2023 NCS and Phenom Review

National Governance 7 Comments 2023 NCS, bonnie b, democratic process, farthest north council, girl scout universe, governance, gsusa, national convention, national council, national delegate, roberts rules

Well, that’s a wrap on the 56th National Council Session (NCS) and Phenom Girl Scout Convention. Where to even begin? There’s a lot to unpack, but I’ll go through it as best as possible. Buckle up!

My favorite part of the convention was finally meeting up with friends that I have made through online networking channels. Some folks I’ve known for years, but this was the first time we’ve ever met in-person. It’s really neat how you instantly click with them. It had also been almost six years since I had seen some other friends at the Convention in Columbus. That’s too long of a wait!

I want to thank those of you I spoke to in Orlando who gave me supportive comments about the work I do in Girl Scouting. It has been like a ride on a rickety wooden roller coaster for the past however many years since I started delving into deeper waters, but hearing from you really does make the journey smoother. It was a great pick-me-up at just the right time. Continue reading

July 12 2023

Can You Keep a NCS Secret?

National Governance 7 Comments 2023 NCS, democratic process, gsusa, national delegate

We’re down to single digit days before it’s time for the 56th National Council Session (NCS) to commence, and GSUSA has finally — FINALLY — sent out a “What You Need to Know” email for all of us guests. My travel anxiety kicked into high gear a few days ago, and I had been forced to find out things piecemeal from friends who are delegates and Facebook groups which wasn’t helping matters. Lots of rumors about security and water bottles and social media guidelines were swirling around, but now GSUSA has OFFICIALLY published a guide (and an app!). But there’s something weird right at the very end of the guide.

The very last page of the 15 page document details the social media and communication guidelines that attendees of Phenom and the NCS are supposed to follow. Most of it is pretty standard, but there is one thing that strikes me as odd. The document states that attendees aren’t allowed to share “National Council Session voting outcomes.” What? Continue reading