Follow To Blog Via Email
We had an incredible time celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month here at Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana , from our rhythmic Latin Dance Night to Global Girl Scouts presentations! Hispanic Heritage Month, recognizedfrom September 15 to October 15, is a celebration of the rich culture, heritage, and traditions that Latinx people have in the United States and around the world. Read on to learn how we did it at GSGCNWI!
¡Pasamos un tiempo increíble celebrando el Mes de la Herencia Hispana aquí en Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago y Northwest Indiana , desde nuestra Noche de Baile Latino rítmica hasta las presentaciones del grupo Las Global Girl Scouts! El Mes de la Herencia Hispana, reconocido del 15 de septiembre al 15 de octubre, es una celebración de la rica cultura, herencia y tradiciones que los Latinos tienen en los Estados Unidos y en todo el mundo. ¡Siga leyendo para saber cómo lo hicimos en GSGCNWI!
Gold Award Spotlight: Part 5
This week, as part of our ongoing series featuring this years Gold Award Class of 2020 from Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana, wed like to introduce you to another group of girls changing the world. These girls, through their self-guided initiatives, committed to changing their communities through advocacy and education, and the results are truly amazing.
Read on to meet the next set of Gold Award Girl Scouts from GCNWI!
Ready, Set, Read!
Part of my town is too far from the public library, Girl Scout Jenna shared, and it is very dangerous for children to travel by themselves to the other side of town. I wanted to encourage people of all ages to read when they do not have quick access to a public library. To accomplish her goal, Gold Award Girl Scout Jenna placed two mini libraries around her neighborhood through the My Little Library organization.
Bringing Mental Health to Benet
Gold Award Girl Scout Adrian sought to address the issue of mental health awareness in her school, Benet Academy. I remember talking briefly about mental illness for one day in my P.E. class I knew that this did not nearly cover the importance of mental health. To assist, she revamped the club Student Support Alliance, a student organization bringing a safe space and mental health awareness to the community.
College Preparedness
College Career Fair
The Water Safety First Project
Fusion Mini Library
Healthy C.H.E.F.
Megans Book Swap
My Place In Space
D.I.S.T.E.A.M. Learning
Girl Scouts Kept It Going
Advocating for menstrual justice building groundbreaking robotics technology to serve incarcerated youth creating sustainable solutions to environmental issues these are just some of the things our Girl Scouts have been up to this Girl Scout year.
Girl Scouts, whether they met in-person or virtually, kept the rhythm going through programs like Spark Days and our first-ever Hackathon, special events like Pigtails, Puffs & Ponytails, and independent service projects and creative activities of their own! Weve kept up with Girl Scouts every week on our blog make sure to catch up and read our Girl Stories.
The Girl Scout Cookie Program kept going too, and our Girl Scouts did fantastic! During this unprecedented year, GCNWI Girl Scouts worked hard to reach their cookie goals and gave more than ever to our Gift of Caring program. We also celebrated our GCNWI Cookie CEOs, Girl Scouts who were the top sellers in the council!
Their efforts proved that no matter what comes their way, Weve Got This! Congrats to these Girl Scouts and all of the volunteers AND our supporters that helped make this cookie season thrive!
Girl Scouts also responded to calls for racial justice and liberation Troop 40681 hosted a Black Lives Matter demonstration and created their own action resource guide. You can read about these Girl Scouts in the Chicago Tribune.
Watch the Smart Cookies program above!
Read Also: Taste Chicago 2021
Raising Awareness Of Autism
Many people are unaware of what Autism is, and how to treat people who have it. If we all take the time to learn that people who have Autism are just like us, and special in their own way, we can all make the world a better place. This is what fueled Girl Scout Dominique to earn her Gold Award and create a YouTube video defining and spreading awareness of Autism.
The Future Is Bright: Gsgla Girl Scouts Show Passion For Sustainability During Women In Construction Week
To celebrate Women in Construction Week, Fortune 500 construction and development company Skanska hosted a two-hour virtual creative competition for GSGLA Girl Scouts in which girls were challenged to dream up, “build”, and present their own sustainable construction plan for LA. Working in teams, girls took on roles of project managers, developers, architects, and marketing and branding consultants in order to plan and pitch their projects to female leaders of Skanska.
You May Like: Top Strip Clubs In Chicago
Women In Food Engineering
Girl Scout Lara, in hopes of educating young girls in her community on the importance of pursuing careers in STEAM, hosted a food engineering workshop. Snacks wouldnt be possible without significant contributions from food engineers, from air humidity for transporting food to vacuum-sealed jars, Lara explained, and each participant walked away with a packet of local STEAM opportunities to get involved in.
Sustainable Composting At Elawa
Girl Scout Emma earned her Gold Award for her sustainable composting initiative at Elawa Farm. Emma installed additional compost bins near the kitchen for increased composting, dibble boards for easier planting, and a washing board so produce can be washed faster, in hopes of improving the environmental efficiency of their overall operation.
Read Also: Top Strip Clubs In Chicago
Congratulations To The 2021 Class Of Gold Award Girl Scouts
As community champions, changemakers, innovators, thought leaders, and trailblazers, these young women have and continue to make positive impacts in our communities and our world. This year, GSGLAs group of 230 resilient high schoolers faced an unprecedented obstaclethe COVID-19 pandemicand rose to the challenge with courage, confidence, and character, collectively logging more than 18,000 hours in community service in order to earn the highest award in Girl Scouting.
Girl Scout Shaela Recognized With The National Gold Award Scholarship
What does success look like? A confident shade of Girl Scout gold. And when a Gold Award Girl Scout shares the real-world skills gained from earning the Gold Awardteam building, managing a complex project from start to finish, or public speaking, to name a fewtheir resume sets them apart from their peers.
A Gold Award Girl Scout, no matter their background or ability, learns to tap into the world-changing power within her. She takes the lead in designing and enacting a plan for change and makes a positive impact in her community and beyond.
We are thrilled to announce that Girl Scout Shaela is the Gold Award Girl Scout from Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana to be awarded a national scholarship from Girl Scouts of the USA for extraordinary action in addressing the issue of food insecurity. Shaelas work in building a relationship with Help for Hope, a local food and supply pantry in Coal City, Illinois, has earned her national recognition, and we are so proud.
Read on to hear about Shaelas initiative, in her own words.
Also Check: Strip Clubs Near Rosemont
The Balance Needed For All
Girl Scout Neha sought to address the social stigma held toward mental health issues like depression and anxiety. While people may be afraid to confront their illnesses under a medical definition, it is necessary to seek the right help. Speaking at the Rohingya Cultural Center in Chicago, and the Glenview Ismaili Center, Neha held information sessions for children on the subject of mental health.
Join The Expert Connection
One of the best ways for girls to learn new skills is to hear from someone who really knows their stuff!
Would you consider yourself a subject matter expert on a specific topic? Do you have a talent/hobby you want to share?
If so, sign on to inspire tomorrow’s go-getters, innovators, risk-takers, and leaders!
| Activity |
|---|
| 1 |
Also Check: Top Strip Clubs In Chicago
Girls Change The World
Every year, Girl Scouts of the USA selects ten exceptionally inspiring Gold Award Girl Scouts, nominated by local councils, as National Gold Award Girl Scouts. Therese is just one of these amazing young womenmeet all of this years National Gold Award Girl Scouts!
Join us in congratulating Therese and the other National Gold Award Girl Scouts at an International Day of the Girl celebration on Saturday, Oct. 10, where she and the other impressive young women will share their stories and motivations for making waves throughout the nation.
Lewis & Clark Council
The Lewis & Clark Council was formed from the 2009 merger of Okaw Valley Council and Trails West Council .The Lewis & Clark council had its headquarters in Belleville, Illinois. The council owned four camps: Camp Joy in Carlyle, Illinois, Camp Sunnen in Potosi, Missouri, Camp Warren Levis in Godfrey, Illinois, and Camp Vandeventer in Waterloo, Illinois. There were six districts in the Lewis & Clark Council: the Illini District, Black Gold District, Kaskaskia District, Cahokia Mounds District, Piasa Bird District, and St. Clair District. Okaw Valley Council and the Trails West Council merged in 2009 to create the Lewis & Clark Council.
The two councils from which Lewis & Clark was formed were themselves the product of mergers. The Trails West Council was founded in 1991 when the Piasa Bird Council and the Cahokia Mounds Council joined. The Okaw Valley Council was somewhat older at the time of the merger it was formed in 1965 following the consolidation of the Kaskaskia Council and the Mississippi Valley Council.
The Order of the Arrow is represented in this Council by the Nisha Kittan Lodge, part of the regional section C3-B. The Nisha Kittan lodge #114 replaced Kishkakon Lodge #32 and Taleka Lodge 81 .
In September 2016 the Lewis and Clark Council voted to merge with the Greater St. Louis Area Council, effective January 1, 2017.
Also Check: Hotels Along Michigan Avenue Chicago
Meet Shaela National Gold Award Scholarship Recipient
We are thrilled to announce that Girl Scout Shaela is the Gold Award Girl Scout from Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana to be awarded a national scholarship from Girl Scouts of the USA for extraordinary action in addressing the issue of food insecurity. Shaelas work in building a relationship with Help for Hope, a local food and supply pantry in Coal City, has earned her national recognition, and we are so proud.
Brain Hacking: Looking Through The Screen
I have always been interested in the way our brains translate our thoughts into behaviors, Girl Scout Karishma explained, especially how those behaviors differ or change in group settings. My curiosity led me to explore the effects that technology and screen time have on our brains. To earn her Gold Award, Karishma researched and presented on the subject of excessive use of technology and its psychological consequences.
Don’t Miss: Top Wings In Chicago
Our Girls Are Shining Bright
We extend our sincerest congratulations to these girls and all Gold Award Girl Scouts this year!
Want to share pictures of your project with us? Post on social media and use the #GCNWIGoldAward! You can also to share your Girl Scout Gold Award pride.
Look out for next weeks 2020 Gold Award Spotlight!
Client & Community Outcomes
Mindsets
This project brought to the forefront inequities that lay between the various models within the organization. Several staff members commented that they had never considered GirlSpace in this way before and felt much more aware and willing to continue reflection and dialogue. As our client put it, There was a vortex of learning and unlearning that day.
Conditions
The organization made some immediate plans to change staffing, including transitioning the part-time GirlSpace facilitator role into a full-time Youth Development Specialist position. They also made structural changes to the organization, including integrating the work of Community Engagement into one, larger Membership department.
Culture
For many staff members, this project provided an outlet through which they could candidly share their feedback. For some, the workshop was the first time they were able to authentically speak to peers and even leadership about their experiences. While the day resulted in tangible ideas, it also created a safe space for reflection and set the stage for future collaboration.
Everything that we designed together is coming to fruition. Every. Single. Thing.
Lesley KennedyVice President of Community Engagement and Mission Delivery
Recommended Reading: Taste Of Chicago 2021 Schedule
Gsgla Combats Food Insecurity Amidst Covid
GSGLA is donating packages of Girl Scout cookies to Los Angeles Unified School District in support of its Grab & Go program to help feed those who are food insecure. Los Angeles Unified plans to include the cookies in meals available at its 63 Grab & Go Food Service Centers at school sites across the district, where students, families, and anyone else in need of a nutritious meal can receive two meals per person, per day.
Girl Scouts Change The World
Tune in Saturday, October 9, for a FREE virtual celebration to discover how you and your friends can make the world a better place for girls everywhere. Youll meet some of the 2021 Gold Award Girl Scouts and see how you have what it takes to become a Bronze, Silver, or Gold Award Girl Scout.
If youve already earned your Gold Award, you can look forward to a special breakout session honoring all youve achieved. Its a day of inspiration, sisterhood, and global action. You wont want to miss it!
Earn your Global Action Awards and order your badges from our shop site.
Read Also: Taste Of Chicago 2021 Schedule
Lets Celebrate Girl Scouts Change The World Month
Starting October 1, Girl Scouts of the USA and Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana are celebrating International Day of the Girl and all the amazing ways girls have and WILL change the world! Girl Scouts of all ages are invited to join national and local virtual events where they can become inspired to make global and personal change, from Take Action workshops to Gold Award celebrations and more.
Read on to get the full scoop.
Meet Therese: National Gold Award Girl Scout
Imagine this: A girl identifies a need in her community, whether its local, state, national, or global. She creatively identifies a way to fulfill that need. She rounds up a team of experts, community members, and helpful volunteers to turn her vision into a reality. When she leaves, her efforts do not. Her work is sustainable and does more than good it makes the world a better, safer, happier place to live in. She is a Gold Award Girl Scout.
Therese, a Girl Scouts of Greater Chicago and Northwest Indiana alum, was recently named a National Gold Award Girl Scout. She is a young woman who understands how to serve her community with her passion, know-how, and innovative spirit. She understands the power of a team and knows the value of hard work and resilience. It is her dedication to community engagement, and the continued act of service she spearheaded to earn her Girl Scout Gold Award, and led Therese to be nationally recognized by Girl Scouts of USA for her impressive work.
We had the special opportunity to sit down with Therese for an in-depth conversation about her Gold Award initiative, Project Dandelion, and the power of the Girl Scout in the mission toward equality and anti-violence. Please join us in congratulating and getting to know one of this years ten National Gold Award Girl Scouts!
Therese, 2020 National Gold Award Girl Scout
Want to learn more about Therese and her project? Read the article in the Chicago Tribune.
Don’t Miss: Taste Of Chicago 2021 Schedule