Tag Archives: Diversity Equity and Inclusion programming

Earning the “Diverse. Inclusive. Together.” patch

August 10, 2020 admin

Submitted by Emma

Metro Denver

Highlands Ranch

Hello. My name is Emma, and I am a Girl Scout Junior from Troop 65430. I worked on the “Diverse. Inclusive. Together.” patch with my family. Although we talk about diversity and inclusivity a lot at home, I learned a lot about unconscious biases that we all have, and how it can negatively impact all aspects of life from our relationships to what we read in books.

To me, the big picture is that we are all different. Whether people look different than us or they have different beliefs, everyone deserves respect. It doesn’t matter where you come from or what you like, in the end it comes down to how you act and how you treat people. Every single person has something extraordinary to offer, and we should celebrate our differences and not let our differences divide us.

By earning this patch, I have learned so much. I have discovered that everyone is special in their own way, and everyone should have an opportunity to be seen and heard.

This has been a truly meaningful experience.

Girl Scouts of Colorado is proud to unveil ways for everyone, not just girls or Girl Scouts, to develop an appreciation for the rich diversity of various cultures in their community and around the world. Learn more.

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I Earned the “Diverse. Inclusive. Together.” patch

July 23, 2020 admin

Submitted by Alison

Metro Denver

Thornton

Hello! My name is Alison, and I am a seventh grader, Girl Scout Cadette from Troop 62816. I earned the “Diverse. Inclusive. Together” patch. I decided to work on this patch, because I think it’s important for everybody to be able to learn and discuss topics about inclusion and diversity in our communities, especially in these times when having connections are important.

One of the activities I did, and I liked a lot, involved using a Personal Identity Wheel, and a Social Identity Wheel. Each one is a circle, with several divisions, and each division has a question or a prompt, which you will answer inside the little sliver it’s in. The Personal Identity prompts were more about things that were important to you, and things that build you up, such as your favorite food, music, quote, holiday, book, etc. Then, there’s the Social Identity Wheel, where the prompts were more about things that belong to groups in society, such as ethnicity, gender identity, age, religion affiliation, first language, etc. After completing these wheels, I liked that we were able to determine what the difference was between the two wheels. I learned that even if somebody else’s wheel is completely different, it doesn’t mean it’s wrong, and we as a part of the community have to learn to include and accept everybody’s personal, and social wheels.

Another part of the patch was more of a discussion about what social identities are, and I think that in this category, the social category, the most exclusion and intolerance are found. We talked about which social identities are more outwardly expressed at first sight. I think that when I first meet people, I see age (in a range), race, and first language they spoke. These are things that people probably notice about me at first sight, too. Some of the social identities are more invisible than others, and you would have to get to know the person better to be able to know that. These identities include: family make-up, ability, national origin, religion affiliation, and more. Usually, you know the invisible identities of your friends and family, since you know them better. But, we as humans sort people into different groups, if we don’t know them. We also discussed problems that could result because of this categorizing. We can exclude people, and judge them, and have scorn, just because you don’t know them. I think that we shouldn’t sort people into groups, and that just because someone has a social identity that is different than yours, doesn’t mean they are any less or any better than you. I invite younger and older people to complete this fun and educational patch to learn more about inclusion, to appreciate diversity and to honor and celebrate our differences in our local communities and around the world.

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My Family Earned the “Diverse. Inclusive. Together.” patch

July 16, 2020 admin

Submitted by GSCO Media Star Juliette H.

Metro Denver

Parker

I am a Girl Scout Junior from Troop 67749. Together with my family, we worked on the “Diverse. Inclusive. Together.” patch. The purpose of the patch is to launch the conversation of race and racism to strengthen our respect for all people.

When working on this patch, the goal is to identify our uniqueness as well as those similarities we have with our friends, family, and community. Lets step in other’s shoes and learn how to relate to them!

Hand Identity Chart

When working on my Identity Chart (pictured above), I talked with my family about what words they also thought related to their identity. I traced my hand and wrote words around the hand that relate to me and my identity. Our identity is not just what’s on the inside. There are many things that make you you. Some of our words were common, like vegetarian, and many of the words we used to describe ourselves were different. My sister spent a lot of time projecting her identity onto me.

Fourth Grade Stories

My mother and I reviewed the photographs of students in different parts of the world in gelles portfolio located at fourthgradeproject.com. We read the answers to their questions, after answering them myself: Who do you live with? What do you wish for? What do you worry about? Many of the students lived with parents and siblings like me, and while each portrait had a response to wishes and worries that were different than mine, all fourth graders have their own things they wish for and we all worry too. What are your answers to these questions?

My Favorite Book

My favorite book is “The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe.” The character I relate to is Lucy because I’m very adventurous and brave. In the book, Lucy is the first one to discover Narnia. And just like me, no one ever believers her. I think this character is a reflection of me, since we are both a little different. Is your favorite character a reflection of you?

Diversity Gap in Children’s Books

I reviewed the books each of my family had on their nightstand and sorted through the covers to count the number of books, the number of those that had a person on the cover, and noted if these covers had people of color. Several books I looked through didn’t have people on them, but those that did, the majority were white people. White authors tend to write stories based on their life and base their characters on their reflection. The information page provided for this topic shows that the percentage is going up for authors of color. 31% of children’s books were written by or about people of color in 2017. However, this number isn’t high enough. It would be great for this number to grow so everyone of each identity has a character they can see in the mirror.

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Girl Scouts of Colorado Unveils New Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Programming: You don’t need to be a Girl Scout (or a girl!) to participate

July 14, 2020 admin

Girl Scouts of Colorado (GSCO) is proud to unveil ways for everyone, not just girls or Girl Scouts, to develop an appreciation for the rich diversity of various cultures in their community and around the world.

GSCO is partnering with Children’s Hospital Colorado, Colorado Mountain College, Denver Public Schools, and Denver7 on new Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programming, adapted from a program developed by our Girl Scout sisters in Minneapolis. The programming is designed to help participants start the conversation about race and racism by learning to appreciate diversity and honor and celebrate differences. In addition, our “Conversation Starters: Let’s Talk Differences” virtual roundtables will give families the tools they need to begin talking about issues related to race and racism. Both parents and children will deepen their understanding and respect for people who may be different from them and learn how to better relate to others.

Experts from GSCO, Children’s Hospital Colorado, and Colorado Mountain College will answer questions about these important topics, with Anne Trujillo from Denver7 moderating the discussion. There will be two Conversation Starters, one for parents and caregivers on July 30 about how to talk with children about differences, race, and racism; the other on August 13 is specifically designed to answer questions on these topics directly from children. Questions can be submitted in advance here.

Everyone who completes the activities as part of GSCO’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programming will earn the “Diverse. Inclusive. Together.” patch. This program is designed for everyone, including families, communities, schools, and religious groups. The developmentally appropriate activities ease the way to having meaningful conversations with youth starting at kindergarten through 12th grade. The programming includes hands-on activities, reflective writing, discussions on understanding, and more. All programming is also available in Spanish, thanks to translation services from Denver Public Schools. For a comprehensive list of activities for each age level, visit the Girl Scouts of Colorado website or contact Public Relations Director AnneMarie Harper. Also, because not everyone who will complete these activities has a Girl Scout vest or sash, we have created a digital patch that can be proudly displayed on social media to show the recipient’s commitment to appreciating, understanding, and respecting people of all races and cultures.

“The Girl Scout Movement has been about social justice, equity, and inclusivity from its very beginning, and part of the Girl Scout mission is to make the world a better place,” said Chief Executive Officer Leanna Clark. “As an organization, Girl Scouts of Colorado is recommitting to that mission. That’s why we’re opening up this programming beyond girls and beyond our Girl Scout community to make it available to as many people as possible. We hope families will take part together to deepen their understanding of themselves and others.”

Diversity and inclusion have been core values of Girl Scouts since its founding in 1912. Girl Scouts prepares girls to lead, to speak up and speak out, and to take action for change, fairness, equality, civility, and compassion for all people, and to arm them with the courage, confidence, and character they need to make our world a better place. Girl Scouts will always stand for justice, for respect, and for the inherent value and worth of each individual who makes up the beautiful and richly diverse tapestry of the United States.