There was a display in the Hall of Experiences at the G.I.R.L. 2017 Convention about renaming the Savannah River bridge in Savannah, GA to the Juliette Gordon Low bridge. They had an enormous banner that everybody could sign, plus they had laptop stations set up if you wanted to electronically (and OFFICIALLY) sign the online petition. And then you got a G.I.R.L. Agenda pin!

Here’s the link to the petition:

https://www.girlscouts.org/en/about-girl-scouts/advocacy/the-girl-scout-advocacy-network/sign-a-petition-to-name-the-savannah-bridge.html

Update 3/6/18: It looks like Georgia lawmakers are backing away from the “Low” Bridge due to the name “low.”

October 26 2017

2017 National Convention: What a Long Strange Trip It’s Been

National Governance 2 Comments 2017 NCS, farthest north council, national convention, OFFICIAL scarf, patches, swaps

Whew. I’ve already covered what happened during the 2017 National Council Session, so here’s my experience with the rest of it! This was my first convention, so going into it, I had no idea what to expect. It was definitely sensory overload, but a good kind. Like going into Willy Wonka’s factory but it was all Girl Scout related. But there were no oompa loompas. Or Everlasting Gobstoppers. OK, maybe it was nothing like Willy Wonka’s factory. Nevermind. I’m really not sure what to equate it to. But can I just say OFFICIAL Scarfapalooza?? I’ve never seen so many in one place! Anyway, here’s a few highlights! Continue reading

October 11 2017

2017 National Council Session Wrap Up: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

National Governance 8 Comments 2017 NCS, blue book, delegate, gsusa, membership dues, money, national board, national convention, national council, national delegate, roberts rules

I walked in the door from the 2017 National Council Session and Convention a little after midnight Sunday night, and it will probably take me a number of days to recover. Things are still a blur. Plus I’m old. 😉

At first, I had planned on combining both my convention and session experience in one post, but I realized they each need to stand alone. I was also going to let a week or so pass in order to let things settle in my mind. However, I believe I need to at the very least get the business out the way first so that my recollections are as fresh as possible. Feel free in the comment section to add to this commentary or correct any mistakes you come across. Continue reading

September 29 2017

The Calm Before the Storm

Random Things That Don't Fit Anywhere Else Kinda Like Me 2 Comments national convention, OFFICIAL scarf, swaps

There are only a few days left until we leave for the National Convention, and I’m starting to kinda sorta get ready. I’ve made all of my swaps. I’m not quite to 300, but I will have three different kinds plus two limited editions. I have 97 of the OFFICIAL scarf swaps, 150 something of my cat comic swap, and 40 something of swaps from my daughter’s Destination from this past August. So catch me early if you want an OFFICIAL scarf swap and bring a good one to trade!

September 18 2017

Lifetime vs. Annual Membership Dues Rebuttal

National Governance 2 Comments 2017 NCS, blue book, comics, gsusa, membership dues, money, national board, national convention, national council, roberts rules

Disclaimer:

Disclaimer: The following is my own personal opinion and does not necessarily reflect the view of my council’s delegation. Addendum 9/26/17: To clarify, this rebuttal speaks solely to the claim that National Board has the authority to raise membership dues and does NOT speak to the amount of lifetime membership dues. In my opinion, Proposal 3 is specifically about the amount of lifetime membership dues and does not imply authority whether it passes or not.

This blog post is (yet) another continuation of a series about membership dues, proposals, and who has the authority to change them. It’s not really necessary to read the previous three if you haven’t already, but I highly recommend it because I might have already answered some questions, plus I go into depth as to my explanations and rationales as to why the National Board does not have the authority to raise membership dues. You can start here. But this one is a direct follow-up to the blog post called The Lifetime Membership Dues Amendment Contradiction where I stated that this year’s National Session Proposal 3 contradicts the National Board’s previous assertion. Before we begin and in case you’re just joining us, here’s a refresher: 1) The National Council DID NOT vote at any point to give authority to the National Board to raise dues, nor was there ever a proposal. 2) The National Council DID NOT vote to raise membership dues from $12 to $15 at any session. 3) The National Council DID NOT vote at any time to raise membership dues from $15 to $25. For a list of all proposals since 2008 and their results, read this blog post. Continue reading

September 6 2017

Eclipses, Patches, and Swaps (Oh My)

Random Things That Don't Fit Anywhere Else Kinda Like Me No Comments blue book, camp wabak, national board, national convention, norcal council, OFFICIAL scarf, patches, swaps

So who caught the total solar eclipse a few weeks ago? I was lucky enough to live in the totality area, and we also had completely clear skies for it. I had been looking forward to this event for a year and a half, and it completely lived up to the hype and then some! My youngest daughter and I went to a leader friend’s house with her two girls and watched it there complete with a pinhole camera, solar glasses, white poster paper (to see the shadow bands), and even a recording of Total Eclipse of the Heart to play during the totality! We all screamed when it hit 100% like it was a big rock star! And it was! Continue reading

August 21 2017

Who Does Proposal 2 Work For? Not You

National Governance, Opinions 5 Comments blue book, delegate, governance, national board, national convention, national council

Disclaimer:

As I said in the last post, I recently became a national delegate alternate. The following rationale is my personal opinion and does not necessarily reflect the views of my council’s delegation.

Proposal 2 for the 2017 National Council Session is a Constitutional and Bylaws Amendment that would establish the National Board Development Committee (NBDC) as a direct committee of the National Board. Continue reading

August 14 2017

Convention Update, Visiting Jenny, and Brick Walls

Random Things That Don't Fit Anywhere Else Kinda Like Me 1 Comment cadettes, change lives, delegate, jenny, making a difference, mrs. vickers, national center west, national convention, OFFICIAL scarf, scrapbooks, swaps, the 80s, trip out west, troop 20

It’s been an intense few months here on the GSWAC blog due to all of the governance posts I’ve written lately. Here are a few non-membership dues/National Council/National Board and hopefully fun quick hits:

OK, I lied. Here is a governance related update. Contrary to what I posted back in June about G.I.R.L. being a no-go, things have changed and I will be attending as a national delegate alternate! So while I won’t be voting or attending any of the delegate only events, I will still get to be a part of the National Council Session as a guest and enjoy the weekend activities. No word if security has been notified yet. So look for me! I will be the one in the navy blue and wearing an OFFICIAL scarf! And yes, I will have my OFFICIAL scarf swaps with me among others – but you’d better bring your best swap in order to get one! I will only have a limited number on hand because they are very time-consuming to make. Continue reading

August 7 2017

List of Nat’l Council Session Proposals and Actions Since 2008

National Governance 8 Comments 2017 NCS, blue book, delegate, governance, membership dues, national board, national convention, national council

This page is no longer updated. You can find a summary of all NCS proposals and decisions from past years on the GirlScoutGovernance.com website.

Based on my research and personal observations over the past few months about National Council Sessions since 2008, it’s become obvious that many people’s memories are fuzzy and a lot of assumptions are being made about what passed or what they were even about. There’s a lot of “I believe” and “I think” or “I remember” out there. Even former delegates don’t even remember what they voted on. What exactly is being slipped into the food at conventions? What the heck people!

So to put it all in one place and make it easier to reference, here are the proposals and actions taken at National Council Sessions since 2008. This summary does not include secondary motion voting results. More NCS proposals and results from previous years can be found here. Continue reading

July 29 2017

The Board of Directors and Fiduciary Duties

Delegate Duties No Comments board of directors, cats, councils, delegate, governance, OFFICIAL scarf

I don’t know about you, but when I hear about a “board of directors,” I get the mental image of a bunch of people in business suits sitting around a long conference table looking important. They may be on a conference call too. Probably one of those calls where it takes 10 minutes for the call to actually get started because you have to go through the usual “Who just joined us?” and “Can you hear me?” questions and the uncomfortable silence and shuffling of papers while waiting for everybody to finally get on the call. I bet it’s even got that weird background noise that nobody ever cops to but forces the call organizer to ask “Can everyone please mute your phones when you’re not speaking?” multiple times.

You can find a more thorough explanation and an in-depth article about Who’s Who in Council Governance along with a Council Delegate Primer on GirlScoutGovernance.com.

Girl Scout with a Cause

Rename the Savannah Bridge!