, and then send back to focus their proposals. We know the girl has passion when we get the revision back the same week!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">And we hope that the girl who waits months to re-submit her proposal can re-ignite her passion and address the issue. It seems that most can! They have just had to take the time to get a focus and create a team to help. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">(As I write this post, it's the day before the Super Bowl. Football sure seems to be on everyone's mind, in one way or another. Me, I'm going to go talk about the Gold with the girls at the Mission Sisterhood Series, and then go shopping. No lines! Go team!)</span>Seal Beach Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12993380086551173833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875900845935329588.post-88193305660712860562013-02-01T08:00:00.000-08:002013-02-01T08:00:00.570-08:00Thoughtful, committed citizens....<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi263eFV7Xkb4s_WODmK9E7Rte6HFOedDOo9G17Cid2ad1VNjaO-VEIKiVdaFe0JOZNHzxaH8sn1etcPRiAx2YZQ4lMU5TraxeGYvDphBOPp75yP4-oSNUPb5KjC3XJfvB-mXYNrWME4SQ/s1600/icon+community.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi263eFV7Xkb4s_WODmK9E7Rte6HFOedDOo9G17Cid2ad1VNjaO-VEIKiVdaFe0JOZNHzxaH8sn1etcPRiAx2YZQ4lMU5TraxeGYvDphBOPp75yP4-oSNUPb5KjC3XJfvB-mXYNrWME4SQ/s200/icon+community.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” </span></span></i><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i> Margaret Mead, American Culture Anthropologist</i></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I don't know that <span style="font-size: small;">I had ever seen this quote before, but I'm likin<span style="font-size: small;">g it<span style="font-size: small;"> for our Gold Award girls today. </span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Aren't we asking that our girls who are going for the Gold use a thoughtful approach to the <span style="font-size: small;">Gold Awar<span style="font-size: small;">d Take A<span style="font-size: small;">ction Projects? <span style="font-size: small;">We're asking them to identify a communit<span style="font-size: small;">y issue<span style="font-size: small;">. <span style="font-size: small;">To do the research and figure out what the need is. Then to identify the root cause and commit to making a change<span style="font-size: small;">. With passion!</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">This is not a halfway measure. Not milque<span style="font-size: small;">to<span style="font-size: small;">ast. And certainly not easy! But our girls can do it. We may <span style="font-size: small;">need to prod them a <span style="font-size: small;">bit<span style="font-size: small;">, ask them to reach, get outside their comfort zone and certainly to try hard. And for that, they will have success in chang<span style="font-size: small;">ing</span> their part of the world<span style="font-size: small;">.<span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">O<span style="font-size: small;">ne high school club <span style="font-size: small;">or event or p<span style="font-size: small;">roject at a time. </span></span></span>They will make a measurable and sustainable change that will make difference in the world. </span>And that's <span style="font-size: small;">huge!</span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><i> </i></span></span>Seal Beach Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12993380086551173833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875900845935329588.post-81465524824475003972013-01-28T14:01:00.000-08:002013-01-28T14:01:00.192-08:00Another Great Gold Award Project<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FWneW30xfK4/TwONhViEqmI/AAAAAAAAAHQ/n5HV2ZTfJxE/s1600/commkunity.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FWneW30xfK4/TwONhViEqmI/AAAAAAAAAHQ/n5HV2ZTfJxE/s200/commkunity.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> (From the GSUSA Blog January 15, 2013) </span></i><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Miranda wanted to encourage and connect teens with service opportunities. For her project, Miranda developed and implemented a comprehensive volunteer service program using social media and a Ning website to match service-based organizations with the 2,000 high school students who reside in the Northville school district. Twelve communities/schools have requested a CIA (Community Impact Awards) implementation. CIA has applied for a non-profit status. Over 350 Northville high school students are already working on one or more awards, which translate to over 10,000 hours of community service. Averages of 6.4 new members join each week.</span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Yes, this Gold Award Take Action Project is a good one! Miranda was recognized as a National Young Woman of Distinction by GSUSA for her work. She saw a need and figured out a way to fill it. And then made it possible for other schools to do the same. What a great thing! And the outcome was a total benefit to the community of students connecting to a non-profit and giving service hours. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Miranda made it measurable and sustainable. She also made it possible for the project to go global. A perfect model for our girls to follow. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Our girls can have the same success with their chosen issue, and create a Gold Award Take Action Project that makes a difference in the world, too.</span>Seal Beach Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12993380086551173833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875900845935329588.post-12766150628695025142013-01-24T16:57:00.000-08:002013-01-24T16:57:00.910-08:00What We Do for Others....<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiFPFC27SoMxJQUIo1jLQDNIhMJ07NT1VDD2BzuhzEvAg53nokPUO3QNkFVEGVADtYCcjiPD-4GlAX6tjotvsF-dmEgVOfV3hE-Yl1r6yE7OIjmTXbcwVzp2mD84KfVCu70-QhAaOLqhw/s1600/take+action.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiFPFC27SoMxJQUIo1jLQDNIhMJ07NT1VDD2BzuhzEvAg53nokPUO3QNkFVEGVADtYCcjiPD-4GlAX6tjotvsF-dmEgVOfV3hE-Yl1r6yE7OIjmTXbcwVzp2mD84KfVCu70-QhAaOLqhw/s200/take+action.JPG" width="200" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>“Life's most persistent and<br />urgent question is,<br />'What are you doing for others?’”<br /> - Martin Luther King, Jr.</i></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">I saw this quote on <span style="font-size: small;">Monday, and I liked it! I think that there is a connection <span style="font-size: small;">to Sc<span style="font-size: small;">out<span style="font-size: small;">ing here. <span style="font-size: small;">Our girls<span style="font-size: small;"> are great at providing service to others. From the beginning, they are S<span style="font-size: small;">couting for Fo<span style="font-size: small;">od, sin<span style="font-size: small;">ging in Sr. Centers, <span style="font-size: small;">creating placemats for luncheons, performing flag ce<span style="font-size: small;">remonies and so much more! They are the <span style="font-size: small;">champs at doing something for others.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Gold Award Take A<span style="font-size: small;">ction Project is the p<span style="font-size: small;">enultimate "doing for others" beca<span style="font-size: small;">use not only does it call for action (a servi<span style="font-size: small;">ce) but it a<span style="font-size: small;">lso requires sustainability. </span></span></span></span></span> So, we are <span style="font-size: small;">as<span style="font-size: small;">king our Gold girls to do something for others: <span style="font-size: small;">address an issue in their community, seek out it<span style="font-size: small;">s root cause, and then work with a team to address it. PLUS, find another <span style="font-size: small;">non-pro<span style="font-size: small;">fit or other entity to take it over, and continue that good work for years to come.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">THAT is <span style="font-size: small;">Taking A<span style="font-size: small;">ction, and giving great service, not <span style="font-size: small;">just for now, but forever. (Okay, or for the fores<span style="font-size: small;">e</span>eable future!</span></span></span>) An awesome task, and one, I think, that Dr. King would embrace. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><i> </i></span></span>Seal Beach Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12993380086551173833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875900845935329588.post-42110609190794231052013-01-21T14:58:00.000-08:002013-01-21T14:58:00.965-08:00Great Gold Award Projects<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqQ7BUh_w-3NQaUIDkBUCW2oi5uA0Bv7zgIuGGWv3NTMwqv5lwf_C3ywJ17WrK2RMS_TfZrQVkzrCumOEOG4ZOsP9tAVJjq5c4mcgymlO6GyTlbLwW0RfMKXW4EQ2psorRRzfk8_lM61E/s1600/IMG_0890.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqQ7BUh_w-3NQaUIDkBUCW2oi5uA0Bv7zgIuGGWv3NTMwqv5lwf_C3ywJ17WrK2RMS_TfZrQVkzrCumOEOG4ZOsP9tAVJjq5c4mcgymlO6GyTlbLwW0RfMKXW4EQ2psorRRzfk8_lM61E/s200/IMG_0890.JPG" width="200" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">We're dipping into the GSUSA blog posts from January 15th again. GSUSA has chosen their top 10 Young Women of Distinction Awardees, mostly based on the quality of their Gold Award Project. (I'm assuming there are other considerations, too...)</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">Here's one from Mandy:</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>"Passionate about the health of the ocean and how youth education impacts global problems, Mandy designed an aquarium and a three-day curriculum that would expose 5thgrade students to ocean health and environmental threats to the ecosystem. Carefully designed, the aquarium and curriculum serve together, providing basic information on an assortment of aquatic topics and linking the classroom to bodies of water all over the world. Mandy is currently expanding the curriculum based on teacher request and continues to host lectures at the school. She hopes to soon expand the program to include other schools and communities."</i></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Lovin' <span style="font-size: small;">it! This girl found out how to connect her passion for ecology<span style="font-size: small;"> with a<span style="font-size: small;"> specific</span> issue<span style="font-size: small;">. She identified the root ca<span style="font-size: small;">use and gathered her team, I'm assuming. She worked with a <span style="font-size: small;">school to provide a curriculum that can be used <span style="font-size: small;">again, not only at one school, but a<span style="font-size: small;">t other schools in her di<span style="font-size: small;">strict. GREAT sustainability! And the global impact is easy to see.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">T<span style="font-size: small;">his is a prime example of what we <span style="font-size: small;">want to encourage our girls to do: <span style="font-size: small;">Di<span style="font-size: small;">scover, Connect and Take Action<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"> to make the world a better place</span>!</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>Seal Beach Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12993380086551173833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875900845935329588.post-74525998578791774642013-01-17T14:42:00.000-08:002013-01-17T14:42:00.317-08:00What does a GREAT Gold Award TAP look like?<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FWneW30xfK4/TwONhViEqmI/AAAAAAAAAHQ/n5HV2ZTfJxE/s1600/commkunity.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FWneW30xfK4/TwONhViEqmI/AAAAAAAAAHQ/n5HV2ZTfJxE/s200/commkunity.jpg" width="200" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I get asked all the time, "What does a great Gold Award Project really look like?" The GSUSA blog (which I hope you all get!, but if you don't, sign up here <a href="http://Girl%20Scout%20Blog%20%3Cblogsubscription@girlscouts.org>/"><blogsubscription@girlscouts.org>)<span style="color: black;"> </span></a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">just published the names of the 2013 National Young Women of Distinction. They also published a paragraph about each girl and what she did.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black;">Truly, these all sound like well deserving young women. Here's the first one I liked:</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;">Nationally, one in three women experiences relationship abuse, an issue Nicole wanted to address, particularly as it relates to middle and high school students. First, she ran a program in her local middle school educating them on dating abuse and violence in the media. Nicole was so impassioned that she then championed legislation that requires safe dating education be provided to middle and high school students as part of their health curriculum. After the law passed, she created a school club called MASK Theater, which takes the spirit of the new law and joins that with an innovative creative program for students in her HS. Among other performances and events, MASK has created PSAs, an informational DVD for other schools and has even run a Girl Scout Workshop on healthy relationships and the media. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">We have a number of girls who are interested in Domestic Violence issues. Many have done volunteer work at Laura's House admin. office or for their events. But due to California law, the girls are prohibited from working with th<span style="font-size: small;">e a<span style="font-size: small;">ctual women<span style="font-size: small;"> and their chi<span style="font-size: small;">ldren at the shelter. So a common que<span style="font-size: small;">stion is, "how <span style="font-size: small;">can a Sr/A girl connect with the issue<span style="font-size: small;">?" </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Nicole, above, found a way to do it! And she figured out a way to reach a large number of people about the issue<span style="font-size: small;">, measure success, and successfully hand it off to another entity to continue her good w<span style="font-size: small;">ork. This is a ROCKSTAR formula for success! I'm sure there was more to it, in<span style="font-size: small;">clu<span style="font-size: small;">ding budget, timelines, solictin<span style="font-size: small;">g help from advisors and adult<span style="font-size: small;">s<span style="font-size: small;">, etc. than was t<span style="font-size: small;">alked about in the ar<span style="font-size: small;">ticle.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">How else could your <span style="font-size: small;">gi<span style="font-size: small;">rls connect to the issue of Do<span style="font-size: small;">mestic Vio<span style="font-size: small;">lence and/or relationship abuse? As high schoolers, what is age ap<span style="font-size: small;">propriate and can affect <span style="font-size: small;">c<span style="font-size: small;">hange in t<span style="font-size: small;">he local community? That's the discussion to have with your girls, as they <span style="font-size: small;">run with the issue, and try to make a Take A<span style="font-size: small;">ction Plan.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> Seal Beach Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12993380086551173833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875900845935329588.post-70366110304100035772013-01-14T09:50:00.000-08:002013-01-14T09:50:00.397-08:00Share the Load<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaVYJX5KjV1D9gOaYf94NjYecsyWT1CydgUMu92RYiNOZKN_cLYvrwgtkewAisGIMalIc9aISKuiEYfRx6kTCTBl7FmHicuC92KKzjvAvW6WCv9PVKwZNiLDU8mY6bgD9zsd07bxISm9o/s1600/coop+learning.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaVYJX5KjV1D9gOaYf94NjYecsyWT1CydgUMu92RYiNOZKN_cLYvrwgtkewAisGIMalIc9aISKuiEYfRx6kTCTBl7FmHicuC92KKzjvAvW6WCv9PVKwZNiLDU8mY6bgD9zsd07bxISm9o/s200/coop+learning.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i>“It's not the load that breaks you down,<br />it's the way you carry it.” </i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><i><span style="font-size: small;"> </span> - Lou Holtz, ret.football coach</i></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Yep, it's all about teamwork<span style="font-size: small;">! It's about wor<span style="font-size: small;">king together and ach<span style="font-size: small;">iev<span style="font-size: small;">ing a<span style="font-size: small;"> goal.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">The Gold <span style="font-size: small;">Award Take A<span style="font-size: small;">ction Project is <span style="font-size: small;">all about one girl<span style="font-size: small;">. She needs to find the issue she is passionate about and then identify the root cause. U<span style="font-size: small;">sing all that passion and interest, she needs to pa</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>rtner with<span style="font-size: small;"> an age<span style="font-size: small;">ncy and figure out how she can address the issue. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">And even before she is approved for her <span style="font-size: small;">Project, she must consider who the team is that she will be assembling. Who are the peers, friends<span style="font-size: small;"> and/or</span> school club members</span></span> <span style="font-size: small;">she can gather to help her. This <span style="font-size: small;">is about sharing the l<span style="font-size: small;">oad: finding the <span style="font-size: small;">right people to help <span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">h<span style="font-size: small;">er</span></span> achieve the goal.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">She can't do it alone! <span style="font-size: small;">It just d<span style="font-size: small;">oesn't work like that! This is an oppo<span style="font-size: small;">rtunity for her to use her leadership and work with others. She needs to learn that sp<span style="font-size: small;">reading the work <span style="font-size: small;">load can yield remarkable re<span style="font-size: small;">sult<span style="font-size: small;">s: more than with just her solo effort. What a great thing to learn<span style="font-size: small;">! </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>While it's still her <span style="font-size: small;">overall responsibility, <span style="font-size: small;">she will have a team of sup<span style="font-size: small;">port.</span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">It's exciting times for our girls! And everytime I <span style="font-size: small;">have a chance to talk with a prospective Gold gi<span style="font-size: small;">rl, it is so much fun to see their exc<span style="font-size: small;">it<span style="font-size: small;">e</span>ment and interest</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>. And <span style="font-size: small;">very fun to <span style="font-size: small;">encourage them to pull together a great team that will work, under her leadership, to make a diff<span style="font-size: small;">erence in t<span style="font-size: small;">he world. </span></span></span></span> <i> </i>Seal Beach Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12993380086551173833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875900845935329588.post-64330871253210876192013-01-11T10:44:00.000-08:002013-01-11T10:44:06.230-08:00Raise the Bar HIGH!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmSoIz6EEmMt5Kxa2-Ln2oeNU-bd4BzoPy8Q2gKh7mVBmLifIMDtDc7B78RqwDuQMWS_ofuuo0MOWvgduuGYb7wJCgN-5PCHqesCyYrzF__FWa5VMmHiK1VGf_b7N6M-Pq6XJ9S6mi6jM/s1600/iiove+by+P%2526L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmSoIz6EEmMt5Kxa2-Ln2oeNU-bd4BzoPy8Q2gKh7mVBmLifIMDtDc7B78RqwDuQMWS_ofuuo0MOWvgduuGYb7wJCgN-5PCHqesCyYrzF__FWa5VMmHiK1VGf_b7N6M-Pq6XJ9S6mi6jM/s1600/iiove+by+P%2526L.jpg" /></a></span></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">“High achievement always takes place<br />in the framework of high expectation.”<br /> - Jack Kinder, motivational speaker</span></span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">I like this quote fo<span style="font-size: small;">r January! We have a new year, new opportunities, new resolutions to make (an<span style="font-size: small;">d break!), a new outlook on the future.</span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">As adult <span style="font-size: small;">advisors, part of our job is to <span style="font-size: small;">hold the girls to a high standard: don't <span style="font-size: small;">let them be slackers <i>all</i> the time, help get them excited about what they<span style="font-size: small;">'re doing, and <span style="font-size: small;">let them know what the expectations are. It s<span style="font-size: small;">egues really well into the high standard of the Gold Award Take A<span style="font-size: small;">ction Projects. In training we say, the <span style="font-size: small;">bar has been raised! It's the Advi<span style="font-size: small;">sor<span style="font-size: small;">'s job to be sure that <span style="font-size: small;">s<span style="font-size: small;">/he unders<span style="font-size: small;">tands this, and communicates it to the gi<span style="font-size: small;">rls. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">No longer are Gold Award Projects <span style="font-size: small;">"Birthday in a Bo<span style="font-size: small;">x" or "Prom for Senior Citizens" or "Collect toys and food for Puppies"<span style="font-size: small;">! Now we are asking the girls to <span style="font-size: small;">identify an issue, and then <span style="font-size: small;">look at that issue's root cause. From t<span style="font-size: small;">here, she can find a<span style="font-size: small;">n agency to partner with and build her team.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">She needs to have the expectation that it's a process, that it's going to be<span style="font-size: small;"> time<span style="font-size: small;"> consuming and </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span>that <span style="font-size: small;">she really needs to <span style="font-size: small;">be passionate about what she's going to do. That kind of passion and commitment is what's going to make it possible for her to achieve her goals. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Please hold the <span style="font-size: small;">girls to the higher standard and then <span style="font-size: small;">celebrate their success when th</span>ey <span style="font-size: small;">complete their <span style="font-size: small;">Take A<span style="font-size: small;">ction Projects. You<span style="font-size: small;">'ll both be glad you <span style="font-size: small;">did.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> </span></span></span></span>Seal Beach Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12993380086551173833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875900845935329588.post-41324832931006438862013-01-04T20:12:00.000-08:002013-01-04T20:12:00.576-08:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYMPuqUH6vk08BhsCJbo8lzZnaEvDc2EzuKWlDz9h5kQwvPywKgDtBBcu5j2nEK5_tPHzIpHaEAoD05Vfo_ojy-q3LVfPfqobxRTnIF1lHn4ltrq0buomJ0TgJt8fOBxc7tqK1sFaDe8s/s1600/picasso_woman_b.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYMPuqUH6vk08BhsCJbo8lzZnaEvDc2EzuKWlDz9h5kQwvPywKgDtBBcu5j2nEK5_tPHzIpHaEAoD05Vfo_ojy-q3LVfPfqobxRTnIF1lHn4ltrq0buomJ0TgJt8fOBxc7tqK1sFaDe8s/s200/picasso_woman_b.jpg" width="146" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"Computers are useless.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">They can only give you answers."</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Pablo Picasso</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">He's got a point! And when I first started interviewing Gold Award girls under the old requirements, I would often get a print-out of city or county stats. This was in answer to the question, "what's in your community?" Well, I got an answer from the computer, but it didn't really address the question.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Now, in the new Take Action requirements, it's stated differently. There's opportunities to do a mind-map of the community, showing the interlinking circles and how they touch/affect each other. There's also an opportunity to "look at your community." This goes waaay beyond computer generated answers of statistics. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">What the Gold is asking the girls to do is to dive deep and address the question. Use their eyes and look at where they live, not at a computer screen. See what is around them, and let them choose what issues mean something to them. Perhaps it's the homeless issue. Seeing real live people on the street, some with kids, some in wheelchairs can help our girls connect to the issue. They are there to make a lasting change in a community. Those people are part of that community.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Computers can help with the research: how many communities have the same need. Or with getting details about service areas/boundaries. But a computer is not likely to grab the heart of a girl, and create in her a desire to help someone else.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">And we need our girls to connect to the issue in order to use their passion to complete the Gold Award Take Action Project. It's a ton of work these girls are being asked to do, and they'll need determination, support from you(!) and support from their team to make it work. Let the computer be a tool to use to advance a cause, as it will never be the piece that touches a girls' heart and gives her the gumption to make the world a better place.</span>Seal Beach Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12993380086551173833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875900845935329588.post-27811297665598960652013-01-01T00:00:00.000-08:002013-01-01T00:00:20.205-08:00Happy New Year!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtGDHeu5dekA1DMhbY0s7A_K8v-EHXqqlf7b0IdK26qOWIAJGyeRbbzqhh-JGOl-5-f8UTa6rz49INvjb_A4P40Rzhsf5FdNsJveaWQtEDKpvBB_ssgp2y-DFtN1h9Bv6RGAao008cVFM/s1600/happy+new+year.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="469" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtGDHeu5dekA1DMhbY0s7A_K8v-EHXqqlf7b0IdK26qOWIAJGyeRbbzqhh-JGOl-5-f8UTa6rz49INvjb_A4P40Rzhsf5FdNsJveaWQtEDKpvBB_ssgp2y-DFtN1h9Bv6RGAao008cVFM/s640/happy+new+year.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Wishing everyone a safe and joyous 2013!</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue", Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i>Ann</i></span></div>
Seal Beach Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12993380086551173833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875900845935329588.post-14068293596854460182012-12-29T10:34:00.000-08:002012-12-29T16:57:14.267-08:00Bat Boxes for the Gold<i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span class="paragraph-0">
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<i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYDJJOj4gqZjuM-HI8LGSWF0UdoZysEJm1p9Qob9-SbKXtEY6fi7nFPRqk9JqqiCh7ypw5qz4PFEDuYSnt_tecEVbRWsLbn3hLAncX1StDdNUc-NWPqpSNm-RpICBRzPW42p8wULm-EgY/s1600/bat+box.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYDJJOj4gqZjuM-HI8LGSWF0UdoZysEJm1p9Qob9-SbKXtEY6fi7nFPRqk9JqqiCh7ypw5qz4PFEDuYSnt_tecEVbRWsLbn3hLAncX1StDdNUc-NWPqpSNm-RpICBRzPW42p8wULm-EgY/s320/bat+box.png" width="140" /></a></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">(Excerpted from the GSUSA blog 12-19-12) </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">"Girl Scout Sara Koran, 17, installed bat houses
at Pioneer Park in Loachapoka and educated the public on their purpose
as her Girl Scout Gold Award project about environmental community awareness. (She learned from her aunt that bats were becoming endangered in Alabama.)</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span></i></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The project includes research,
construction and installation of the (bat) houses, and was designed with the
intent of helping the species of bats in the area that are becoming
endangered. She not only intended to help keep them safer, but to move
them to the park where they could do some good for the area.</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">“The main reason for the bat houses
is to keep them out of homes and unwanted places for people,” she said.
“Bats prefer to be outside where they can hunt instead of inside. So
it’s kind of a pest control kind of thing … but another benefit was that
[at the park] they can eat mosquitoes and unwanted bugs for people.”</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">“What my project was supposed to do was make these
bat houses and then also educate people on them,” Koran said. “So I made
a PowerPoint and presented it to schools and I’ve done presentations on
Second Saturdays at Pioneer Park to educate the people that came out.”</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">
Pioneer Park is a project of the Lee
County Historical Society, a nonprofit organization established in 1968
to promote the history of the county."</span></i></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Is this up to the Gold Award Take Action Project <span style="font-size: x-small;">s</span>tand<span style="font-size: x-small;">ard<span style="font-size: x-small;">? Prob<span style="font-size: x-small;">ably</span>. As I've said before, <span style="font-size: x-small;">the only info I have is from a newspaper write-up! Here's what I have to hope Sara<span style="font-size: x-small;"> <i>also</i> did!</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">(Potential) Issue: Bats <span style="font-size: x-small;">moving into people homes. </span> Too many mosquitoes/bad bugs in the open spaces.</span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Root cause: <span style="font-size: x-small;">Suburban <span style="font-size: x-small;">sprawl into b<span style="font-size: x-small;">at's natural habitats. Residents not k<span style="font-size: x-small;">nowing how to bat-proof their <span style="font-size: x-small;">buildings<span style="font-size: x-small;">.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Te<span style="font-size: x-small;">am: The article doesn't say, but I hope that <span style="font-size: x-small;">Sara got together a <span style="font-size: x-small;">team of (non-Girl Scout) peers to help educate the community, <span style="font-size: x-small;">a<span style="font-size: x-small;">n</span>d in presenting the information, making<span style="font-size: x-small;"> and installing the bat <span style="font-size: x-small;">boxes<span style="font-size: x-small;">. Sara would be the leader, but she could assign duties to her team to help.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Non-profit Partner: I hope it was the Lee C<span style="font-size: x-small;">ounty Historical Society or perhaps a city d<span style="font-size: x-small;">epa<span style="font-size: x-small;">rtment that was able to <span style="font-size: x-small;">provide information and services.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Funding: Perhaps from <span style="font-size: x-small;">Sara's cookie money? Funds from the city? Historical Society? The article didn't say how many she built, but I hope that it was enough to make a sizeable difference in the bat population!</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Measurability: What could Sara measure? Number of batboxes built, <span style="font-size: x-small;">for sure. Maybe number o<span style="font-size: x-small;">f people presented t<span style="font-size: x-small;">o at schools and community fai<span style="font-size: x-small;">r days? <span style="font-size: x-small;">Perhaps number of inhabited bat boxes? Reduction of vi<span style="font-size: x-small;">sible bats in<span style="font-size: x-small;"> the neighborhood? Reduction of calls to city dept. asking for bat removal?</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Sus<span style="font-size: x-small;">tainability: I would hope that the Historical So<span style="font-size: x-small;">ciety would take on this role. Remember, it <span style="font-size: x-small;">is required for all Gold Award Projects that the girl <span style="font-size: x-small;">en<span style="font-size: x-small;">sure sustainability. <span style="font-size: x-small;">Thinking back to a friend's Eagle project, the batboxes he<span style="font-size: x-small;"> made</span> were pre<span style="font-size: x-small;">tty much self-sustaining <span style="font-size: x-small;">over ma<span style="font-size: x-small;">ny years. <span style="font-size: x-small;">Perhaps Sara also put together a video about the bat boxes and how to secure a residence against bat<span style="font-size: x-small;">s? She could li<span style="font-size: x-small;">nk that to s<span style="font-size: x-small;">chool and city websites to drive <span style="font-size: x-small;">residen<span style="font-size: x-small;">ts to the information.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Global: Now, Sara doesn't need to provide batboxes to the world! <span style="font-size: x-small;">But if she is truly ma<span style="font-size: x-small;">king a sustainable change in her community, then <span style="font-size: x-small;">she needs to think<span style="font-size: x-small;">, and talk about, how could this work if <span style="font-size: x-small;">her work went <span style="font-size: x-small;">further into the gre<span style="font-size: x-small;">ater community? W<span style="font-size: x-small;">hat if every park <span style="font-size: x-small;">in the county had bat boxes<span style="font-size: x-small;">? Would there <span style="font-size: x-small;">be a visible reduction in ba<span style="font-size: x-small;">d bugs, and/or disease<span style="font-size: x-small;">s caused <span style="font-size: x-small;">by these bugs? Would bats go back to foraging in the <span style="font-size: x-small;">parkl<span style="font-size: x-small;">ands, instead of in urban settings? It's a con<span style="font-size: x-small;">versation to have<span style="font-size: x-small;">, so that <span style="font-size: x-small;">Sara understands the glo<span style="font-size: x-small;">bal i<span style="font-size: x-small;">mplications.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> <span style="font-size: x-small;"></span><i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></i><br />
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Seal Beach Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12993380086551173833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875900845935329588.post-12590708676737389702012-12-26T13:30:00.000-08:002012-12-26T13:30:01.923-08:00Year-end Donations<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyKH8Y9cLHWSguRnz9MLSQZTv4giIoC6hSldzoFKC6lZqSY-ph3FAIx2wlqTqFBZz3SLmeCYQ8V_dYuHR5DRg3eCcZwcCGypgs26g1MuCyR514Gx5UvYUsIO22s3SqAqvaioQF8uzvajU/s1600/ann+chaine+12-11+copy.jpg" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyKH8Y9cLHWSguRnz9MLSQZTv4giIoC6hSldzoFKC6lZqSY-ph3FAIx2wlqTqFBZz3SLmeCYQ8V_dYuHR5DRg3eCcZwcCGypgs26g1MuCyR514Gx5UvYUsIO22s3SqAqvaioQF8uzvajU/s200/ann+chaine+12-11+copy.jpg" width="154" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I
was going through the mail this week, and as I sorted the bills from
the holiday cards from the magazines, I noticed that I had a pile of
year-end donation requests.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">March
of Dimes, Alzheimer's, Girl's Inc., American Heart Association, Human
Options and Girl Scouts, to name a few. My knee jerk response to the
GSOC request was sort of, "well, I already give time and talent to the
organization, that's enough." </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">But
then I got to thinking, no, that isn't enough. Sure, I participate on
council and other volunteer committees, interview girls for the Gold,
work on series, help train. But that doesn't help the council provide
service to the girls we serve. The girls sell cookies, and a percentage
of each box goes to council operations. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">And
here's the rub, that's not enough money to provide service to over
25,000 members in Orange County. It's not enough to provide additional
outreach to underserved communities. It's not even enough to open the
doors every day at the service centers and the headquarters. It's true,
it takes funding from corporations who give back to a community. It
takes funding from older Girl Scouts who want to give back to a program
they've loved with all their hearts for 30-40-50+ years.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">And
it takes funding from every adult who believes in the Girl Scout
program. Every adult like me, who had the absolute BEST time growing up
in Scouting. Every adult who knows that Girl Scouting saves lives.
Every adult who sees his/her daughter growing up strong, and sees that
some of that strength comes from the Scouting program.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Don't
we have a desire to see every girl succeed? And doesn't she
deserve an opportunity to grow up with courage, confidence and character
to make the world a better place? Don't we want each of these girls to
have the HUGE benefits of the Journey Leadership Experiences, badges,
Awards, travel opportunities, <i>destinations</i>, and the proud distinction of being a Girl Scout. I do. And I bet there are many more of you who do too.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">As
you're sorting the holiday mail, please consider a donation of any
amount to Girl Scouts of Orange County. Please make a difference in a
girl's life. Not only your own daughter's, but every girl's who stands up
tall and proud, and says, "On my honor, I will try..."</span>Seal Beach Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12993380086551173833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875900845935329588.post-36938899311177681042012-12-19T11:49:00.000-08:002012-12-19T11:49:00.818-08:00Gold Award Interviews<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-H0kexscQSzvbSzdR4gGgXWGypTSR0AYVCULdTO0rGJ0fQkmmV9LAmiFbc5tQpIRlKNyBOREzfaz-7Pkk3XLSR2DMYwLxjM2OycAd8KsjXEJS-HdqBTS7F8CN1Az5hcKETs3mM_NzJXQ/s1600/icon+goldaward+advisor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="189" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-H0kexscQSzvbSzdR4gGgXWGypTSR0AYVCULdTO0rGJ0fQkmmV9LAmiFbc5tQpIRlKNyBOREzfaz-7Pkk3XLSR2DMYwLxjM2OycAd8KsjXEJS-HdqBTS7F8CN1Az5hcKETs3mM_NzJXQ/s200/icon+goldaward+advisor.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We had Gold Award Interviews a couple weeks ago, and I was positively impressed by just about every girl I interviewed. Most of them had really thought out their projects well, and their applications were really complete. Mostly....</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Please, advisors, a couple key issues:</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Remind your girls that this application is important! It is not meant to be filled in with illegible pencil. It is meant to be word processed, using complete sentences! Or at least bullet points. And not to be too picky, but spell check is a valuable tool to use!!!!</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The timeline, or plan of action, should be there, even if it's only in a general manner. We interviewers should be able to read the application, and have a pretty good idea of what is to be done, who will do it, and how long it will take. I sent one application back for just that reason. She had done a great project board with the info and her plan of attack, but it was not reflected in her application. It was clear from the interview that she had done the work, thought it through and spent the time, but not on the application. She replied to me within the week with the typed up info. I made a copy to add to her file, and she was instantly approved!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Be sure that the Project Advisor has been trained! We have at least 6 trainings coming up in the next year, so please be sure that the girl's advisor takes it! We need to be sure that the Project Advisor is going to hear the high standards to which s/he must hold the girl. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Be sure the girl knows that SHE is to do the work! I had one girl say that she was waiting for the librarian to tell her what to do. My response was that the GIRL needed to take the lead, chat with the librarian, and then create a curriculum to present for approval. Again, if the librarian had taken the training (I wish!) she would have known how she could have coached the girl to do the work.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The more you can coach the girl to do a good job, the more likely she'll write a good app, have a great interview and be approved. We interviewers want the girls to succeed, and we balance that with our duty to hold the girls to the raised bar standard. These are great girls, and we want them to have a fantastic Gold Award Take Action Project experience, to be sure!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>Seal Beach Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12993380086551173833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875900845935329588.post-30244145118696424862012-12-15T11:14:00.000-08:002012-12-15T11:14:03.081-08:00Golden for this Girl!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqQ7BUh_w-3NQaUIDkBUCW2oi5uA0Bv7zgIuGGWv3NTMwqv5lwf_C3ywJ17WrK2RMS_TfZrQVkzrCumOEOG4ZOsP9tAVJjq5c4mcgymlO6GyTlbLwW0RfMKXW4EQ2psorRRzfk8_lM61E/s1600/IMG_0890.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqQ7BUh_w-3NQaUIDkBUCW2oi5uA0Bv7zgIuGGWv3NTMwqv5lwf_C3ywJ17WrK2RMS_TfZrQVkzrCumOEOG4ZOsP9tAVJjq5c4mcgymlO6GyTlbLwW0RfMKXW4EQ2psorRRzfk8_lM61E/s200/IMG_0890.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Excerpted from the GSUSA blog Dec.11, 20121 </span></span><br />
<br />
<i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Kim Crawford, a Girl Scout from Brighton, has earned Girl Scouts’
highest honor, the Gold Award, for a project she did to collect 600+
toothbrushes and toothpaste for those in need in Africa. What makes this
accomplishment even more special is Kim, who is a junior in high
school, is developmentally delayed (she only reads at 1st grade level),
but hasn’t let her disability hold her back.</span></span></i><br />
<br />
<i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span></span></i><i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Kim spent months on her project and received a lot of support from
her Brighton community. Everyone who donated to the project signed a
poster, which Kim sent to Africa with the donations. And all the people
who received her donations in Africa also signed the poster and returned
it at the end of the project. When talking to Kim, she uses the words
“happy and proud” to describe how it made her feel to help others
through this project. In fact, helping others is one of the main reasons
she likes being a Girl Scout.</span></span></i><br />
<br />
<i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">
</span></span></i><i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Kim is part of the Special Olympics and other organizations in her
community, but Girl Scouts by far is her favorite where she’s been able
to interact with peers who are not like herself. </span></span></i><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I love to read about <span style="font-size: small;">how every girl can have <span style="font-size: small;">success in Girl Scouts<span style="font-size: small;">! This girl did the best she could<span style="font-size: small;">, to the best of her ability<span style="font-size: small;">. And <span style="font-size: small;">she had <span style="font-size: small;">s</span>uccess<span style="font-size: small;">.</span> I congratulate <span style="font-size: small;">her on achieving her <span style="font-size: small;">Gold Award!</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">Was this an appropriate <span style="font-size: small;">Gold Award Project <span style="font-size: small;">for an able-body/mind girl? No<span style="font-size: small;">, it's really just a large collection p<span style="font-size: small;">roject<span style="font-size: small;">, but for Kim, it was <span style="font-size: small;">a stretch. But she truly connected to <span style="font-size: small;">the project, and made a personal touch to those she <span style="font-size: small;">se<span style="font-size: small;">rved.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">This is w<span style="font-size: small;">hat we <span style="font-size: small;">want all our girls to do: <span style="font-size: small;">make a difference in their co<span style="font-size: small;">mmunity. Touch those they mean to serve. Learn about needs, and choose one to fill. <span style="font-size: small;">As <span style="font-size: small;">Kim did, they will lead with courage, confi<span style="font-size: small;">dence and character<span style="font-size: small;"> to make the world a better place. '</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;">And that's what i<span style="font-size: small;">t's all about.</span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span> </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span></span></span></span> </span></span><i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></span></span></i>Seal Beach Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12993380086551173833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875900845935329588.post-63715539362892429762012-11-14T13:32:00.000-08:002012-11-14T13:32:00.648-08:00How a GIRL might think about her Gold....<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqQ7BUh_w-3NQaUIDkBUCW2oi5uA0Bv7zgIuGGWv3NTMwqv5lwf_C3ywJ17WrK2RMS_TfZrQVkzrCumOEOG4ZOsP9tAVJjq5c4mcgymlO6GyTlbLwW0RfMKXW4EQ2psorRRzfk8_lM61E/s1600/IMG_0890.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqQ7BUh_w-3NQaUIDkBUCW2oi5uA0Bv7zgIuGGWv3NTMwqv5lwf_C3ywJ17WrK2RMS_TfZrQVkzrCumOEOG4ZOsP9tAVJjq5c4mcgymlO6GyTlbLwW0RfMKXW4EQ2psorRRzfk8_lM61E/s200/IMG_0890.JPG" width="200" /></a>I received an email from a troop Gold Award Advisor, asking me about one of her girls' Gold Award Project. And I thought I'd share what the girl wrote, and then what I wrote back. Maybe it can help others advisors about who we Gold Award Interviewers think about the Gold Award Take Action Projects! (I have <span style="font-size: small;">edited</span> for space, not content.)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">"I want to recognize an issue that is worldwide, cancer. Cancer not only affects the patient, but also affects the loved ones around them. For my Gold Award, I want to create something that would help out the family members and friends of cancer patients. How would I do that, you might ask? To answer that, I'm going to create a Facebook page that will let others and myself give out advice to those loved ones- presumably teenagers, who have friends or family with cancer. This would be through different writings of people (teens) that have experienced the same thing, documentaries, a Q and A section, and a FAQ. My team that I would lead would be my friends and I who do lots of filming together, and a partnership with Childrens Hospital of Los Angeles (CHLA). CHLA would help to publicize the site by putting a link on their website. In turn I would<span style="font-size: x-small;"> </span>help to also publicize different cancer events and information for them through the Facebook page. My hope for this project is to really help teens that do not really know how to deal with a loved one who has cancer. Its a scary feeling helpless in these kinds of situations, and I hope to change that through this page full of advice and life stories. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: small;">My initial thought was, "but she's not connecting to the community she's serving." i.e. She's not setting up a structure for the kids to getogether on a regular basis and come in and chat with each other, have speakers, get some education, share experiences, etc. <br /><br />But then I thought, but this is a new century, and kids don't always connect the way they did, 15 years ago! They are much more internet savvy, and more likely to connect with kids all over the states about this kind of issue. <br /><br />So, her issue is cancer support for teens<br /><br />Her root cause is cancer disrupts life. Not only of the one with the disease, but loved ones around her/him.<br /><br />She is connecting to the need by creating a forum for teens to share. She is also providing education and resources for these same kids.<br /><br />Sustainability: CHLA sounds like they will promote the videos on their site, but it would be great if <span style="font-size: small;">she</span> were able to also reach out to other non-profits and link to them as well. (Komen, Avon Run, Revlon 10K, etc.) She should be able to come up with more ways to get the word out.<br /><br />Measurable: She might need to think how she can measure success? number of hits? number of posts? A good question for her.<br /><br />I think that it would be great to have a piece where she actually presents this to her school? PTA? city? hospital? and has a chance to create a live presentation to hook people into clicking for help and participating online. That would be a really good leadership piece that she would need, beyond organizing the filming and writing a website with her team. Plus, she will be educating her team, too, as they all share their stories and work together. The group she's presenting to could link their site to hers.<br /><br />I think that if she can partner with someone at CHLA (or elsewhere?) to read over her info, and be sure that she is posting accurate info, and that the stories the kids contribute and tell are not full of mis-information, that would be great! <br /><br />I also think that she needs a resource for kids to go to for more help: organizations that have kid programs, or? That way, if the kid needs more, they can try another worthy resource. It will take some time for the girl and her team, but finding the resource and creating a paragraph about it, with a live link would be a great benefit, I'd bet.</span> </span><br /></span>Seal Beach Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12993380086551173833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875900845935329588.post-68515039552515092802012-11-11T11:43:00.000-08:002012-11-11T11:43:00.307-08:00Working Towards the Goal
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhPKpnvVr8BbN-wtHt2Iviwm0GOIlP62kenuCPwja7C-mPXIzBb7_vNkgMR05tApZmTCUV5tlvASmrzYQxLOAjyWsR6zdNSys1xcnIzO2aSrKucFr5JhuTsyR5aE8UqNxlX8jgo3hKYII/s1600/IMG_0886.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhPKpnvVr8BbN-wtHt2Iviwm0GOIlP62kenuCPwja7C-mPXIzBb7_vNkgMR05tApZmTCUV5tlvASmrzYQxLOAjyWsR6zdNSys1xcnIzO2aSrKucFr5JhuTsyR5aE8UqNxlX8jgo3hKYII/s200/IMG_0886.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">"By recording
your dreams and goals on paper, you set in motion the process of
becoming the person you most want to be." -Mark Victor Hansen, author <u>Chicken Soup for the Soul</u></span></i><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><u><br /></u></span></i>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We have Gold
Award Interviews the end of this month, and I'm looking forward to
seeing what great Take Action Projects the girls will have chosen. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">And I'm hoping to
see some great paperwork come through! I'm hoping to see applications
that show that the girl has put time and thought into her project
planning, And I'm hoping that her Advisor/troop leader/parent has
worked with her, and given her good feedback, so the plan is clear and
easily understood.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Truly, I'm hoping
for word processed pages that make sense! I'm also hoping for clear
issue definition and an understanding of what the root cause is of the
issue that is being addressed. Yep, I'm pretty hopeful!</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">And in the same
breath, fearful! Fearful that the girls are rushing through the
application to "get it done and submitted" and that the advisors are
merely rubberstamping mediocrity! I think Mark Victor Hansen had it
right, when he said to record dreams and goals on paper. By putting the
Gold Award plan into writing, stepping back, looking at it again, and
then realizing it's a great plan, it truly does set the tone for the
whole project.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Committing to a
project verbally is not quite as meaty as committing to it to paper.
Paper commitment requires thought processing, critical thinking, some
linear thinking, and letting passion leak through. That's what's going
to make a GREAT Gold Award Project! Having the passion, committing to
change and creating a plan to make it happen.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It's the <i>Discovery</i> of an issue, the<i> Connect</i>ing to a community group to work through, the gathering of a team, and then the <i>Taking Action</i>
that will make all the difference. It's about working toward a goal,
as a leader of a team. Making a difference in a local community.
Inspiring others to succeed. Leaving a sustainable plan behind.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">All the pieces of a great proposal and project. Hoping that's what I find on December 1st, to be sure.</span>Seal Beach Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12993380086551173833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875900845935329588.post-26666061046463255842012-11-08T14:35:00.000-08:002012-11-08T14:35:00.057-08:00Old Gold Requirements - maybe<i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span class="paragraph-0">
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Girl Scout Nikki Demarchos created welcome packets for new
residents at Grace Care Center of Cypress, a rehabilitation and nursing
center, to earn the Gold Award, the highest award a
Girl Scout can receive. </span></i><br />
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“I learned that when scheduling workshops, I need to schedule
ahead and that I need to be considerate of others schedules,” said
Nikki, senior this year at Langham Creek High School. “I also learned
completing a project takes much leadership and responsibility that can
only come from experience and that doing something for other people is
rewarding.”<br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">For her project, Nikki led a team of volunteers in
creating and assembling the packets for new residents. In addition to
compiling welcome materials, Nikki and held several workshops where she
led volunteers in making blankets that were included in the welcome
packets. from GSUSA bl<span style="font-size: x-small;">og</span></span></span></i><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Well, this project, as written, sure doesn't add up to the Gold Award standard of a Take Action Project. But might it fit with the old Go For It requirements?</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Ummm, maybe.</span><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">What it appears to be, on the face of it, is a nice service project: providing packets and blankets to residents at the Care Center. She "gave a man a fish and he ate for the day." Sure, there was some leadership, as she taught/assembled a team to make blankets. And she had to use some organizational skills to get it done. </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">But did she "teach a man to fish, so he could heat for a lifetime?" No, it was a one shot drop off event. As I said before, a nice service project. But how could it have been more? </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">What's the issue Nikki was addressing? Was it lack of supplies to the Care Center? How is that a Take Action Project issue? What issue was it all about?</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">And what was her root cause? Budget cuts? Lack of funding? Lack of family support to relatives in the Care Center? And how did her project cause a change in the community? That's w<span style="font-size: small;">hat</span> a Take Action Project should do.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">And while she could measure how many team members helped, and how many items they distributed, was she able to measure over time the effect of her Project? </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">There were certainly no clues to sustainability. It was a one shot deal. But how could it have been sustainable? Could Nikki have set up a club or guild at her school? senior center? Care Center? So that they could continue to distribute her educational literature? continued to provide blankets and supplies? That piece would certainly have made for a more robust Take Action Project.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;">As I said before, I hope this was action from the old requirements, and not the new, because if this was to satisfy the new requirements, it fell woefully short. </span></span></span><i><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></i>Seal Beach Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12993380086551173833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875900845935329588.post-72747299542360849342012-11-07T10:29:00.000-08:002012-11-07T10:29:00.411-08:00Girl Scouts doesn't end.....<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd5b-jzm-mA6fsbuwI9AhyIO2hbhRRL9Oh-_oevBixUghQrHLtktCnvWH8tD4dj_naFybduE-ymRiNmLiKvQqT7tSDpw15N_h98cCeauS7DRMUqFa3UM41ypTtYvJTNmN1LN5OOVLK3dA/s1600/iiove+by+P%2526L.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="196" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd5b-jzm-mA6fsbuwI9AhyIO2hbhRRL9Oh-_oevBixUghQrHLtktCnvWH8tD4dj_naFybduE-ymRiNmLiKvQqT7tSDpw15N_h98cCeauS7DRMUqFa3UM41ypTtYvJTNmN1LN5OOVLK3dA/s200/iiove+by+P%2526L.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">How many times have I expressed disappointment over news reports that say "a girl's end to Girl Scouting is the Gold Award, the highest award a girl can achieve?" Plenty, is the answer! Just as I know Barb Christensen tells the Junior leaders in her training classes, that Scouting isn't just for little girls! We all need to tell the girls and their parents, that there is sooo much MORE for the girl to do, after she crosses the bridge in San Francisco!!! </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Well, today, in the GSUSA blog, there's an article featuring a girl who KNOWS that she is going to continue to have a role in Girl Scouting, after she graduates from high school. "When Anjana Murali graduates from Shorewood in 2014, she will also
graduate from the Girl Scouts - Scout activities are designed for girls
18 and under - but she won't be done with the organization she has
belonged to for almost a decade. She said she will be a lifelong member,
and she plans on continuing to volunteer for the organization and for
the chess camp she hopes to sustain as an annual event."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Love it! The Chess Camp is her Gold Award Project, and the article talked about how she already found a group to take over and make it an annual event, after she's done. But she also plans to continue her participation as well. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I wish more of our girls felt that way: that Girl Scouting goes with them after high school! There is sooo much opportunity for girls to participate in Scouts while they're in college, or home from college in the summer, or working in the local area. All us "old" adults love it, when we can get some young adults to come work with our girls. Those young adults are great role models, cool, grown up and can answer questions we older adults obviously can't because, well, we're old, and we can't remember that far back. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I applaud Anajan Murali as well as the great girls, now young adults, in our council who continue to work with our girls to help them achieve their goals. It's never over! The Girl Scout experience can go on forever....and ever.....</span>Seal Beach Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12993380086551173833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875900845935329588.post-41478025403766626952012-11-06T15:13:00.000-08:002012-11-06T15:13:00.610-08:00Go Vote!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl73bw1b3_HEO0Fes3jKCDGNYB6TGEvoGlYw5BLIALDae99kises1g-P-FKF6KS4dTfDZOKmE3SZ-TYwJyelSQvaTYhgIYAeo9_InCbEPEC0kb6iTLjCVx5Pioj3ZAtoBEQqvXvq1sKwY/s1600/rock+the+vote.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="121" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl73bw1b3_HEO0Fes3jKCDGNYB6TGEvoGlYw5BLIALDae99kises1g-P-FKF6KS4dTfDZOKmE3SZ-TYwJyelSQvaTYhgIYAeo9_InCbEPEC0kb6iTLjCVx5Pioj3ZAtoBEQqvXvq1sKwY/s400/rock+the+vote.jpeg" width="400" /> </a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Exercise your right as a US citizen and cast your ballot, today! Let your voice be heard!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Hurray for the <span style="font-size: large;">d</span>emo<span style="font-size: large;">cratic <span style="font-size: large;">p</span>rocess!!!!</span></span></span>Seal Beach Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12993380086551173833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875900845935329588.post-64172064498573510132012-11-02T14:12:00.000-07:002012-11-02T14:12:00.502-07:00Global Impact<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnCfGOd0hkMuSOIuIe53BqxMQiW4JT4Bapr6Fao1SGauj1R-qAbOJuOrQbW_v0lL47FB6bjKjggMIPkT9j2CevuIVVPrTOIiYLpfNPSl3FrilO05Nrpv4hv8mjTAhEHQ4Even34AT7SnI/s1600/vitruvian+man.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnCfGOd0hkMuSOIuIe53BqxMQiW4JT4Bapr6Fao1SGauj1R-qAbOJuOrQbW_v0lL47FB6bjKjggMIPkT9j2CevuIVVPrTOIiYLpfNPSl3FrilO05Nrpv4hv8mjTAhEHQ4Even34AT7SnI/s200/vitruvian+man.jpg" width="195" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>"We never know how far reaching something we may think, say or do today will affect the lives of millions tomorrow" </i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><i>-- B. J. Palmer, Chiropractic developer</i></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> We talk a great deal in our Gold Award Take Action Training about what "sustainable" and "global impact" are, to the confusion of many! So when I read this quote by Dr. Palmer, it really got me to thinking about what a wonderful thing it is, this "Take Action."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We're asking our Gold Award girls to create a Take Action Project that is robust! That makes a difference in their community now...and for the future. And we're asking them to measure their impact. And while they can do it for the short term - the length of their project - how will they/we ever know the full impact they made?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I think about Shannon and her Domestic Violence Club at school. A huge, tough issue, to be sure! And she connected to it through Safe Teen Dating, but it's really a shame that she will probably never be able to look back in 5 or 10 years and say, "because of that club X number of kids walked away from bad relationships and found good ones." All she can do is hope that she made a difference in one? some? many? teenagers' lives.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Or Kayla who worked with the ESL 1st and 2nd graders at a Title One school. It was a statistic learned in middle school that set her on the track of promoting literacy. She connected by giving kids books, reading to them, creating videos that they could follow along with a book, and hosting a reading faire at the school. But will she ever know if she made a difference in even one of those kid's lives? We have to hope so. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We never know how far the reach is on the projects our girls carry out. But we need them to talk about it, to think about the "what if" and how it could play out. Our girls can do it!!! We just need to give them a nudge (okay, maybe a bit of a shove) to think about the larger consequences of their Action. </span><br />
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<br />Seal Beach Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12993380086551173833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875900845935329588.post-79838692878156643822012-10-30T11:18:00.000-07:002012-10-30T11:18:00.178-07:00ToGetHerBoating Success!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNz1rQ_Ybx_Cz-s7PzVyTYWSI8KsdCtm6amr4cEpQEZcHmdjWiE_phASDpS2x2tTe3-m70hiyvssV-YgwJ3QRNQJ37G3M9tY8Di265yQS0EQf48FLhAOmJ5_erNGjz5JxuZ3JOLK-bX9o/s1600/DSCN2152.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNz1rQ_Ybx_Cz-s7PzVyTYWSI8KsdCtm6amr4cEpQEZcHmdjWiE_phASDpS2x2tTe3-m70hiyvssV-YgwJ3QRNQJ37G3M9tY8Di265yQS0EQf48FLhAOmJ5_erNGjz5JxuZ3JOLK-bX9o/s320/DSCN2152.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Yes, it was a mighty gray day in Newport last Sunday! Actually, when we arrived at 7:30 a.m. to set-up, it was <b>raining! </b>Oh my! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">But did that stop us? NO! We started setting up, had girls taking a Swim Test in the Dunes Bay, worked the boat jockeys to get all our boats down to the shoreline, registered, and..... Then we had an Opening at 10:00. I was able to point out that there was blue sky peeking inbetween the gray clouds, and within an hour, we were seeing sunshine. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We didn't even pause! The girls headed to their respective skills areas, and except for a half hour lunch break, we had boats on the water the whole day! It was sooo great to see! And we had girls trying new skills on the water. There were several girls who went from, "no, I don't think I'll try that...." to "...I can't believe I kayaked and didn't even fall over!" Or a couple girls who had never been on the water in any type of water craft, but they were willing to give it a try. And they took to it like fish in water. Hmmm...maybe I should have said, like a bird in the wind! I couldn't believe how quickly they were moving across the bay.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So, you're probably wondering, how is this related to this Gold Award titled blog? Well, it's not about the Gold, to be sure. However, I think it is about the quality of girls we have in Scouting! These girls have courage, confidence and character. They want to try new things. They want to work with and meet other girls in a safe environment. And they want to have fun.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">What a great thing that they got to do it all on Sunday. The icing on the cake is, I bet I see them in Gold Award interviews too. Yep, it's a <i>good thing!</i></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCv0xFCx6e9rQASnrv7J3j4ukMRmi9t2FGiHB0YV6nFNNrnawQbZoIecaDMabyLFezKaaT0Cyd6HoZ1riH1Q1I2FBy1Mz4kxPMUAJ7-K7d8FMbXPr5A5w0ud0eP7Zq4KwBPYvvcuRD5Yo/s1600/dunes+10-21+blue+skies.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCv0xFCx6e9rQASnrv7J3j4ukMRmi9t2FGiHB0YV6nFNNrnawQbZoIecaDMabyLFezKaaT0Cyd6HoZ1riH1Q1I2FBy1Mz4kxPMUAJ7-K7d8FMbXPr5A5w0ud0eP7Zq4KwBPYvvcuRD5Yo/s1600/dunes+10-21+blue+skies.jpeg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">(This is what it looked like at 2pm. You'll have to believe me that all those sails beyond the dock were our girls on the water. As were all the canoes and kayaks!)<i> </i></span>Seal Beach Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12993380086551173833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875900845935329588.post-18776596914745073622012-10-27T10:12:00.000-07:002012-10-27T10:12:00.057-07:00Great Gold Award Take Action Project<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgKRQ3i8LT4yrYjoYohyphenhyphenQiaoSgNB9-boluV3HIzMRKlGqY9fIpXOS20pD3LPtf7V5COF__WN3NiQiC5I2HI2wqxj_LwjlQ8a_O7MInqZMY5qnK_XiacFhIPTa73AqY31mm2PX8gfbtzkA/s1600/diana+gold+award.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgKRQ3i8LT4yrYjoYohyphenhyphenQiaoSgNB9-boluV3HIzMRKlGqY9fIpXOS20pD3LPtf7V5COF__WN3NiQiC5I2HI2wqxj_LwjlQ8a_O7MInqZMY5qnK_XiacFhIPTa73AqY31mm2PX8gfbtzkA/s200/diana+gold+award.jpg" width="157" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, Times New Roman, Times, Serif; font-size: x-small;">"A
Gold Award project requires a Girl Scout to identify an issue or
community problem, investigate it thoroughly, get help by building a
team, create a plan to resolve the problem, present the plan and gather
feedback, execute it, and educate and inspire others through the
project. Projects often take one to two years to complete.<br /><br />Last
April, Diana Greymountain and volunteers she enlisted arranged river rocks
donated by the National Park Service to create an attractive foot trail
to Hanging Garden. She also designed a trailhead sign that was built and
installed by the National Park Service. <br /><br />She then wrote a trail guide for people to take along with them to help them understand the plants and animals of the trail.<br /><br />Her video documentary made its way to the annual Girl Scouts Convention in New York City."</span></i><br />
<i><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, Times New Roman, Times, Serif; font-size: x-small;">as re<span style="font-size: x-small;">ported in the Navajo-Hopi Observer October 26, 2012, <span style="font-size: x-small;">Phoenix, <span style="font-size: x-small;">Arizona</span></span></span></span></i><br />
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<i><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, Times New Roman, Times, Serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">WOW!</span></span></i><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, Times New Roman, Times, Serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> Great Gold Award P<span style="font-size: x-small;">roject<span style="font-size: x-small;">! <span style="font-size: x-small;">The<span style="font-size: x-small;"> articl<span style="font-size: x-small;">e <span style="font-size: x-small;">had more details too:</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, Times New Roman, Times, Serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">How did she raise the money? Sh<span style="font-size: x-small;">e applie<span style="font-size: x-small;">d for, and was awarded grant money to fund <span style="font-size: x-small;">the video<span style="font-size: x-small;">. Rocks came from the <span style="font-size: x-small;">N<span style="font-size: x-small;">ational Park Service.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><i><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, Times New Roman, Times, Serif; font-size: x-small;"></span></i><br />
<i><span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, Times New Roman, Times, Serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span></i>
<span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, Times New Roman, Times, Serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">How did she know there was a need for a designated trail? P<span style="font-size: x-small;">ersonal expe<span style="font-size: x-small;">rience, and <span style="font-size: x-small;">input from the Park Service.</span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, Times New Roman, Times, Serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">How did she make i<span style="font-size: x-small;">t sustainable? The <span style="font-size: x-small;">Park Service will maintain the trail and sign.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, Times New Roman, Times, Serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">How is it measurable? The Park Service <span style="font-size: x-small;">can track numbers of <span style="font-size: x-small;">people using the trail.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, Times New Roman, Times, Serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">I th<span style="font-size: x-small;">ink Diana did a great thing! She discovered a need, connected to<span style="font-size: x-small;"> it,</span> got resources and then Took Action! <span style="font-size: x-small;">She used her leadership to apply for g<span style="font-size: x-small;">rants, talk to a <span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">F</span>oundation <span style="font-size: x-small;">Board about her vision, work <span style="font-size: x-small;">with the National Park<span style="font-size: x-small;"> System, </span></span>and a<span style="font-size: x-small;">sked for their help. </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, Times New Roman, Times, Serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">This is action that goes a looong way! </span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: black; font-family: Verdana, Times New Roman, Times, Serif; font-size: x-small;"><br /></span>Seal Beach Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12993380086551173833noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7875900845935329588.post-19331254377039553182012-10-24T14:45:00.001-07:002012-10-24T14:45:20.222-07:00Puppy Projects<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA1sMz7nhGRPmTC1fHfiHwrSg7_4Y3pCBMRB9qNyk8kvUfdhSqoffdbwMOTfY85m68w4ODxZmrat4esSM7XArIGsToFZlvJ42mQ0DYerQQ7HX6T2hALP5Dwb7tTSP4OygqbGX7exUzMBk/s1600/puppy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="148" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA1sMz7nhGRPmTC1fHfiHwrSg7_4Y3pCBMRB9qNyk8kvUfdhSqoffdbwMOTfY85m68w4ODxZmrat4esSM7XArIGsToFZlvJ42mQ0DYerQQ7HX6T2hALP5Dwb7tTSP4OygqbGX7exUzMBk/s200/puppy.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
<i>"Aberdeen Fire and Rescue now has the equipment to save pets who have
inhaled too much smoke thanks to the efforts of a local Girl Scout.</i><br />
<i> Sabrina
Mount, 18, who has been a member of the Girl Scouts for 12 years as
part of Troop 40124, donated three oxygen mask kits to Aberdeen Fire and
Rescue, as part of Mount's gold award project, the highest honor a Girl
Scout can receive. The masks are designed specifically for animals...."</i><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For those of you who have had me co-train the Silver or Gold Award Workshops, you know that I tend to pick on the "puppy projects" in class. Now, I don't hate puppies, but I use the term because it's a prime example of starting with a project, and not an issue. Many a little (and not so little) girl thinks of wanting to help the puppies. Nice for a service project, but it doesn't have her start with the issue she wants to address for her Gold Take Action Project. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And then I read in the GSUSA Blog today, about a girl who did a Gold Puppy Project. And there are so many things wrong with it! She raised money to buy 3 puppy inhalation masks. And that's against the rules of the Gold. The project can't be just about soliciting money to buy something. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">She did have an education piece to hand out, talking about how the fire department would use the masks to help dogs? But who was her team? And how did she reach the constituency she wanted to serve? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I guess I'd have to say that it was sustainable! The FDs will be able to use this equipment for years to come. And it's measurable, as the FD can keep track of how many animals it saves with this new device. I bet she could easily have talked about the global aspect, of what if all FDs had this mask, how many more puppies would be saved.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And she used leadership to raise the money and buy the masks. But from the article, it sounded like that's all she did. Now, I'm only reading a newspaper report, and goodness knows that they don't always get all the info in! I think the key take-aways are that girls may not ask for donations to buy things to benefit a charity. And that a Take Action Project needs to have the girl use her leadership by building a team, educating them, and then have them help her Take Action.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>Seal Beach Gardenerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12993380086551173833noreply@blogger.com0