Congrats to Boy Scouts of America!

Congratulations to The Boy Scouts of America who are currently celebrating their 100th Anniversary with a National Jamboree in Virginia. USA Today reports More than 50,000 Boy Scouts, leaders, staff and volunteers from around the world are at the 2010 National Scout Jamboree, with an also expected 250,000 visitors. For 100 years, Boy Scouts of America has created a foundation of leadership, service, and community for millions of America's youth. Their 100th Anniversary is a milestone that should be celebrated!

Congrats Boy Scouts of America.

Tampa Bay Lightning Strikes Florida Girl Scouts

NHL.com reports that in Florida, Hockey team Tampa Bay Lightning has partnered with Girl Scouts of West Central Florida in an initiative to grow the sport of Hockey around the world, starting at the community level. The Lightning is a member of the Southeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League (NHL). They have one Stanley Cup championship in their history, in 2004. The team is commonly referred to as the Bolts.

Unlike the NHL’s regular season, which spans the first week of October to the beginning of April, the program will provide opportunities for youth and teenage girls year round. Areas of focus for in-season activities include educating girls about various aspects of the game including the rules, players, basic skills and proper nutrition, exercise and training techniques common to many athletes in the sport. The program will also encourage the demographic to pursue careers in the professional sports industry, affording them the opportunities to become strong leaders in the community and in business as well.

The Lightning organization will make trips to various camps to continue promoting the message during the summer months. The camps are scheduled to have two visits apiece with about 30-60 girls attending each session. The sessions themselves are designed to be both fun and educational, with the Lightning Fan Experience Truck scheduled to make appearances, while bringing street hockey gear on site to run girls through drills, practices, scrimmages and instruction. Fun!

In other news, I was personally never good at Hockey - maybe that's why I'm Blogging about it...

Life Saving Girl Scouts Strike Again!

Head over California's The San Bernardino Sun and read the account of Girl Scout Staff at Camp Azalea Trails, who put their first-aid training into practice this month. Counselors Kathleen Crocker and Victoria Carroll, assistant camp director Jennifer Thomsian and camp nurse Christina Abraham worked together to stabilize a 27-year-old man who had fallen into a diabetic coma two miles from the camp in the San Jacinto Mountains near Idyllwild. The man's father had carried him for hours after he began feeling ill, Carroll said. He finally left him about two miles from the camp and sought help. Kudos to all involved!

Do you have stories of life saving Girl Scouts to share?

The Changing Face of Fashion!

Earlier this Summer, Girl Scouts of the USA enlisted four models from Wilhelmina Curve to celebrate The Changing Face of Fashion. A set of videos exploring self esteem and personal empowerment from the perspectives of plus size models Lizzie Miller, Anansa Sims, Leona Palmer and Julie Henderson, The Changing Face of Fashion was directed and shot by lifestyle and beauty photographer Cathrine Westergaard. As a part of a new initiative at Girl Scouts to address the image of girls in the media, The Changing Face of Fashion is supported by findings from The Girl Scout Research Institute.



Beauty Redefined: Girls and Body Image Survey (2010), a nationwide survey which included more than 1,000 girls ages 13 to 17, shows many girls consider the body image sold by the fashion industry unrealistic, creating an unattainable model of beauty. Nearly 90 percent of those surveyed say the fashion industry (89 percent) and/or the media (88 percent) place a lot of pressure on them to be thin. However, despite the criticism of this industry, 3 out of 4 girls say that fashion is "really important" to them.

The health implications of the preoccupation with unrealistic images are serious. Nearly one in three girls say they have starved themselves or refused to eat in an effort to lose weight. In addition, more than a third (37 percent) say they know someone their age who has been diagnosed with an eating disorder.

Girl Scouts of the USA and the Dove

Self-Esteem Fund have partnered to offer self-esteem programming for girls nationwide and will be focusing their core leadership program to address the issues of body image in the media in relation to self-esteem. In addition to program initiatives, Girl Scouts of the USA has been instrumental in the introduction of The Healthy Media for Youth Act (H.R. 4925) to Congress, by two congresswomen, Representatives Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV). This bill will work to promote healthy images of women in the media through a grant program that will support youth empowerment groups, media literacy programs, and further research into the effects of the media on women and girls.

Focus on Camp Tahigwa!

Take a moment and check out this awesome report at NBC KWWL 7 on Iowa's Camp Tahigwa - where Girl Scouts do everything from roasting marshmallows around a fire to testing their fear of heights. I'm thinking camp sounds like a great idea right about now!

Gold Medalist Nastia Liukin adds Lifetime Girl Scout Member to Title!

On Friday, I had the honor of attending an event where five-time Olympic medalist and world champion Nastia Liukin was honored by the Girl Scouts of the USA at an investiture ceremony held at Planet Hollywood in New York City. Liukin was named an official Lifetime Member. An Olympic all-around champion and one of the most decorated American gymnasts in the history of the sport, Nastia Liukin believes that with hard work and commitment to a dream, anything is possible. Liukin embraces being a mentor and a positive role model to girls. She was also extremely nice in person and took the time to speak one on one with all the Girl Scouts in attendance! For more pictures, check out Just Jared JR.

Weekend Run-Down

From coast to coast and everywhere in-between, Girl Scouts are popping up all over the news:

• The Savannah Morning News reports that Girl Scouts of Historic Georgia and volunteers harvested old materials for Girl Scouts eco-camp. WSAV TV has more on this story, plus video.
• In Houma, LA, Houma Today has a story about Girl Scouts renovating a homeless shelter.
• In Texas, The San Saba News and Star reports that after 98 years, Girl Scouts is getting a makeover!
• In Everett, WA, The Herald states that a Mill Creek Girl Scout earned The Girl Scout Gold Award for her work with a neglected horse.
• The Kansas City Star, KS, reports that Olathe Girl Scouts learned that there's much to park cleanup than just picking up trash.

Enjoy!

Video From the Vault: Let's Go Camping

Let's go back to 1951 and check out a video called "Let's Go Camping" - for the entire series, go here!

Kappa Delta Pushes for Healthy Media

University of Georgia’s Independent Student Newspaper Red and Black reports that Kappa Delta has joined forces with Girl Scouts of the USA to promote the Healthy Media for Youth Act (H.R. 4925), a bipartisan bill that promotes healthy media messages about girls and women for the benefit of all youth.Heidi Roy, director of communications at Kappa Delta Sorority’s Memphis, Tennessee national headquarters says:

“The Healthy Media for Youth Act is the ‘take action’ project of the Confidence Coalition, an alliance of organizations, companies and individuals who are committed to building confidence in girls and women.”

Sounds fantastic to me! In other news, I've always loved UGA's Mascot...

Florida Panhandle Girl Scouts Launch Tourism Campaign

In Florida's Panhandle, The Foster Folly News reports that Girl Scouts from across the Panhandle have released a series of videos aimed at places to visit in the Panhandle - in addition to the beautiful beaches. The Deepwater Horizon oil spill has created a deep impact on the Florida Panhandle’s economy and tourism. The videos are currently available to view on the Girl Scouts Council of the Florida Panhandle YouTube Channel.

All videos were created, produced, and directed by Florida Girl Scouts and are definitely worth checking out. If you have similar stories about Girl Scouts contributing to relief efforts in The Gulf of Mexico, please share!

Girl Scouts Spiff up Drab Kitten Den!

In Indiana, The Evansville Courier and Press reports that Early this year, local Girl Scout Troop 473 began searching for a project to help complete their Girl Scout Silver Award. To receive the award, the four scouts would need to complete 50 hours of community service on a large group project. Troop leader Nazan Wolfe said the girls discussed a few options, but all agreed that they wanted to help the animals at the Humane Society. Specifically, The girls transformed a kitten holding room full of cages into an inviting and fun kitten hang out spot! Awesome video of the process below:

Chat Online With Ramona and Beezus Stars!

Girl Scouts of the USA invites all Girl Scouts and their friends to join a live online chat with actors Joey King and Selena Gomez, stars of the upcoming movie, Ramona and Beezus, debuting in theaters July 23!

The webcast will take place on Wednesday, July 21 at 2 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (1 p.m. Central, 12 p.m. Mountain, 11 a.m. Pacific Time). In order to participate, you must click on the following link a few minutes before the chat begins:

http://www.walden.com/stream

Joey King and Selena Gomez will talk about the film, which is based on the beloved book by Beverly Cleary. They will share a little about themselves and chat about how the movie's story correlates with the new Girl Scout Journey, It's Your Story-Tell It! (coming to Girl Scout shops this December). There will be time for questions from online participants but we highly encourage girls to submit questions now! Please send your questions by e-mail to Sabrina Sanchez at ssanchez@girlscouts.org by Tuesday, July 20.

Have fun and psych girls up by previewing the Ramona and Beezus movie trailer together here!

Camp CEO Debuts in Atlanta

The Atlanta Journal Constitution reports that Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta recently held Girl Scout Camp CEO. In all, 23 Girl Scouts were paired with 23 female executives for a mentoring program at Camp Timber Lake. Atlanta ranks fourth among cities in terms of the highest concentration of Fortune 500 corporate headquarters.

Last year, The Wall Street Journal shared a great video online of Girl Scout Camp CEO in Indiana. Do you have any experience with Camp CEO?

Weekend Run-Down

With Girl Scouts as active as ever, there is plenty to report:

• In California, The Orange County Register reports that local Girl Scouts have been busy making care packages for orphans.
• Tennessee's Daily Herald has a story on 89 Girl Scouts from Middle Tennessee who recently earned Girl Scouting’s highest honor - The Gold Award.
• Folks in Camden, AR, are looking to start a Girl Scout Troop!
• NorthJersey.com reports that Girl Scout Troop 954 was busy recently raising money for childhood cancer patients.
• The Southeast Missourian reports that over 70 Girl Scouts visited area parks last week to learn new skills and build friendships at the Girl Scouts of the Missouri Heartland's annual summer day camp.
• Last but not least, The Wisconsin Rapids Tribune has a fantastic story about camp - both looking on and looking back.

Enjoy!

Keeping Gold Beach Gold

In Gold Beach, OR, The Curry County Reporter tells the tale of Girl Scout Troop Leader Tammy Oliver and five local Girl Scouts who are hoping to make a huge impact on the landscape of Gold Beach. This past Saturday, five members of Girl Scout Troop 30541 officially kicked off their local part of the national ‘Challenge and Change' project. The girls hope to help unite the entire community in beautifying Gold Beach. At the kick-off event, the scouts helped dispose of trash and weeds at City Hall, and they had an information booth - At the booth, the girls unveiled three new projects - a segment of the challenge they are calling Polishing the Gold. The first is an adopt-a-block project where businesses or community members would commit to being responsible to keep the block clean near their residence or business. The second is a sustainable flower box program where the Girl Scouts would provide the container with flowers. After delivery the business would be responsible for weeding, watering, and keeping the planter box going. The third project would be the construction of a new ‘Welcome to Gold Beach' sign at the south entrance to town.

The ultimate goal for the girls is for the entire community to create a few projects as a solid foundation and for the rest of the community to run with it and sustain the effort for years to come. Definitely read the entire article and share your stories of Girl Scouts contributing to the environmental sustainability of your communities.

Girl Scouts Advocate for Healthy Media on Capitol Hill!

As I wrote here, Girl Scouts supports the Healthy Media for Youth Act (H.R. 4925), a bipartisan bill that promotes healthy media messages about girls and women for the benefit of all youth. This week, Girl Scouts has focused on gaining more attention for this bill.

On Wednesday, eighteen high school Girl Scouts from Girl Scout Council of the Nation’s Capital participated in Girl Advocacy Day on Capitol Hill to encourage Congressional support for the Healthy Media for Youth Act.


The girls met mostly with staff from the offices of U.S. Representatives, but also had a few meetings with Representatives themselves. In the meetings, the girls highlighted Girl Scout programming and research, outlined the key parts of the bill, and shared personal stories to emphasize the importance of the bill. At the end of the day, the girls attended a networking reception where they had the opportunity to meet people who work and intern on the Hill.

In addition, several blogs featured the Healthy Media for Youth Act and the Girl Scouts Advocacy Network this week, including Rachel Simmons, Shaping Youth, and Women and Hollywood! Jess Weiner also covered the bill in her e-newsletter.

More importantly - What can you do?

Join the Girl Scouts Advocacy Network and send a letter of support for the bill to your U.S. Representative – and then tell your friends to do the same! Include information about the bill and a link to the Girl Scouts Advocacy Network in your newsletters and on your website. Download a web sticker to put on your website or in emails that will direct folks to the Girl Scouts Advocacy Network where they can send letters to Members of Congress.

The bill currently has 42 co-sponsors, but we hope to reach our goal of 75 before the end of the legislative cycle. And there is not much time left! So Take action this week – like the girls from Girl Scout Council of the Nation’s Capital - to support the Healthy Media for Youth Act (H.R. 4925). Head over to the Girl Scouts Advocacy Network now!

Photos of Girl Scouts with Congressman Keith Ellison (MN-5) and Melissa Munoz from Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick’s (AZ-1) office.

Cliffhanger

Today's ad is definitely not for those afraid of heights! The text reads:

"X-Camp. X-Tremely challenging. X-Tremely fun. And just one of the Girl Scout
experiences that help you build confidence and realize you can handle anything life throws you."

Sounds fun! I want to go.

Brand New(s)!

News on the Brand front! On Monday's Weekend Run-Down, I shared a number of Blog stories on the re-brand. Today, head over to Brand Channel and check out a fantastic write up about the new design. The lead line says it best:

"The Girl Scouts of the USA has been an iconic social service organization that has appealed to generations - but now it wants to make sure that appeal continues well into the future."

Good stuff! In other news, aren't these bags cute?!

Girls in Space

KSAL News in Salina, KS, reports that 2 Kansas Girl Scouts will be headed to the Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland next week to learn about NASA's Science Mission Directorate. Sounds comlicated! So, what is NASA's Science Mission Directorate? NASA's Science Mission Directorate conducts scientific exploration enabled by the use of space observatories and space probes that view the Earth from space, observe and visit other bodies in the solar system, and peer out into our Galaxy and beyond. Fun!

Moving on - The Girl Scouts of Kansas Heartland team is 1 of only 10 Girl Scout Council teams out of 109 selected to participate. When they return home, these Girl Scouts will be responsible for organizing at least 5 trainings with adults and older Girl Scouts, and to form a Girl Scout Astronomy club with the help of a Girl Scout-NASA core volunteer mentor. Girl Scout Council teams will spend 4 days at the Goddard Space Flight Center seeking to gain knowledge of NASA missions and how astronomers work to unravel the mysteries of the universe. Sounds pretty awesome to me!

Michelle Obama Challenges Girl Scouts!

Hey Girl Scouts - This is a call! Earlier this month, the United We Serve team launched its Let’s Read. Let’s Move. initiative. Let’s Read. Let’s Move. has three simple goals: increase opportunities for Americans to use service to promote physical activity; expand access to healthy and affordable food; and prevent summer learning loss in America’s kids. Sounds like a good idea! This initiative is led by the Corporation for National and Community Service in collaboration with First Lady and Girl Scout Honorary National President, Michelle Obama.

This is where we come in! Michelle Obama has challenged all Girl Scouts to read, exercise and keep track of these activities. Let’s all show Mrs. Obama what girls together can do! Read, exercise and encourage your friends to do it too, then log it in with us and see how much we can do! We’ll keep track of how many books you read, and how many hours you exercise and how often you encourage a friend to do the same.

For myself, who no longer has Summer Vacation (sad face) - I will remain reading my book every day while standing on the subway! Follow this link to log in your progress.

Have a Voice, Take a Stand

Today's ad is definitely inspirational - and speaks to an initiative that Girl Scouts have gotten attention for in the recent past. The text reads:

"Have a voice. Take a stand. You can make a difference, and we can help you get started with opportunities ranging from around the corner to around the world"

Weekend Run-Down

With the re-brand well under way, the news is full this morning - Let's begin:

• Girl Scouts of the USA’s new brand campaign launched officially on July 6, 2010. News of the launch has been picked up by several media outlets including ABC World News Blog, Media Post, Brand New, Fast Company, Engineer Your Life and more.
• In California, The Press Enterprise ran a fantastic article about a group of Girl Scouts who were flown to New York City to shoot a Girl Scouts of the USA commercial that premieres nationwide in mid-July.
• Something that sounds like an awesome time to me - In Georgia, the 16th annual Dog Days Lunar Bike Ride will be Friday night at Mount Berry Square mall beginning at 10 p.m. The ride will end at 1 a.m. Read more in The Rome News Tribune.
• Pleasanton Weekly, CA, has a fantastic write up on five Girl Scouts who recently earned the Gold Award.
• For another extensive Gold Award story - check out an article in Chicago's Daily Herald.
• The Hispanic-Latina Initiative has an awesome placement in The Modesto Bee.

Enjoy!

In Your Own Backyard

Today's featured ad contains the text:

"You can change the world. Girl Scouts can give you the opportunities and the tools. And you can get started right here and now, in your own backyard."

This print advertisement, shot by Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer David Hume Kennerly, showcases to me, the community spirit Girl Scouting encourages.

California Girl Scouts Witness Endeavour Launch

NASA has a fantastic feature on their website detailing the experience of a group of California Girl Scouts who got to witness a night launch of the space shuttle Endeavour from the viewing area at Kennedy Space Center's Apollo/Saturn V Center. Girl Scout Maddie Atkinson described standing on the bleachers with hundreds of other people and at the end of the countdown seeing a big flash of light. Atkinson says:

"A couple of seconds after it was off the ground, you got this huge wave of sound that shook everything. It was like this cracking sound. It was really
cool."

Sounds totally cool to me! Definitely read the entire article.

What Did You Do Today?

Here is another awesome ad out of our new campaign! Do you like it?

Washington Post Celebrates Six Gold Award Recipients

The Washington Post is running a story about Girl Scout Troop 3034, which recently celebrated the Girl Scout Gold Awards received by all six of its members. The six girls have been members of the troop since it formed in 2004 and each completed a Gold Award project in the past two years. The article takes an interesting look at misconceptions people have about Girl Scouting by interviewing the recipients. Initially, Girl Scout Becky Aikman thought joining the Girl Scouts was really cool but says:

"I soon found out not everyone thought it was cool. But once people started telling me it was lame, I was already having too much fun."

Good job Aikman for sticking with it and congrats to all the Gold Award recipients!

What Did You Do Today?

I'm thrilled to say that Girl Scouts of the USA has launched our new multicultural campaign, which focuses on the incredible experiences that girls can have as Girl Scouts. Check out this awesome new ad featuring Tennis superstar Venus Williams!

I love the new campaign! What are your thoughts on our new look and feel?

Girl Scout CEO Kathy Cloninger Featured in Businessweek!

Head over to Bloomberg's Businessweek for an outstanding look into the voice of Kathy Cloninger - CEO, Girl Scouts of the USA. The article takes a deep look at how a recent literal loss of voice led Cloninger to an even deeper appreciation of young people who find themselves set apart from the crowd. Author Rick Wartzman then turns the light to Cloninger's managerial style and ends by saying:

"Learning from adversity is a hallmark of great leadership, and Kathy Cloninger
is a great leader. It's a quality that, even when she's quiet, comes through
loud and clear."

Be sure to check out the entire article!

Your Date With the Future

Take a look at this awesome Girl Scout Video from back in the day. It stars screen legend Natalie Wood! It's all about the need for leaders, which is still very relevant today! Do you have a favorite Girl Scout Video? If not, find one here!

Weekend Run-Down

Hello Everyone - Welcome back from a Holiday Weekend. Here is your Weekend Run-Down:

• Girl Scouts Heart of New Jersey announced their Green Gala at Maritime Parc, Liberty State Park. Proceeds will go to support the mission of providing leadership development opportunities for girls!
• In New Jersey, The Newark Advocate reported that Boy and Girl Scouts owned Granville's annual Fourth of July parade Monday morning.
• In Massachusetts, The Reading Advocate has a nice article devoted to local Girl Scout Gold Award recipients.
• In Warren, OH, Trib Today reports on a Girl Scout project that added some handicap accessible recreation areas to a cancer treatment center.
• In Arkansas, The Log Cabin Democrat reports that Girl Scouts in Faulkner County sold 67,452 boxes of cookies this year - 35 girls were recently recognized by the Faulkner Service Unit of Girl Scouts for their outstanding cookie sales.

Enjoy!

Happy 4th of July!

In the United States, The Fourth of July, is a federal holiday commemorating the adoption of The Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776 - declaring independence from Great Britain. Independence Day is commonly associated with fireworks, parades, barbecues, carnivals, fairs, picnics, concerts, baseball games, political speeches and ceremonies, and various other public and private events celebrating the history, government, and traditions of the United States.

Have a great weekend with friends and family - Happy 4th of July!

Cyberbullying Testimony and News Recap

As reported earlier, Girl Scout Dominique Napolitano testified at a Congressional Hearing on cyberbullying last week, alongside Dr. Phil and Others. In testimony to the U.S. House Healthy Families and Communities Subcommittee, Napolitano, 15, from Long Island, New York, discussed cyberbulling from a teenager’s perspective. As part of her presentation to the subcommittee chaired by U.S. Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY), Dominque explored the challenges young people face in navigating life online and dealing with the bullying that takes place online and through social media. The story was picked up by numerous outlets including The Wall Street Journal, The Boston Herald, The Daily Caller, Yahoo News, CBS WDEF News 12 and more. Below is Dominique Napolitano's Testimony, in full - Enjoy!