Girl Scouts are Outdoor Explorers

Guest Post: Girl Scouts are Outdoor Explorers

Guest Post from Vicki Wright, GSUSA Outdoor Initiative Lead, Lifetime Girl Scout, Former CEO of multiple Girl Scout Councils

Girl Scouts Launches Inaugural Badge Series Chosen by Girls

This year, on its 103^rd Anniversary, Girl Scouts is celebrating our commitment to providing fun and beneficial outdoor experiences for girls with the launch of a new series of outdoor badges, chosen by Girl Scouts themselves.

Outdoor experiences are an integral part of Girl Scouts and are woven into Girl Scout program in such a way that girls feel comfortable trying new things and testing their limits, and gain confidence and acquire new skills in a safe and supportive all-girl environment. From a relaxed nature hike through the forests to teaming up on a wildlife conservation project to high-adventure rock-climbing, Girl Scouts offers girls a variety of opportunities to learn and grow inside and out.

My first experience with Girl Scouts was in an outdoor setting where I learned to become comfortable in the outdoors and with myself.  I did not understand at the time all that I was learning while having so much fun.  I can honestly say that my love for the outdoors came from those experiences and truly molded the person I became.

In the month of November, GSUSA began the polling process for the Girls’ Choice Outdoor Badges by inviting girls to vote on a diverse option of outdoor badge themes. Outdoor Explorer emerged as the overall theme, with five age specific Badge offerings: Outdoor Adventurer, Horseback Riding, Archery, Paddling and Ultimate Recreation Challenge.

But why is this so important to us?

According to our research (Girl Scout Research Institute’s study, More Than S’mores), girls benefit immensely from time outdoors. Girls who spend time outdoors eclipse their peers in environmental stewardship, more readily seek challenges, and are better problem solvers, all of which are traits needed for 21st century leadership.

Outdoor experiences through Girl Scouting, such as camp, are beneficial to girl leadership development across ethnicities. Latina (38 percent) and African American (40 percent) girls are more likely than their peers (28 percent) to say they overcame a fear of the outdoors through Girl Scouting; seventy-nine percent of Latina girls say they first tried an outdoor activity in Girl Scouts, and an overwhelming 59 percent of Latina girls say Girl Scouts has offered them outdoor activities they would not have otherwise had access to.

Simply put, this is important to us because it is important to girls. Once exposed to the outdoors, girls love it.  And, now more than ever, research shows us that getting outdoors is so important to the physical, social and psychological development of our girls and the health of our planet.

We want to get more girls outdoors, more often and in varied ways. Please join us in this effort.

Enriching the Lives of the Elderly: A Gold Award Project for the Aging

Gold Award Girls

The following entry was written by Leah Hook, and covers her Gold Award Project "Enriching the Lives of the Elderly." Learn all about why she chose this project, how she accomplished it and what it's doing to bring joy for a particular group in her community. Amazing work, Leah!
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For my Gold Award project, I created a bird and butterfly sanctuary in the main outdoor garden (the Rose Garden) of the Wesleyan at Scenic Skilled Nursing, Rehabilitation and Memory Care facility in Georgetown, TX. This entailed providing appropriate habitat for the birds and butterflies by creating new garden beds of native plantings that attract wildlife as well as installing a variety of birdhouses and bird feeders.

My project addressed the social and emotional needs of the 165 aging residents at the Wesleyan.  As in most health care facilities for the elderly, many of the residents there spend a great deal of time in their rooms, secluded from the other residents.  In medical terms, they are "socially isolated."  The bird and butterfly sanctuary enticed them to come outdoors more often to enjoy the beauty of nature. It also provided them opportunities to socialize with more of the residents and guests.  The enriching activity of bird- and butterfly-watching allowed them to develop both new hobbies and new social connections, thereby reducing their isolation and loneliness.

Over a year's time, I completely renovated the Wesleyan's Rose Garden which serves as the main gathering place for residents and guests.  This involved a great deal of manual labor (of my family, volunteers, and me): we weeded all existing beds, pruned all trees and shrubs, removed leaves and debris, planted new ground cover, drew new garden borders, developed landscaping plans, and selected and installed new native plants and a decorative garden trellis. The other part of my project entailed the the creation and installation of birdhouses, bird feeders and a butterfly house in order to draw wildlife to the gardens.

As the culminating activity, I presented a bird-watching program to the residents in which I educated them about the birds most common to Williamson County and their unique characteristics and calls.  This enabled them to identify the birds that are frequenting the Rose Garden.  Along with a slideshow presentation, I also created a bird reference guide, The Georgetown Chorus, of the ten most common birds to visit bird feeders and gardens in the County.

The most successful aspect of my 110 hour project was increasing senior resident's interest in coming outdoors and viewing the numerous birds and butterflies within the Rose Garden.  The overgrown, weed-filled, poorly maintained Rose Garden is now a beautiful, thriving bird and butterfly sanctuary teeming with life.  Some of the residents are participating in the project by adding birdhouses, bird feeders, and plants of their own.  Most importantly, the residents are interacting with each other as they talk about the new plantings and the different birds and butterflies that are drawn to the sanctuary.  With the new activity of bird- and butterfly-watching, they are building common interests and connecting socially.

Back to Basics: helping children experience nature

Gold Award Girls

The following entry was written by Nicolette Newton about her Gold Award project-- a hands-on booklet to help children experience nature--and how she accomplished it. Keep reading to find out her motivation to stick with Girl Scouting through the years and the impact it has made in her life.

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I started as a Daisy, at age five, not knowing at the time that Girl Scouts would have taken the course it did.

At first, Girl Scouts was all about earning badges, being with friends, and having fun, but then it became more; it was more about learning and growing. This was around the time that many girls were dropping out and saying it wasn’t cool, but I made my decision to stay. I remember reading an article in the newspaper about three close friends who earned their Gold Awards, which is so rare. I also remember thinking how cool it would be to stay in Girl Scouts and be as happy as they were in that picture. That was my “aha!” moment and my reason to stick with it. I think that was one of the first big decisions I made in life.

I chose to focus my Gold Award project at Candlelight Ranch because they have been an inspiration to me. CLR aids special needs and at-risk children, focuses heavily on the importance of the outdoors, and represents conservation in many of their projects.

My father is a member of the advisory committee for Candlelight Ranch and I have done many service camps at the Ranch, so the location was an obvious choice. Choosing my Gold Award project was another step along the path of my passion for helping others. It was a monumental goal, which I pursued enthusiastically. I’m also really handy with a computer and designing, so I wanted to pick a project that I could be very successful at. 

My goal was to create a hands-on booklet that helps children learn and experience nature. My goals were definitely met. 

I was faced with many challenges. My main obstacle was time management. It was my senior year when I focused on this project and time management was very difficult for me. One day, I spread all my notes out, organized layouts and buckled down. It was a very exciting and rewarding experience and I became very passionate about the outcome.

I’m glad I stuck with Girl Scouts for the adventure, fun times, learning experiences, and the discoveries I made about myself. I am so proud of having reached my goal, and completing my Gold Award. Not only did it enrich my past, but it will greatly impact my future. Being a Gold Award recipient is an honor and is well respected by colleges, employers, family and peers. It will open up opportunities, which would not have been accessible before. I believe this was a factor in my acceptance to Baylor University, where I am a freshman majoring in Graphic Design. 

I remember the days when I was selling cookies at Randall’s, going on campouts, wrapping presents at Brown Santa, designing and selling t-shirts, hosting a father/daughter dance, and so much more. It was a whirlwind of adventures and I wouldn’t take the experience back for anything. 

Advice I have for girls seeking their Gold Award is to have fun! Pursuing the Gold Award is a very rewarding and challenging experience. Keep in mind that organization, time management, budget and contacts are all important aspects of attaining a successful project. Most importantly, always believe in yourself, and just like the Olympic athletes, “Go for the Gold!”