Council News

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Girl Scouts can do anything and everything they set their hearts and minds to! You’ll find it all here.  From members sharing their adventures to Highest Award honorees describing their projects and news from council, cookie updates, travel opportunities, volunteer tips and much, much more.

Don’t forget the GSCO Classifieds too! Looking for Girl Scout materials or have some to sell or share, browse the Classifieds. Have a service to offer or need an expert for your next troop meeting, place an ad.

Events, Girl Scout News, Girl Scouts News

CSU’s Equine Experience Time to Ride

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Submitted by Tiare Santistevan

Northern & Northeastern CO

Fort Collins

Girl Scouts are invited to CSU’s Equine Experience Time to Ride workshop on November 3, 2018! Girl Scout Juniors can work on the requirements for the “Horsemanship” badge. Girls will learn grooming, handling, horse body language, riding, and more. Classes may be indoor and outdoors depending on the weather. Please wear horse appropriate clothing, including long pants and closed shoes, preferably boots with a heel. Additional helmets and boots will be available for riders.

Riding Time: 9 a.m. – 12:20 p.m. Must choose a riding time slot for each Girl Scout. Four girls per group.

Cost:$ 20/Girl Scout

Registration deadline: October 27, 2018

Registration includes permission, liability, and photo release forms, which will be emailed to the required email.

Register online: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70a0e49a4a62aaaf85-csutime

This story was submitted using the Share Your Stories form. You can share your Girl Scout moments, too.

Volunteer News

Volunteer View: October 2018

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Fall Product Program continues until Oct. 29

The Fall Product Program continues in October with online order taking ending October 29. Sunday was the last day for in-person/nut promise delivery orders. Troops will be locked out of M2 order entry on Oct. 16, but online orders can still be placed until Oct. 29.

All troops must have a completed ACH form for the 2018-19 membership year to participate.

It’s not too late to qualify for S’mores Club.

Learn more

Leader to leader tips

GSUSA has added a page to their website, featuring articles written by troop leaders with tips and advice for troop leaders. Subjects include: Tips for your first family meeting, essentials of managing a large troop, and resolving troop communication issues – just to name a few. New articles will be added regularly. Check it out!

Girl Scouts National Proficiency Badge Logs and Charts have been updated and revised! Go to Girl Scouts shop to download your free copy.

Troops needed to host recruitment events

No one is better at recruiting new Girl Scouts than current Girl Scouts! If your troop is available to host a recruitment event between Oct. 22 and Dec. 2, we’ll provide the troop with recruitment resources and a $50 credit to the Girl Scouts of Colorado shop as a thank you. Watch for more information on the gscoblog.org soon!

Outdoor Programs

October 27: The annual Sky High Ranch Halloween Party is from 1-4 p.m. This is a community event, so bring your friends and family!  For more details and to register.

Stay up to date with the whole year’s Outdoor Program events! Visit the Save the Date blog, so you don’t miss a thing.

Outdoor Adventure Club October Events – Single Event Passes Available OAC Explorers (6th Grade) Rock Climbing & Hamp Hut Overnight

Share your voice with the MCC

Have you shared your opinion with the Membership Connection Committee (MCC) in 2018? If you attended a Leadership Summit or Super Saturday training and received a cool lanyard – you did! If not, now’s your chance! Each year, Girl Scouts of Colorado’s MCC surveys membership about different topics. In 2018, MCC is diving into retention – what gets and keeps girls and volunteers engaged with Girl Scouts. The survey only takes 5-7 minutes to complete and can be done online by clicking here.

Please take a few moments to share your opinion with the MCC. Questions about the MCC?  Visit us online to learn more.

Join the GSCO- Older Girl Network

We have created a BAND site for networking with older girls, families, and leaders across Colorado.

Visit  https://band.us/@gscocsa and request to join by completing a couple quick questions to check that you are affiliated with Girl Scouts.

Highest Awards

Girl Scouts of Colorado has  Gold Award rubrics for girls to use to make their Gold Award journey successful and rewarding. The document includes a rubric for initial proposal approval and final approval, so girls can understand exactly what is expected of them throughout their Gold Award journey.

With less than six months to the Highest Awards celebration deadline (March 1) and a year until the final cutoff for Gold (September 30), seniors in high school are quickly running out of time to earn their Gold Award. Girls who are currently in 12th grade and want to earn Gold must submit a project proposal by May 1, 2019. After May 1, they are no longer eligible to earn their Gold Award.

why.girlscouts.org

If you have potential members, friends, family, and community members asking you what makes Girl Scouts so amazing, direct them to this cool, new website created by GSUSA at why.girlscouts.org Girls are first at Girl Scouts and always will be!

Upcoming Events

Check the events calendar for exciting events in your community. Girl Scouts of Colorado is always planning fun and educational events for girls across the state. Some of these events are highlighted below!

Girl Scout Day & Dance/Cheer Clinic with UNC Football

October 20, Greeley

Girl Scouts are invited to interact with the Sugar Bears Dance Team, Cheer Squad, and Pride of the Rockies Marching Band!

Engineering Day at Colorado School of Mines with the Society of Women Engineers   

November 10, Golden

Girl Scout Juniors are invited to join Colorado School of Mines Society of Women Engineer for a fun day of science explorations!

Save the Date: Packing for Impact with Project C.U.R.E.

December 1, Denver

Volunteers needed! Want to be added to the interest list? Email aimee.artzer@gscolorado.org.

‘The Nutcracker’ performed by State Street Ballet of Santa Barbara 

December 9, Durango

15% off tickets. Call the box office at 970-247-7657 and mention ‘Girl Scouts’.

 

Events, Girl Scout News, Girl Scouts News

Girl Scout Engineering Day

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Girl Scout Engineering Day

Saturday, November 10, 2018

9 a.m. – Noon

Colorado School of Mines – Ben Parker Student Center

$10/girl

Register at: https://www.girlscoutsofcolorado.org/content/girlscoutsofcolorado/en/events-repository/2018/girl_scout_engineeri.html

Girl Scout Juniors are invited to join Colorado School of Mines Society of Women Engineers for a fun day of science explorations! The morning will consist of several science activities ranging from mechanical engineering to chemical engineering. Through completing all the activities at the event, girls will earn a Girl Scout Engineering Day patch and work toward the requirements for Junior level badges (badge information coming soon).

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Girl Scout News, Girl Scouts News

Girl Scouts get hands-on construction experience

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Girl Scouts of Colorado partnered with GE Johnson Construction Company in Colorado Springs to have Careers in Construction day on Saturday, September 29, 2018. Held at GE Johnson’s logistics site, 68 Girl Scouts were treated by staff of the construction company, who volunteered for the day to help the girls. Girls came from all over the state to learn some basic understanding of construction (such needing math skills to know how much materials cost and how much to purchase), as well as get hands-on experience with power and hand tools. Girl Scouts donned pink hard-hats, work gloves, and safety glasses, all requirements to participate.

The girls built Little Libraries, which were then raffled off to the troops that were represented at the event. These were not just any Little Libraries. The ones the girls built included a six-foot-long reading bench with a book box that could hold at least a dozen books and a flower planter on top! The Little Libraries will be installed by the girls and their troops in their communities.

After spending the morning building their Little Libraries, the staff at GE Johnson took the Girl Scouts on an exclusive tour of a very important project in Colorado Springs, the Olympic Museum. It was a great opportunity for the girls to see how the structure was being built and understand why certain features were added to the building. GE Johnson also provided time for the girls to see big vehicles used in the construction trades, including a very cool robotic “tamper” that girls took turns operating.

Stella Hodgkins, Project Manager at GE Johnson, said she was thrilled to put the project together because there are so many opportunities for girls in construction that she wanted to highlight. It is her hope that some girls would seriously consider construction skills trades as a vocation.

The overwhelming response to the day was positive – girls were tired and felt rewarded. Some commented they never would have tried a power drill or other power tools if it hadn’t been for this event. Others were surprised at how much math they had to know. The adults and parents attending were very impressed by the thoroughness of the lessons taught that day, and the opportunities it gave the girls.

Girl Scouts of Colorado gives a huge shout-out to GE Johnson for the awesome day they gave girls!

Council News, Girl Scout News, Girl Scouts News, Global Girl Scouts, Volunteer News

Introducing the Global Action Toolkit

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Every Girl Scout is part of a special group of girls that stretches not just across the United States, but around the world. Girl Scouts of the USA (GSUSA) is a member of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS), which includes 10 million girls in 150 countries. All those girls, in all those countries, are working to make the world a better place.

Throughout the year, girls have the opportunity to work together and participate in Girl Scout programming that relates
to different global issues affecting women and girls. This toolkit describes nine international days and is designed to help volunteers engage with Girl Scouts on these global days of action.

What Is Global Girl Scouting?

Global means relating to the whole world. A global organization is worldwide and international, and from our very beginning, the Girl Guide and Girl Scout Movement has been international in nature.

In 1909, Sir Robert Baden-Powell, founder of the Boy Scouts in the United Kingdom, held the first Boy Scout rally at a park in London called the Crystal Palace. As they gathered, a group of girls marched onto the Crystal Palace and demanded to be able to participate. Seeing the passion and commitment of these girls, Baden-Powell turned to his sister Agnes Baden-Powell to begin the Girl Guide/Girl Scout Movement. Soon after, groups started in the United
Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Denmark, Finland, New Zealand, and South Africa.

A few years later, in 1912, Juliette Gordon Low met Baden-Powell and discovered her life’s purpose in Girl Scouting. She founded three troops of Girl Guides in London and Scotland before returning to the United States to found Girl Scouts of the USA, and start the first Girl Scout troop in Savannah, Georgia, on March 12, 1912.

From that first meeting of 18 girls, Girl Scouts pushed boundaries—welcoming girls across class, cultural, and ethnic lines to ensure all girls, including those with disabilities, had a place to grow and develop their leadership skills. They played basketball. They hiked, swam, and camped. They learned to read the world around them for instance, earning badges by studying a foreign language or learning to tell time by the stars.

Girl Scouting continued to expand its reach to more and more girls, with the first Girl Scout troops launching outside the United States in China, Syria, and Mexico. Lone Troops on Foreign Soil (now called USA Girl Scouts Overseas) registered its first Girl Scout troop in Shanghai, China, with 18 girls in 1925.6 Today, Girl Scouts of the USA includes 2 million Girl Scouts in 92 countries around the world.
Juliette Gordon Low said it best when she declared, “Girl Scouting and Girl Guiding can be the magic thread which
links the youth of the world together.” For over 100 years, the Girl Scout and Girl Guide Movement has brought girls
together in a global sisterhood to make the world a better place.
There are many ways for girls to engage with this global sisterhood throughout their Girl Scout experience. Whether it
is exploring global issues through a Girl Scout Journey, earning their Global Action award, or traveling with a Girl Scout
Destination, girls can engage with global issues at every program grade level.

This toolkit—for learning about or taking part in nine global action days—is a resource for councils and volunteers to help girls connect to our global Movement and to the issues that affect girls around the world.

Stay tuned for more blog posts about the Global Action Toolkit! Information such as how to use the toolkit and how to celebration each Global Action Day is coming next.

You can access the entire Global Action Days Toolkit under the Global Girl Scout section of Anytime Activities: https://www.girlscoutsofcolorado.org/content/girlscoutsofcolorado/en/events/anytime-activities.html

Questions? Email gscoglobal@gmail.com

Girl Scout News, Girl Scouts News, Volunteer News

Troops needed to host recruitment events

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No one is better at recruiting new Girl Scouts than current Girl Scouts! Troops who host a recruitment event between October 22 and December 2, 2018 will be provided with recruitment resources and a $50 credit to the Girl Scouts of Colorado shop as a thank you.

In order to receive the $50 shop credit, troops need to complete four simple steps:  

  1. Plan a recruitment event that will get girls excited about joining Girl Scouts!
  2. Let GSCO know you’re planning this event by completing this form at least a week before your event. Submitting this form ensures you have support and materials from GSCO.
  3. Have fun hosting your event by December 2, 2018! 
  4. Turn in interest cards collected during the event to your local staff contact by December 7, 2018. 

Your recruitment event will be publicly posted on GSCO’s recruitment event calendar to help drive people to your event. Interest cards for girls and families attending your recruitment event need to be submitted to your local Girl Scout office or staff contact by December 7, 2018. Interest cards can be dropped off at local GSCO offices or you can take a picture of the interest card and email it to your local staff contact. If you aren’t sure who your local staff contact is cards can be sent to Katie Singleton at katie.singleton@gscolorado.org.

Please note that troops need to have at least two registered Troop Leadership Team members in order to participate. Shop credits will be awarded to troops by December 14, 2018. Additional information and resources for planning recruitment events, including customizable fliers, are available on the GSCO blog. Reach out to your local staff contact for more information or support getting started planning your recruitment event.

Events, Girl Scout News, Girl Scouts News

Free tickets for “Clue on the Spooky Express”

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Submitted by Alex Erkenbeck

Metro Denver

Denver

Mile High Freedom Bands invites Girl Scouts to attend their matinee performance of “Clue on the Spooky Express” on October 27, 2018 at 3 p.m. 30 tickets are available at http://bit.ly/MHFBTickets (select the 3 p.m. performance) and use code GirlScout18 at checkout.  Please note: this offer is for the 3 p.m. performance. The 7 p.m. performance is intended for adults age 21 and older.

Clue on the Spooky Express

Saturday, October 27, 2018

3 p.m.

Historic Grant Avenue

216 S Grant St

Denver, CO 80209

This is Freedom Winds’ 8th annual Spooktacular performance! This year, their intrepid heroes are going on a train ride, but what happens when someone doesn’t make it off the train?! We’ll all find out together because you, the audience, will get to cast your vote for how this story ends!

Freedom Winds is the symphonic wind and percussion ensemble of Mile High Freedom Bands. This group performs four major events each season with repertoire that includes traditional concert band music, contemporary pops literature, and collaborative performances. Events include the annual Halloween production Spooktacular! Spooktacular!, the kickoff to Denver’s PrideFest Melodies of Pride, and traditional band concerts in the winter and spring.

This story was submitted using the Share Your Stories form. You can share your Girl Scout moments, too.

Events, Girl Scout News, Girl Scouts News

Tour of Nations 2019

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Submitted by Sharon Manning

Northern & Northeastern CO

Longmont

Troop 73392 is hosting Tour of Nations on March 17, 2019 at the Boulder County Fairgrounds exhibit building in Longmont.

The theme for World Thinking Day in 2019 is “Celebrating 110 years of Adventure.” Join the adventure by hosting a country from the WAGGGS website or visiting the event as a tourist.

Several countries have already been chosen, such as Australia, Greece, Holland, and Colombia , so gather your Girl Scout sisters and start planning!

For more information, please visit the GSCO website/event calendar or contact Sharon Manning at sharon_colorado@msn.com for a  flyer.

This story was submitted using the Share Your Stories form. You can share your Girl Scout moments, too.

Council News, Girl Scout News, Girl Scouts News

Participants needed for revised Power Up pilot

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Girl Scouts of Colorado has revised our Power Up program and is looking for girls, troops, and leaders to pilot the material. Power Up is Girl Scouts of Colorado’s anti-bullying program for girls in grades second through twelfth. It engages participants to think critically about different types of bullying and encourages them to stand up and speak out against bullying behaviors. Girls can think of this program as an extension to the “aMaze” Journey and “Be a Friend First (BFF).”

Requirements for pilot participants:

  • Attend a virtual training
  • Facilitate the program in the 2018- 2019 membership year
  • Experience in facilitating programming to girls or community
  • Complete feedback surveys on their successfully facilitated programs
  • Reliable communication with Girl Scouts of Colorado staff

Interested in participating? Fill out the Power Up pilot application: https://girlscoutsusa.ca1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_eLLTbmUftxVBu4Z

Questions? Contact GirlExperience@gscolorado.org

Events, Girl Scout News, Girl Scouts News, Uncategorized

Girl Scout Day at the Butterfly Pavilion

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Saturday, November 3, 2018

9 a.m. – 5 p.m

6252 W 104th Ave.

Westminster, CO 80020

Register at: https://www.girlscoutsofcolorado.org/content/girlscoutsofcolorado/en/events-repository/2018/girl_scout_day_at_th_988795276.html

Mark your calendars for one wild time! Girl Scouts are taking over Butterfly Pavilion on November 3 for a special day! Join us for a day of fun activities, crafts, and live animal encounters that will help you meet all the steps for your Brownie “Bugs” badge or Daisy “Make the World a Better Place” petal!

COST:

Individual adults: $12 (members $5)

Individual Girl Scouts: $8 (members $5)

Children under 2: FREE

That’s just $20 for adult and child individual, $10 for member adult and child!

TROOP RATE:

We are happy to offer group rates for troops if you meet the following criteria:

  • There are 10 or more guests in your group
  • You pay for the entire group with one payment
  • Basic troop pricing is:
    Adults: $10
    Children (2-12): $6
    Under 2: Free, as always

Girl Scout Day includes:

  • Access to all indoor and outdoor exhibits!
  • Girl Scout self-guided scavenger hunt (which can tick off many steps!)
  • A full schedule of programs, all centered around bugs, science, and making our world a better place!
  • Several stations with crafts, snacks, activities, and discussions set up throughout the Pavilion for groups to explore at their own pace — all based on the Brownie “Bugs” badge or Daisy “Make the World a Better Place” petal!
  • A certificate for having attended Girl Scout Day at Butterfly Pavilion!
  • Vendors with more games, crafts, activities, and giveaways!

There will be no timed classes this year, so more Girl Scouts can attend. However, your experience will meet all steps necessary to earn your Brownie “Bugs” badge or Daisy “Make the World a Better Place” petal.

Questions? Contact Marissa at mcopan@butterflies.org or (720) 974 – 1877.

Girl Scouts of Colorado