GSUSA Board Member & Central Texas Girl Scouts Star in Magazine Photoshoot

Yesterday, Siempre Mujer Magazine took photos of several Central Texas Girl Scouts with GSUSA National Board Member Sylvia Acevedo. The photos will be featured in an article about Sylvia's philanthropy work with Girl Scouts and other causes. A Girl Scout in her youth, Sylvia recounts on her experiences with the organization:

"At my very first Girl Scout meeting, I saw that the Brownies were pledging allegiance to America, preparing for a day camp (fun!) and were practicing safety skills. After that first meeting, I raced home to share with my mother that Brownies do fun things, they help you plan, be good citizens and they take care of you… Even though she spoke little English, my mother, encouraged by my troop leaders, began to volunteer. As I was earning badges, my mother’s new friends, the troop leaders, helped her learn English and to pass the citizenship test to become a US citizen. Through Girl Scouts, my mother and I gained an entire new world of opportunities that added to our Latina heritage and strengthened our entire family."

-Sylvia Acevedo

To view more pictures of the photoshoot, please visit the GSCTX Flickr account.

Nationwide Survey Finds a Disconnect Between How Teenage Girls Portray Themselves Online and in Person

The increased exposure to social media puts teenage girls in a confusing situation where a girl’s image is not always what it seems, as nearly 74% of girls believe other girls their age use social networking sites to make themselves “cooler than they really are,” according to a national survey released by Girl Scouts of the USA.

The nationwide survey, which included more than 1,000 girls ages 14 through 17, finds that girls downplay several positive characteristics of themselves online, most prominently their intelligence, kindness, and efforts to be a positive influence. In person, girls say they come across as smart (82%), kind (76%), and a good influence (59%), whereas online, girls consider themselves fun (54%), funny (52%), and social (48%). Girls with low self-esteem are more likely to admit their social networking image doesn’t match their in-person image (33% vs. 18% of girls with high self- esteem) and are also more likely to claim that the image they portray online is sexy (22% vs. 14%) and crazy (35% vs. 28%).

The Girl Scout survey also sheds light on the fact that a majority of girls understand their emotional safety and reputations are at risk online, yet 50% admit to not always being as careful as they should be online. Sixty-eight percent of girls have had a negative experience on a social networking site, such as having someone gossip about them or being bullied. Furthermore, many girls are concerned that they won’t get into their college of choice (42%), will miss a job opportunity (40%), and will get into trouble with parents and teachers (40%).

In contrast, the vast majority of girls prefer face-to-face communication. Ninety-two percent would give up all of their social networking friends if it meant keeping their best friend. The study also finds that social networking provides an avenue for girls to maintain better relationships and feel more connected to causes they care about. Fifty-six percent of girls agree that social networking helps them feel closer to their friends, and 36% think that social networks have increased the quality of their relationships. Fifty-two percent of girls have gotten involved in a cause they care about through a social network.

Girl Scout Teens Unite to Plan Conference

With many events, committees must be formed to ensure every aspect of the function is planned with careful consideration and detail. The same can be said for the 2011 Teen Conference. What makes this event unique is that the conference is planned by teens for teens. Typical meetings include Central Texas girls discussing what is important to their peers and what needs to be done to implement their ideas.

The GSCTX Marketing Department has had the pleasure of working with a group of four girls to plan and create the promotional materials for the upcoming conference. Under our guidance, Annie L., Alison S., Clara S. and Belle T. have been able to take the lead on implementing many of the projects that are usually given to seasoned professionals. The girls are currently creating the event logo along with developing content for the website, social media, TV, radio and print materials.

Join us February 19, 2011 at the UT Alumni Center to celebrate the hard work of these girls and experience a day that can help any high school girl get ready to take on the next stage of her life.

Photo: GSCTX Graphic Designer Larisa Chavarria guides Annie L. on designing the logo.

Give Thanks...

Give thanks to the extraordinary women in your life with a Women of Distinction nomination. Held annually in the areas of Austin, Killeen, San Angelo and Brownwood, Women of Distinction celebrates women who have distinguished themselves as outstanding members of their community through individual excellence and high levels of achievements. GSCTX asks you to consider the role models and mentors in your life and thank them through nominating them as a potential 2011 Woman of Distinction. Let us show these inspiring females that their hard work has not gone unnoticed! Nominate a woman from your area today.

To access the nomination forms and guidelines for Austin, Brownwood, San Angelo and Killeen, please visit our website.

Watch What You Watch

Girl Scouts of the USA, along with the National Association of Broadcasters, the National Cable and Telecommunications Association, and The Creative Coalition, believe every child deserves to live in an environment that fosters confidence and character. We recognize that as children's media use continues to increase, all youth would benefit from experiencing healthy and positive messages about girls and women.

"Watch What You Watch" hopes to build awareness about the need to pay attention not to just what kids watch, but how they watch it. Now more than ever, tools such as media literacy, public education and career exploration can be invaluable to young people. "Watch What You Watch" offers a clearinghouse of resources and tools that girls, parents, communities, and the media industry can use to help young people encounter and use media content that inspires, empowers, and engages.

Watch What You Watch is directed by The Creative Coalition Co-President Tim Daly and features Felicity Huffman, Emmanuelle Chriqui, Andrea Bowen, Seth Green, Rachael Leigh Cook, Kaycee Stroh, Kathryn Joosten, Carrie Ann Inaba, Teri Polo, Shay Mitchell, Ayla Kell, Josie Loren, Vanessa Lengies, Rachel Blanchard, Brooke Nevin, Lisa Gay Hamilton, and Chuck D. -GSUSA

Girl Scouts Rock the Grand Canyon!

This past June 10-year-old Madison R. took an eight day trip along with her troop to the Grand Canyon! Traveling in a charter bus, the girls kept themselves busy with different activities such as making postcards for those back home. They even got to take some time to learn more about the Indians’ culture by studying their history along with sampling some unique food. Madison tried blue corn muffins, popcorn and tanka bites, which are dried buffalo meat and berries. She loved the tanka bites so much that she continued to eat them long after the other girls had fallen asleep on the bus.

Madison’s troop made several stops along the way in order to take advantage of all the historic and scenic sites in their path. Her favorite site was Carlsbad Caverns, where she was able to view the ‘King’s Palace’ room. Madison particularly enjoyed this room due to its realistic, yet creative setting. The room was set up like a palace, but everything in it was made from a part of the caverns.

The girls eventually arrived at their destination -- the Grand Canyon! From first glance, Madison explains she felt very small in comparison to this historic national park. She was in awe of the landscape and amazed to learn about the formation of it. Madison and her troop visited different areas of the canyon in several ways. They were able to travel using jeeps and even mules! One of their activities included a treasure hunt where their goal was to identify as many different rock formations as possible so they could scratch it off their list. They were not only able to have fun experiences such as this one, but her troop was also able to earn badges in the process!

Madison believes this trip helped her in many ways. It was her first big trip away from her parents and while she missed them, it helped her see that it wasn’t so bad to go on a trip without them. Her troop also played a large role in planning for the trip and because of its success; Madison is excited to start planning their next trip to Kansas City! Madison is a prime example of the ways many Girl Scouts take these unique opportunities available to them and come away from them with the courage, confidence and character to do more great things in the future! Great job, Madison and Troop 781! We can’t wait to see what you do next.

For comments or questions on planning a troop trip of your own, please contact Girl Scouts of Central Texas.

Girl Scout Registers for 67th Year of Girl Scouting

Girl Scout Aluma Edith Scott visited the GSCTX council on Wednesday, Oct. 6 to meet with staff, donate her Girl Scout memorabilia and register for her 67th year of Girl Scouting! Edith shared that her Girl Scout experience began in 1935 at the encouragement of her mother who was a Girl Scout herself. Her mother continued with Girl Scouting as a troop leader and brought her love of music into the troop. The troop ended up forming a band and they performed for a wide variety of events and people. In their travels, they visited a good portion of Texas from San Antonio to Houston. Edith recalls that her mother made sure "every girl had a uniform to perform in." If they could not afford one, her mother graciously provided the uniform to the girl.

In additon to the band, Edith says her fondest memories as a Girl Scout was camping with her troop and other troops at an event called "Round-Up." This event took place at Fairgate National Park and as Edith explained, it gave girls the ultimate camping experience with their Girl Scout peers.

Edith continues with Girl Scouting to this day and proudly announced her great-granddaughter was going to be the newest Girl Scout of the family making her a fifth generation Girl Scout.